One Overlooked Funding Source That Could Unlock 6–7 Figures for Your Nonprofit

There are seven categories of ideal funders for your nonprofit organization.

When I say “ideal funders,” I’m talking about the people, businesses, organizations, grantors, foundations, and government agencies that have the capacity, affinity, and propensity to give to a mission like yours.

Your job as a nonprofit founder is to identify who these people and organizations are and then go after them with focus and strategy. That’s the foundation of successful, sustainable fundraising.

The truth is, many founders reach out to people and organizations with high hopes, only to be met with silence. Some never respond. Some politely decline. Others keep saying “no” again and again. At some point, it starts to feel like you’re begging, overexplaining, overconvincing, just to get someone to give.

But here’s the reality: if you haven’t identified your ideal funders, you will always struggle.

There are people and organizations out there who already have an established reason to want your nonprofit to succeed. They’re already aligned with your mission. They’re already invested in the outcomes you’re working toward. Your job is to find them, and then approach them systematically and strategically so they can say “yes” with confidence.

Today, I want to focus on just one of the seven categories of ideal funders: the Benefits Category.

 
 
The Benefits Category
The Benefits Category includes the people, businesses, and organizations that benefit directly or indirectly from your mission.

This concept surprises a lot of nonprofit founders, because inside the sector, we tend to think only about the people we serve. But the truth is, there’s always a wider network of beneficiaries connected to your impact.

Let’s look at some examples.

Example 1: Empowering Nonprofit Founders
If you run a nonprofit that supports other nonprofit founders, then those founders are the direct beneficiaries of your mission. In many cases, they already have resources and the capacity to fund your vision, whether that’s through membership fees, training fees, or registrations.

Because they benefit directly, it’s much easier to convince them to support you.

Example 2: Empowering the Homeless
Now, let’s say your organization empowers people experiencing homelessness. The homeless themselves are direct beneficiaries, but most of them don’t have the capacity to give back financially.

So where do you look? You look at the indirect beneficiaries.

• Family members: they benefit from seeing their loved one stably housed and off the streets.
  
• Real estate agents: they gain new clients as people move into homes.
  
• Real estate companies: they profit from housing transactions.
  
• Home décor stores: they sell furniture and decorations to newly housed individuals.
  
• Housing divisions within local government: your work supports their mandate, so they may provide resources or funding.
  

All of these groups benefit indirectly from your mission.

Example 3: Empowering Children
If your mission serves children, you may think your work begins and ends with the kids themselves. But the real list of beneficiaries goes much further.

• Parents benefit because their children are supported.
  
• Teachers benefit because they can focus on teaching without constant behavioral struggles.
  
• Schools benefit because empowered children raise the overall standard of education.
  

Again, all of these groups are benefactors of your mission, whether you’ve realized it or not.

 
 
Why This Matters
If you don’t understand this concept, you’ll waste time chasing the wrong funders. You’ll keep knocking on doors that never open.

But once you identify your direct and indirect benefactors, everything changes. You can invite them into real partnerships where everyone wins:

• The people you serve benefit.
  
• Your partners benefit by connecting their brand, mission, or business with meaningful impact.
  
• And your organization benefits by gaining sustainable funding.
  

This is the essence of true partnership. It’s not begging. It’s not convincing. It’s aligning interests and working together toward a shared outcome.

And here’s the bigger picture: beneficiaries are only one of seven categories of ideal funders. Others include people with a giving history, those who want to enhance their reputation, and more.

When you research across all seven categories, you’ll discover a wide range of funders, people, businesses, organizations, and agencies who have a reason to support your mission. And once you tap into those reasons, you’ll be able to build long-term partnerships and unlock transformational funding.

 
 
The Path to Six and Seven Figures
If you’re struggling to raise funds right now, I want you to know this: it is possible to raise six to seven figures over the next 12 months. But it won’t come from scattering your efforts or begging for donations.

It starts with building the right foundation. The first step is identifying who your ideal funders are. From there, you can engage them systematically, strategically, and sustainably.

That’s how you transform your fundraising. That’s how you move from struggling to thriving. That’s how you build an organization that is strong, resilient, and equipped to achieve its mission.

Are You Ready To Unlock Transformational Funding? Let's schedule a free call to discuss what that looks like for your organization. Use the link below to select a convenient time. https://calendly.com/meetwithrooney/introductory-call