How to Be Ready When the (Fundraising) Luck Happens

In March, as St. Patrick's Day takes over, talk of the ‘luck of the Irish’ is everywhere. And in fundraising, ‘luck’ is a word we hear a lot too, usually to explain why another organisation seems to be doing so well. They were lucky to land that transformational investment, lucky that corporate partnership came together the way it did, lucky their campaign took off.

Luck is an easy explanation. But at OKC, after more than two decades working with charities and not-for-profits across Ireland, we've come to see it differently. There's a saying attributed to Seneca that has always resonated with us: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

And yes, luck plays a part. Fundraising will always involve timing, relationships and moments you can't fully predict or plan for. But luck on its own rarely leads anywhere. The organisations that seem to ‘get lucky’ are, more often than not, simply the ones who were ready when the luck came.

So what does being ready actually look like? In our experience, it comes down to a few key things.

A clear, confident case for support

Donors, whether individuals, foundations, or corporates, want to know what their money will do. Not in vague terms, but specifically. What problem are you solving? Who benefits, and how? What does success look like in a year, in five years? If you can't answer those questions clearly and with confidence, you're not quite ready for the conversation yet. A compelling case for support is the foundation everything else is built on, and it's worth investing real time to get it right. Check out our guide to Case for Support development here.

Relationships built before you need them

This is one of the most common challenges we see. Organisations reach out to donors only when they have an ask to make, and then wonder why the response is lukewarm. The best philanthropic relationships are built over time, through regular updates, invitations and engagement. Then, when an opportunity arises, the trust is already there - there is an existing conversation for you to continue.

Nowhere is this truer than with legacy giving. A donor who leaves a gift in their will is almost never someone who was approached out of the blue. They're someone who has been close to your organisation for years, who believed in your mission, felt valued and trusted that their gift would be in good hands. That kind of relationship can't be rushed, it grows from consistent, thoughtful stewardship. That same principle holds across all donor relationships. A high impact donor  who feels well looked after is far more likely to give again. A corporate partner that receives meaningful updates on the impact of their investment is far more likely to renew their partnership (and advocate hard for you internally!). Good stewardship is the foundation of sustainable fundraising. Our Halloween Don’t Ghost Your Donors article has lots of donor stewardship tips to keep in mind all year round!

A Board that understands its role in fundraising

Your Board members are often your most powerful connectors, but they need to know what's expected of them, feel confident in your organisation's story and have the tools to open doors on your behalf. Very often, Board members want to help but aren't quite sure how, or feel uncomfortable when it comes to making connections or having conversations about money. That's completely understandable, and it's exactly why investing in board development is such an important part of being ready.

When your Board understands their role in building a culture of philanthropy, and feels comfortable with it, they become excellent ambassadors for your cause. That makes a significant difference when opportunities arise.

(OKC regularly works with Boards to develop this culture - if it's something your organisation would find useful, we'd be happy to chat.)

Systems that inspire confidence

When a high impact donor or philanthropic foundation considers a significant investment, they're always going to do a level of due diligence. Is the organisation well-governed? Are funds managed transparently? Is there evidence that previous gifts were used as intended? Having strong governance and stewardship practices and clear reporting in place means that when scrutiny comes, you're comfortable being looked at closely. 

So where does that leave luck?

We're definitely not dismissing it entirely. Genuinely good things do happen! The right conversation at the right time, a donor who finds you just as they're thinking about their legacy, a grant that opens up at exactly the right moment. But what we've observed time and again is that the organisations that make the most of those moments are the ones that have been doing the hard work all along. They've been building relationships, refining their story, developing their people and strengthening their systems. And so when the luck arrives, they're ready to meet it.

Is your organisation ready for when the luck strikes?

As we move through spring and into what is, for many organisations, one of the busiest fundraising periods of the year, it's worth asking yourself honestly: if a significant opportunity came our way tomorrow, could we make the most of it?

If the answer is yes, great, keep going. If you’re not so sure, then that's useful information for you to have. Maybe it's time to revisit your Case for Support (or to start working on one if you don’t have one yet), or to schedule those relationship-building conversations you've been putting off. Maybe it's a bigger conversation with your board about what fundraising success could look like this year.

At OKC, we work with charities and not-for-profits to help build exactly this kind of readiness, so that when good things happen, you're in a position to make the very most of them. If you'd like to talk about where your organisation is right now and where you want to get to, we'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch with the OKC team at info@okennedyconsulting.ie