Between Emotion and Complexity: The Balancing Act Between Fundraising and Programs

After hours of writing, the new article for the sponsorship magazine is finally finished. You’re proud of the successful, emotional storytelling and the compelling facts you’ve included. Now it just needs the campaigner’s approval before it can move to layout. But the article returns from the program department with 35 comments… too simplified, too shallow, too sensational, not technical enough. If you implemented all the comments, the article would be twice as long, and the beautiful storytelling would be gone.

Many fundraisers have likely experienced something similar — if not all of them. The underlying conflict is systemic: It exists wherever there are fundraising and program departments.

Different Perspectives

The cause of the conflict lies in the different perspectives the two departments have (and must have). The core of fundraising is to generate funds to secure the organization financially and make projects possible. Therefore, communication focuses on presenting successes and emphasizing the importance of support. The primary target audience for fundraising is, of course, donors.

In contrast, the program department focuses on implementing projects and achieving the organization’s mission. Their priority is long-term, profound changes in often very complex settings. The program department collaborates with partners from scientific and political contexts.

Different Communication Styles

In fundraising, it is important to communicate in an easily understandable way and to tell stories. These stories need to be emotionally engaging to motivate donors to give. Exact, in-depth facts are less crucial, or very difficult to translate into donation-driving messages without simplifying them.

Program staff, on the other hand, emphasize accuracy, context, and complexity. This is essential in their communication with experts, political representatives, and the media to be perceived as technically competent. They fear that excessive simplification distorts or even misrepresents reality.

Different Timelines

While fundraising typically works with short- to mid-term goals (e.g., quarterly targets), the program department has a long-term focus that doesn’t always show immediately measurable success. This creates tension when fundraising needs quick, measurable success stories that program staff cannot always provide.

Different Interests

Fundraisers represent the interests of donors. These donors want understandable information about the cause and what their donations achieve. In the program department, however, the interests of beneficiaries or field experts are represented. For them, detailed, in-depth information and scientific approaches are important.

Resource and Value Conflicts

Budget distribution is often a source of conflict. While the program department argues that there would be no progress without their work, fundraising emphasizes that they are the ones bringing in the funds for the projects. Balancing these funding allocations is always a challenge.

Additionally, there are differences in values. Fundraising teams are often performance- and goal-oriented, while program teams see their work as a mission or calling. Therefore, the fundraising focus on financial goals can sometimes feel misaligned with the organization’s values.

Is There a Solution?

One thing in advance: Systemic conflicts cannot simply disappear. They will always exist — and that’s a good thing. Because of these two perspectives, it is constantly necessary to find compromises and balance. This ensures that communication never becomes too “shallow” or too “technical.” The middle ground that results is often ideal.

Nevertheless, some steps can help ease the tensions:

• Create Understanding: When both sides understand each other’s needs and goals, it lays the foundation for constructive collaboration.
• Set Common Goals: Instead of seeing the two sides as separate worlds, formulate shared goals that consider both perspectives.
• Storytelling Workshops: Work together to create authentic and ethical stories for donors that accurately reflect program work.
• Interdisciplinary Teams: Form project teams with members from both departments to promote synergy.

Emotion vs. Facts

Ultimately, the conflict between fundraising and programs must be addressed individually in each organization. Depending on the strategies an NGO uses to achieve its mission, the appropriate communication style will vary. NGO communication will always exist somewhere between perfect technical accuracy and simplified emotional appeal. The key question is: How much expertise is too confusing, and how much simplification is harmful?

The challenge remains: How can we communicate together without betraying complexity or losing emotion? Perhaps it’s time to see this balancing act not as a problem, but as an opportunity.