From Aspiration to Action: What the Fundraising Investment Study Reveals About the Future of Fundraising 

Nonprofit leaders have ambitious visions, and they’re ready to turn them into reality with the right tools and insights. 

Across sectors, advancement teams are being asked to raise more, justify every dollar, and do it all in an environment of constrained budgets and competing priorities. Everyone agrees data can help, and there is a growing shift in how organizations are using data to meaningfully shape investment decisions. However, there is a gap between knowing what matters and operationalizing it: this gap is the central theme of Marts&Lundy’s recent Fundraising Investment Study. 

Based on insights from 243 organizations across seven countries, this global study examines how nonprofits resource fundraising, what data influences decisions, and how effectiveness is defined. It offers practical guidance for how your organization can incorporate a more data-driven approach to making fundraising investment decisions.  

A Sector in Motion 

What’s working: 

Collaboration is strong. Nearly 70% of organizations report collaborative budgeting between advancement leaders and senior leadership. Peer benchmarking and internal performance data are widely trusted. And one-quarter of organizations are already using ROI, CPDR, or forecasting to guide investment decisions, which is a meaningful shift from traditional budgeting processes. 

This is a sector evolving with purpose, creating opportunities for organizations at every stage of maturity.  

The Opportunity Ahead: Turning Data into Decisions 

Practically speaking, incremental methods persist because they’re familiar and manageable, even if they don’t fully reflect what the data reveal.  

Definitions of effectiveness are often narrow, focused heavily on gift growth and ROI, with less emphasis on donor retention, pipeline health, or long-term capacity. At the same time, investments in analytics infrastructure, leadership fluency, and clearer institutional alignment are creating more sustainable pathways for growth.  

Many organizations are already translating this analytical maturity into action, laying the groundwork for broader transformation. In other words: the foundation is set, and the sector is positioned to accelerate progress.  

What the Data Show

The numbers tell an encouraging story. The study pairs survey responses with performance benchmarks to ground insight in evidence. A few findings stand out: 

These metrics offer persuasive proof points. 

Moving From Awareness to Action 

The most effective organizations track performance and embed it directly into decision-making. 

They present multi-year ROI and CPDR trends alongside budget requests. They benchmark against aspirational peers, not just similar institutions, to understand what it takes to reach the next level. They educate leadership year-round so budget conversations don’t start from scratch every year. 

Most importantly, they have embraced an expanded, more holistic definition of success. 

Growth in gifts will always matter. But leading organizations are pairing revenue with indicators of sustainability: donor retention, pipeline depth, portfolio health, and capacity metrics. This broader view allows advancement leaders to justify investment not just in terms of what fundraising delivered last year but for what it can deliver next. 

Progress Looks Different at Every Stage 

One of the clearest takeaways from the study is that progress is possible at any level of maturity. 

Organizations with emerging systems can focus on consistent definitions and reliable core metrics. Those with evolving systems can introduce dynamic dashboards and peer benchmarking. Advanced organizations can model scenarios and forecast opportunity cost. 

Why This Matters Now 

Budgets aren’t getting easier. Expectations aren’t getting lower. And donors are more discerning than ever. 

In this environment, it’s essential that fundraising investment decisions look beyond history, instinct, and anecdotes. Organizations that close the gap between aspiration and practice will be best positioned to secure resources, deploy them effectively, and demonstrate impact. The sector has the tools, the data, and the knowledge it needs, and organizations across every stage are already putting them to work.  

For nonprofit leaders ready to make that shift, this research offers validation, direction, and a clear signal that the future of fundraising is most promising for those who invest with intention and evidence.