One of the most important things NGO comms teams can do is help people give

Fundraising leader, Rachael Holderness

Comms people talk a lot about awareness, engagement, storytelling, reputation. These are all important.

But in an NGO, one outcome often gets overlooked by comms teams. And it might be the most important one: getting people to donate.

Fundraising pays the staff. It gets money to the communities we write about. Without it, the stories don't matter because the work doesn't happen.

And yet the link between comms and fundraising is often weaker than we'd like to admit. We run campaigns, pitch stories and create content that feels meaningful and well-crafted - but we don't always ask whether they actually helped bring money in.

To understand that gap better, I spoke with Rachael Holderness, who's held senior leadership roles across fundraising, partnerships and philanthropy at organisations including Save the Children NZ, UNICEF Aotearoa and New Zealand Red Cross.

I asked her how comms and fundraising work best together, and what comms people need to understand if we want our work to genuinely support income.

1. If people feel powerless, they don't give

iNGOs deal with enormous problems - climate change, conflict, displacement, poverty. As comms people, we want to be honest about that scale.

But Rachael made a really important point: “If people feel the problems are too huge… they think as one individual, or as little New Zealand, we're never going to make a difference.”

That's when donations drop off.

Fundraising teams know people give when they can see exactly what their money will do - and trust the organisation to deliver it. That's why appeals focus on one person, one project, one clear outcome. It's not about dumbing things down. It's about helping people understand their support matters.

Ask yourself: Does this story leave someone feeling they can make a difference, or does it leave them feeling it's already too late?

2. Different donors need completely different messages

One of the biggest disconnects between comms and fundraising is assuming one tone works for everyone.

I asked Rachael whether those emotionally direct appeal letters - the kind comms people sometimes wince at - actually work.

“It absolutely works. The bulk of fundraising still comes from regular givers and direct mail.”

Those appeals are written for long-time supporters who've been giving for years. They respond to clarity, repetition and a direct ask. But philanthropists and corporate partners are different. “At that level, donors want more bespoke, conversational communication. They don't want it to feel generic.” They're thinking about long-term impact, strategy and alignment with their own personal values.

And yet charitable organisations might create one set of assets and hope they'll stretch across everyone.

Ask yourself: Who is this actually written for, and does the message reflect how that person actually gives?

3. Fundraising is more data-driven than most comms teams realise

Rachael was clear that fundraising teams test constantly - subject lines, images, story order, ask amounts, timing. They know which messages resonate with their supporters and which ones don't.

"Fundraising is often counterintuitive… a comms person might say, 'Why would we write this?' But there is a lot of science behind it."

The version of a message that sounds better in a team meeting isn't always the one that drives people to donate. That can be uncomfortable for comms people, because we care about tone and nuance. But fundraising teams are working off real response data.

Ask yourself: When did you last sit down with your fundraising team and look at what actually converts?

4. Corporate partnerships are commercial decisions

We talk about partnerships as shared values - and values do matter. But they're also business decisions. The person you're pitching might be a sustainability lead or HR manager who has to justify the spend to their CFO at a time when budgets are tight across the business sector.

Rachael put it simply: “With corporate supporters, we need to make their lives easier. The comms needs to speak the language of the company, while simultaneously emphasising the impact they can have by partnering with a charity.”

That means clear outcomes, credibility and alignment with what matters to them - especially now. Generic awareness messaging doesn't help someone sign off a major partnership.

Ask yourself: What does this partner actually need to say yes internally - and are we giving them that?

5. Good storytelling and ethical storytelling aren't in tension

Large iNGOs have strict safeguarding rules, especially around children and vulnerable communities. Stories and images go through careful approval processes, as they should.

But Rachael also raised an important point: if stories are so sanitised that no one understands the urgency, fundraising becomes harder - and that ultimately hurts the people the organisation is trying to support.

“We have very strong ethical standpoints… no images are used without very stringent sign-off processes,” she said. But you still need to show real need. Showing need honestly, while protecting dignity, is key.

Remember: Donor trust is hard to build and easy to lose. Ethical storytelling protects it.

Working better together

What came through most clearly in our conversation was how rarely comms and fundraising teams actually understand each other's work - and how much better things get when they do.

If you're in comms in an NGO, it's worth sitting in on fundraising planning sessions, looking at appeal results, asking who your key donor audiences are and what messaging works for each of them.

Because in this sector, communications isn't just about telling stories. It's about helping bring in the funding that makes those good outcome stories possible. And if our comms work isn't doing that - even indirectly - we're leaving one of the most important parts of our job undone.