Most nonprofits don’t need a new strategy right now.
They need to remove what’s quietly getting in the way.
We’re at the halfway point of the year.
Plans were made.
Campaigns were launched.
Conversations were started.
Some things worked.
Some didn’t.
Most landed somewhere in between.
This is usually the moment when organizations start thinking about what to add for the second half.
“What can we do to drive funding and support the second half of the year?”
A new campaign.
A new message.
A new initiative.
But there’s another path that’s often more effective.
Not adding.
Removing.
Imagine that?
Welcome to another Fuel Tank issue. Before you go charging full speed ahead, read on for a conversation about how less really can be more.
Why this matters more than it seems
Over the past few months, a consistent pattern has shown up across nearly every conversation.
Donors are still engaged.
Still interested.
Still willing to support.
But movement has slowed.
Not stopped.
Just slowed.
And in many cases, it’s not because something is missing.
It’s because something is in the way.
The friction we don’t always see
Friction doesn’t usually show up as a clear problem.
It shows up as:
hesitation
delay
incomplete follow-through
conversations that stall without explanation
And is often shows up silently.
From the outside (your view), it can feel like:
weaker engagement
less urgency
declining momentum
But often, what’s actually happening is much simpler.
The path forward isn’t clear enough.
Or easy enough.
Or timely enough.
The reset many nonprofits skip
At this point in the year, most organizations ask:
What should we do next?
A more useful question is:
What is making it harder for donors to move forward right now?
That shift changes everything.
Because instead of building something new, you start by clearing what’s already blocking progress.
The initiative: Identify and remove one major source of friction
Not five.
Not a full overhaul.
Just one.
Something that:
slows donors down
creates uncertainty
interrupts momentum
When you remove one meaningful barrier, everything around it tends to move more easily.
What this actually looks like
Friction shows up in different ways depending on the organization.
Sometimes it’s procedural:
a donation process with too many steps
unclear instructions
delayed follow-up after someone expresses interest
Sometimes it’s cognitive:
too many options presented at once
unclear next steps
messaging that requires too much interpretation
Sometimes it’s emotional:
uncertainty about impact
lack of reassurance
questions that aren’t being addressed
The goal isn’t to diagnose everything.
It’s to notice where movement is consistently slowing.
How to find it
You don’t need complex data for this.
Start with what you’re already seeing.
Look for patterns like:
where donors hesitate
where conversations stall
where follow-through drops off
Ask:
Where do we lose momentum most often?
Where do donors need to “think about it”?
Where do we feel like things should move faster than they do?
The answer is usually not hidden.
It’s just easy to overlook.
Tip: Ask…your…donors!
Where this goes wrong
When organizations identify friction, the instinct is often to fix everything at once.
That rarely works.
It creates:
more complexity
more internal pressure
more change than teams can realistically absorb
A better approach is to choose one point of friction and address it fully.
Make it:
clearer
simpler
more responsive
Then observe what changes.
How to start small
Pick one area where momentum feels inconsistent.
Then ask:
What would make this easier for a donor?
What would remove one step, one question, or one hesitation?
Start there.
You don’t need a perfect solution.
You need a clearer path.
What to watch
When friction is reduced, the signals are often subtle but meaningful:
faster follow-through
fewer stalled conversations
more confident responses
less need for repeated clarification
You’re not forcing action.
You’re making it easier for action to happen.
The encouraging part
If the challenge were lack of interest, this would be difficult to change.
But when the challenge is friction, small adjustments can have a disproportionate impact.
The connection already exists.
The path just needs to be smoother.
The Signal Beneath the Noise
Some recently published research on reducing friction and the impact it can have.
Study/Experiment | Friction Reduction Strategy | Impact | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
NextAfter experiment (CaringBridge) | Reduced visual length of donation form by rearranging fields | 39.4% increase in donor conversion rate (from 5.2% to 7.2%) with 100% confidence nextafter | 2021 (widely cited in 2024–2025) |
AAW Fundraising Benchmarks Report 2025 | Only 21% of people who start online donations complete it; nearly 4 in 5 drop off giantdigital | Shows massive leakage from friction; shorter forms can lift conversions by 10–15% per Baymard Institute giantdigital | 2025 |
Stanford/PayPal giving research | Low-cost tweaks to reduce friction in charitable asks | Can raise more money for nonprofits; researchers emphasize "there are low-cost ways to potentially reduce friction and raise more money for good causes" gsb.stanford | 2024 study published Nov 2024 |
Technology Mindz analysis | Removing payment friction points (long forms, mandatory accounts, poor error handling) | Reduces "invisible revenue loss" from lost donations; expanding payment options and simplifying forms directly helps nonprofits keep more contributions technologymindz | 2025 |
If this resonates, consider sharing it with a colleague reviewing mid-year performance, struggling on what to do the second half, or looking to regain momentum without adding more work.
Sometimes the most effective reset isn’t building something new.
It’s removing what’s been quietly getting in the way.
I’ll Say It With A Photo
Often all you need is to frame something differently to increase the impact
There’s a tendency at the midpoint of the year to assume that progress requires more activity.
More outreach.
More messaging.
More initiatives.
But the truth is that complexity is often the bigger barrier.
Donors are navigating more than ever.
Organizations that simplify the path forward - even slightly - tend to regain momentum without needing to add more.
Have an awesome week everyone!
Dan
P.S. Want to know more about the Corporate Partnership Jumpstart or Corporate Partnership Build? Click below or send me a message.
