At the On Think Tanks Conference 2026, our Fundraising and Donor Relations Manager, Sharmagh Sakounts, spoke at the session “The Currency of Credibility: Building Trust to Secure Unrestricted and Less-Restricted Funds,” discussing the essential link between internal fundraising discipline and donor confidence.
Key highlights from her session included:
- A clear fundraising strategy is not just an internal tool—it is a signal to funders that they trust organizations that: know where they are going, understand how they will get there, and make intentional choices along the way.
- Setting institutional principles and red lines shows that your organization is not driven only by funding opportunities but by a coherent set of values.
- Impact should be the centerpiece of every donor conversation. What funders are looking for is not just what we do with their funding—but what that funding changes.
