# reasons for not fundraising **The single greatest reason to not receive funding is because you did not ask.** There are many valid reasons to not receive funding: 1. you did not ask for funding 2. the funder is interested in a completely different area of work 3. the funder has no additional capacity right now (too many great projects need funds) 4. you failed to build trust 5. you failed to build a relationship 6. you saw them as only a source of funds and not as the valuable human they are 7. you failed to demonstrate why their contribution is important The times I have asked for funding for myself and others, I have had a very high batting average. I've fundraised millions through grants, collective funding, and major gifts. I've grown a lot and am proud of how I design pitch materials, write in grant proposals, and interact with funders. Even though I have the skills and the experience needed to successfully fundraise, I have struggled. I have had an aversion to asking for help/funding that has held the work back. This aversion certainly stems from stuff early in life and it isn't serving me any more. I do think that [[funding in this space has been wonky]], but that is not an excuse to avoid fundraising, it is an invitation to help fix how funding works in the space. There are good reasons to not pursue funding, but those reasons are behind me. ## Related to this - Bootstrapping - Sustainable revenue sources for charities - growing the pie - don't take no personally - ask outrageously - my experiences as a donor - #Thoughts - [[giving my money away]] - [[fund me]] - [[how to spend money well]] - [[instruction and advice]]