Charities don’t fail because of bad causes.
They fail because of bad culture, weak leadership, and fear masquerading as strategy.

In this new episode of Two Ps on a Pod, Giles Pegram and I sat down with Alan Clayton, author of Great Fundraising Organizations, to unpack what truly drives growth – and why most charities never reach their potential.

And if you think it’s all about a focus on digital or a sparkling new rebrand, you’ll want to watch this first.

Alan’s central idea is simple but true:

Every great nonprofit is actually two businesses under one roof.

  1. The services business, which solves problems for beneficiaries.
  2. The fundraising business, which engages donors in order to solve those problems.

They’re united by purpose, but wildly different in how they work.

And yet, many charities try to manage them as if they’re one entity, with one voice, one brand, and one set of metrics.

That’s a mistake.

Alan analyzed over 500 fundraising organisations and the patterns were undeniable.

It’s not donor fatigue, market saturation, or economic headwinds that stop growth.

It’s fear – especially the fear of internal criticism:

  • Fear of senior leaders who come in and override long-term strategy
  • Fear of colleagues whose collective discomfort can stall long-term growth
  • Fear of emotion, even though fundraising is inherently emotional

The result? Fundraisers burning out. Strategies abandoned. Organisations stuck in "5% growth" loops while impact and income actually shrinks.

So what do great fundraising organisations do differently?

There are four core behaviours that define high-performing charities:

  1. They accept the two-business model - and foster mutual respect between services and fundraising.
  2. They focus on the donor’s need states – not just their own story.
  3. They plan in decades, not quarters – while staying agile and responsive.
  4. They are unapologetically ambitious – setting bold financial targets tied to big ideas, not incremental KPIs.

If you're a CEO, trustee, fundraiser, or in charity comms, this conversation is more than professional development – it’s professional reality.

Because you can’t afford to waste another year chasing small wins in a world full of big problems.