SHORT ‘High Value Fundraising’ Craig Pollard, Founder Fundraising Radicals Craig Pollard founder & CEO Fundraising Radicals

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, Craig Pollard, Founder of Fundraising Radicals, cuts through the noise on fundraising and brings it back to basics.

He lays out a clear way to think about building funding partnerships. Start with your principles. Be clear on your purpose and values. Then get real about your platform, what you stand on as an individual and as an organisation, including your strengths, constraints, networks, and reputation.

From there, it is about people and pathways. Not cold outreach or chasing the same well-known funders as everyone else, but working through your existing networks and focusing on those who already share your worldview.

Craig is also honest about the realities. Power dynamics, bias, and access all shape who gets funded and who doesn’t. Ignoring that makes fundraising harder, not easier.

A big theme in this conversation is trust. Craig draws on the idea that trust is built through authenticity, empathy, and logic. Strong partnerships move at the speed of trust, and they are built over time through real conversations, not polished proposals sent to strangers.

He also challenges a common assumption. Funding partnerships are not sitting out there waiting to be found. They are grown. They take time, care, and a willingness to explore where shared goals overlap.

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