Critical Success Factors for Fundraising in Non-Profit Organisations: An Emerging Market Perspective

Non-profit organisations (NPOs) are key players in the socio-economic development of nations. This is evident in their proliferation at the local, national and international levels. Despite their increasing number, NPOs are confronted with diverse challenges which hinder their sustainability. This paper highlights some of the challenges confronting NPOs especially in the area of fundraising from an emerging market perspective. It examines some critical factors that drive success in fundraising among NPOs. Using a quantitative research design, a survey was sent to 200 randomly sampled participants with 130 responses received and the data analysed using Exploratory Factor Analysis and regression analysis. It emerged that having proper structures, coupled with credibility and accountability was critical to successful fundraising among NPOs in emerging markets. Also, NPOs need to carefully address a complex mix of external and internal issues to successfully raise funds for their operations. Prevailing economic conditions stood out as a key determinant of fundraising success. The study also revealed that the giving motive of fund givers was very important in affecting the relationships between economic conditions, internal resources of the entities, organisational strategy and success in fundraising. Keywords: Non-profit organisations, emerging market, fundraising, critical success factors, accountability, economic conditions.