We’re a fundraising growth agency that works with ambitious nonprofits to grow revenue from new, existing and hidden donors.

Our Mission

Make generosity the social norm again.

We’re losing the battle to consumerism. The world is very good at making people want more. We exist to help people give more.

Giving has become less visible, less habitual and less woven into the everyday identity of our society. But we know there’s a way to change to that. People haven’t become less caring. We’ve simply built a world that asks them to consume more than contribute.

That’s why we build fundraising programs designed for motivation and connection…at scale, to reach as many people as possible. And make generosity the social norm again.

Our Goal

$1b of generosity unleashed by 2036, through fundraising programs we’ve built, managed or inspired through our agency services or advisory work.

Every project we take on must contribute to predictable, durable revenue growth.

How a few nonprofits scale, and most don't.

Most nonprofits struggle to move beyond disconnected tactics: one-off campaigns, seasonal pushes, department silos, or asking more from the same shrinking donor base.

A small group, however, managed to build durable growth year after year. That difference is no coincidence.

The ones that grow treat fundraising not as a series of campaigns, but as a system. They understand that durable growth comes from three levers working together.

Brand builds awareness and creates demand from future donors who don’t yet know about you.

Demand converts generosity into action through clear and specific offers and always-on acquisition programs.

Expand designs a Fundraising Flywheel™ that boosts the quality of motivation, helping supporters feel more connected, move valued and more committed over time through meaningful donor experiences.

The organizations that grow don’t choose between acquisition or retention. Between brand or direct response. Between today’s revenue and tomorrow’s pipeline. They build all three. They make decisions based on measurable outcomes rather than opinions.

At BuildGood, we help nonprofits do exactly that. We combine benchmark data, donor research and insights to build fundraising programs that turn donors’ intent into durable growth. We succeed when our partners keep growing.

Three Beliefs that Make Us Different

Fundraising should be based on creating emotional value, not volume.

We don’t believe that the traditional direct response methods borrowed from the marketplace and built on theories of persuasion contribute to durable fundraising growth. That’s the fundraising funnel fallacy. Instead, we focus on creating meaning and connection, based on the theories of self-determination, motivation and commitment. Our approach starts and ends by listening to donors so we can meet their emotional needs.

We’re full-stack fundraisers who take a unified view of the revenue pipeline.

We don’t believe in the siloed approach that keeps broadbase, midlevel, major and legacy giving in separate departments with separate KPIs—and sometimes even segregated by channels. We take a unified view of the revenue pipeline, from first-time giver to legacy leaver, with a clear focus on lifetime value as the True North.

Fundraising works best when nonprofits invest in both brand and direct response, at the same time.

We believe all marketing is performance marketing. Brand building is not a “nice to have” in fundraising. It is a revenue strategy. Most fundraising agencies optimize for short-term response and treat brand as a by-product. We believe brand is the engine that makes direct response work better over time. Brand creates demand. Direct response captures and converts it. Our approach expands the lifetime value. Brand → Demand → Expand. Fundraising needs all three. See our methodology here.

We Teach Everything We Know

Through recurring live events, our podcast and insights we publish, we’re committed to being an essential resource for you to make generosity the social norm again.

The BuildGood Summit

If you’re leading fundraising, revenue and marketing at your organization, we built one of North America’s premiere conferences specifically for you. Get inspired by innovative fundraising, learn proven tactics, network with forward-thinking fundraisers and leave with a plan to grow your revenue from new and existing donors.

Attended by 400+ leaders from fast-growing organizations.

Learn more and register →

Building Generosity

These exclusive gatherings for nonprofit fundraising and marketing leaders are meant to create collaboration and one-to-one connections that are hard to come by behind screens or at larger events.

Building Generosity North (Toronto)
Building Generosity West (Vancouver)
Building Generosity East (NYC)

Building Generosity North (Toronto)Building Generosity West (Vancouver)Building Generosity East (NYC)

The BuildGood Fundraising Podcast

Hosted by our founder, Mike Duerksen, on this show you’ll hear tactical and practical insights on what is actually working to grow revenue.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, or stream online.

Listen to the podcast

Our Blog & Insights

Explore our ever-expanding collection of articles, research and insights on our blog.

Visit the blog →

The Growth Letter

Ideas for growing generosity, delivered the old-fashioned way.

Every quarter we send a printed letter about fundraising strategy, donor motivation, top tactics and the systems that help nonprofits grow.

We source the content from real-world tests and our work with clients. If it works, we break it down, write it up and turn it into bite-sized actionable plans you can use.

Just a thoughtful letter in your mailbox, 4x per year—for free.

Apply to get the letter →

Management Team

Hannah Moerman
Managing Director

Mike Duerksen
CEO

Tiffany Groff
Director, Operations

Find out more about our culture and careers at BuildGood.