The hidden power of fundraising operations: why strong results start behind the scenes

When people think of great fundraising, they often picture moving stories, eye-catching appeals or dazzling events. But what many don’t see is the engines working behind the scenes to help bring activities to life - like fundraising operations. From the outside, it might not look exciting, but without it, high-performing fundraisers wouldn’t be as successful.

At Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF), our Fundraising Operations team works strategically behind the scenes to create the right conditions for strong, sustainable outcomes. Fundraising operations at SCHF is the conduit between the Philanthropy team and the shared services teams (i.e. marketing, digital, volunteers, supporter care, data and technology, and donor engagement) ensuring smooth coordination, clear communication, and aligned timelines across the board.

Fundraising Operations shapes how these teams work together, facilitating early planning conversations, aligning budgets and timelines, coordinating approvals, tracking deliverables, and ensuring that every activity is set up effectively for teams to support on. By holding the full picture, fundraising operations helps each team see where their work fits into the bigger plan, keeping everyone moving in the same direction toward a shared goal.

Planning that powers performance

Each year, teams across SCHF submit Go-To-Market (GTM) plans outlining all fundraising activity for the upcoming financial year. These plans are reviewed by our Senior and

Executive Leadership Teams (SLT and ELT) before receiving final approval. This isn’t just a list of events or appeals, it’s a comprehensive outline of all planned activity. Each plan is carefully reviewed not only for projected income and expenses, but also for alignment with organisational priorities and our capacity to deliver.

Before anything gets the green light, each proposed GTM is assessed on three key criteria:

1. Financials – What’s the potential return? What investment is required?

2. Strategic alignment – Does this activity support SCHF’s broader goals and KPIs?

3. Resourcing – Do we have the right people and time across the organisation to make it happen?

Fundraising activity will move forward when it meets all criteria. This process ensures we prioritise the most impactful activities within the agreed expenditure budget for the year, viewed through an enterprise lens. It means all teams are aligned on priorities, reducing the risk of competing for resources based on individual team business plans.

From approval to activation

Once the GTMs are approved, we build a detailed calendar that maps out each activity’s entire lifecycle-  from planning and briefing, through activation and execution, to evaluation. This calendar is our shared source of truth and is used across teams to manage workload, track progress, and prevent overlap or resource strain.

It also ensures that internal briefings are submitted with enough lead time for our shared services teams to do their best work. Clear timelines, early collaboration, and realistic expectations make sure that every fundraising activity is set up to succeed.

The calendar also includes deadlines for briefing external stakeholders, such as agency partners and key beneficiary the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), ensuring that timelines align, and deliverables are met. It also tracks where each activity is directing funds, maintaining transparency and ensuring alignment with donor intent and SCHN’s priority areas.

Learning from every activity

Fundraising operations don’t stop when an activity goes live. Every approved GTM includes a built-in evaluation stage. Once the fundraising activity concludes, we review its performance against the KPIs outlined in the original GTM submission. We ask: “Did we hit our income goals? Were we efficient with spend? Did the activity reach and resonate with the intended audience?”

Evaluations are not box-ticking exercises – they inform next year’s planning. They tell us what to scale back, tweak, and leave behind. They also give us the courage to say no to activities that aren’t working, rather than continuing them simply out of habit. Over time, evaluations help us refine our benchmarks, set more realistic KPIs, and build on what’s working for future growth.

The result: a consistent and coordinated impact

While this operational structure might not make headlines, it’s what enables us to deliver meaningful outcomes. With a clear roadmap, shared understanding, and processes that support accountability, we create the conditions for great fundraising to thrive.

Strong results are never the work of one person or team - they’re the product of collective effort, grounded in collaboration, clarity, and shared purpose. At SCHF, behind every inspiring story or impressive outcome is a network of teams who plan, prepare, and evaluate every step together.

That’s the hidden power of fundraising operations: bringing clarity and coordination to the work of many, so great fundraising can happen again and again.

Nicole Ilacqua Head of Fundraising Operations