Skip the Cold RFP: How to Win Foundation Funding Through Relationships

**Emily Nichols on building institutional fundraising that actually scales** Emily Nichols, Chief Development Officer at Accion Opportunity Fund, joins James Misner to talk about how she grew an institutional fundraising function from roughly $1 million to $10 million, why relationship-based fundraising still wins, and what it takes to fund a mission-driven organization in a more donor-directed environment. They also unpack what a CDFI is, how Accion Opportunity Fund lends to underserved small businesses, and the lessons learned from a grant that looked promising on paper but ultimately failed. **Key topics** - How Emily built and led World Relief's institutional fundraising team. - Why foundation and corporate fundraising still works, if you go beyond cold RFPs and build relationships. - Emily's path to mission-driven work, from family and faith to International Justice Mission. - What Accion Opportunity Fund does as a digital-first nonprofit lender and CDFI. - How CDFIs differ from banks and serve borrowers often considered unbankable. - Accion's coaching and accelerator programs, including Brewing the American Dream with Sam Adams. - Accion's impact: $1B+ lent, ~100,000 jobs, and 90%+ repayment rates. - Today's fundraising challenges, including the rise of donor-directed funding. - How to build partnerships by making the internal champion look good. - A failed $250,000 grant at World Relief and the lesson it taught. - Tactical advice for smaller organizations starting institutional fundraising. **Timestamps** 00:00 - Welcome and recap of Emily's World Relief success 00:50 - Building the institutional fundraising team 02:23 - Is institutional fundraising worth it? 03:18 - Relationships plus strong proposals 04:31 - Why Emily chose mission-driven work 05:42 - What Accion Opportunity Fund does 06:50 - What a CDFI is 08:31 - Why many clients are unbankable elsewhere 10:13 - Coaching and accelerator programs 11:05 - Brewing the American Dream 12:42 - Accion's impact: $1B+ lent, 100,000 jobs 14:19 - Fundraising in a new era 16:09 - Mega gifts and donor-directed funding 20:35 - Building relationships from the first conversation 22:09 - Why the internal champion matters 23:46 - A failed $250,000 grant 27:00 - Turning failure into strategy 28:24 - Advice for smaller organizations 30:32 - How to connect with Emily and Accion **Resources & Links:** - The Kipos Group Website - Schedule a Discovery Call with James - Connect with James Misner on Linkedin **Connect with Emily:** - Accion Opportunity Fund Official Website - Connect with Emily on Linkedin