--- title: "The State of Fund Management: What’s Holding Organizations Back?" description: Discover the key challenges non-profits face in fund management and how they can move from reactive to strategic operations. Explore insights from the 2025 Global Benchmarking Survey. image: https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Blog%20Cartoon%20Reading%20(1).png --- [Skip to content](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/the-state-of-fund-management-report-2025#main-content) [![](https://hub.fundminer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Design%20Images/Horizontal%20Logo.png?width=150&height=50&name=Horizontal%20Logo.png)](https://hub.fundminer.com) - Platform - [Manage | Fund Management](https://www.fundminer.com/fund-management) - [Report | Fund Stewardship](https://www.fundminer.com/fund-stewardship-module) - [Engage | Donor Portal](https://www.fundminer.com/engage-donor-portal) - Industries - [Education](https://www.fundminer.com/education) - [Healthcare](https://www.fundminer.com/healthcare) - [Foundations](https://www.fundminer.com/community) - Resources - [Benchmarking Survey](https://www.fundminer.com/benchmarking-survey-2026) - [Case Studies](https://www.fundminer.com/case-studies) - [Maturity Assessment](https://www.fundminer.com/maturity-assessment) - [Tools and Guides](https://www.fundminer.com/industry-resources) - [The Mine Community](https://fundminer-community.circle.so/join?invitation_token=d125a3ccb5fba0a65964217281ce2b75e18636b6-5a74bd5f-4098-4f56-816c-004fdcd108cc) - Education - [Conference 2026](https://www.fundminer.com/fofm2026) - [Events & Webinars](https://www.fundminer.com/events-and-webinars) - [Newsletter: The Impact Brief](https://www.fundminer.com/the-impact-brief) - [Fund Management Masterclass](https://www.fundminer.com/masterclass) - [FundMiner Blog](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog) - Company - [About Us](https://www.fundminer.com/about-the-company) - [Partnerships](https://www.fundminer.com/partners) - [Careers](https://hub.fundminer.com/job-board) - [Login](https://fund-miner.com) - [Schedule a Call](https://www.fundminer.com/schedule-a-call-to-learn-more) # The State of Fund Management: What’s Holding Organizations Back? by [Chelsea Lamego](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/author/chelsea-lamego) on July 9, 2025 [Fund Management](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/tag/fund-management) [Data & Analytics](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/tag/data-analytics) [Nonprofit Best Practices](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/tag/nonprofit-best-practices) It’s no secret that non-profits have been facing increasing pressure over the past year, in the form of tightened budgets, competing priorities, and shrinking donor pools. Fund management and stewardship teams at these organizations have not been immune from these challenges and are struggling with their own downstream effects.   But just how widespread are these challenges? And how are these pressures manifesting at different organizations?  Our [2025 Global Benchmarking Survey on Fund Management & Stewardship](https://zoom.us/meeting/register/X70ImOGUSgu9StsA5x1yQw?utm_campaign=9259099-Conference%202025&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Ht6Amz6qEBH6lo1BeXLvrCqyhl96hvAzJWN9unjcdtu9BBP53y82DGSCyanOv0fHtazjp#/registration), with insights from over 130 fundraising organizations, shines a light on the reality behind the scenes. The results reveal a sector working hard to keep up with donor expectations, compliance demands, and internal goals, often with too few people, too many competing priorities, and limited tools for the jobs at hand.  Below is a preview of some of the themes that emerged from the survey.  ### Key Findings: #### **Only 4% Call Their Program “Optimized and Strategic”** Most organizations admit they’re not where they want to be. In fact, **43%** say their fund management program is still ad hoc or reactive — far from the managed, data-driven models that today’s donors expect. This means the majority are missing opportunities to build trust and drive future giving through more effective fund management. This highlights the tremendous opportunity that already exists within the organizations.   #### **77% of Fund Managers Say Manual Processes Are a Major Barrier** From tracking fund utilization to producing impact reports, the weight of manual work is overwhelming teams. It’s slowing down operations, increasing risk, and keeping fund managers from focusing on what really matters: stewarding donor relationships and driving impact. Many respondents told us they’re spending more time wrestling with systems than telling their donors the impact of their gifts.    #### **93% Struggle with Small Team Size** Fund management and stewardship teams are often just a handful of people — or even a team of one. And yet, these teams are tasked with safeguarding millions in donor funds, managing compliance, and communicating impact. Over half of respondents called small team size a major or significant challenge. Despite their small size, these teams are often responsible for both internal relationships across the organization and external engagement with all donors. #### **Interested in the full survey results?** Whether you’re just starting to build your fund management program or moving from reactive to strategic, this report offers benchmarks, peer insights, and practical takeaways. → *Download a free copy* *of* [*The State of Fund Management and Stewardship 2025 Report.*](https://hub.fundminer.com/2025-fund-management-survey-results)   Spread the word: [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/the-state-of-fund-management-report-2025) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/the-state-of-fund-management-report-2025) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/the-state-of-fund-management-report-2025) ![Chelsea Lamego](https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Design%20Images/People%20Headshots/Rectangle%20Sized/Chelsea%20Lamego.png) #### Chelsea Lamego Follow me on my website Follow me on LinkedIn Chelsea Lamego is the Co-Founder and CEO of FundMiner. Chelsea was inspired to build an advancement operations platform when she was previously the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Operations at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). During her time at UTEP, she pioneered the creation of a Gift and Endowment Management System, which won a CASE Grand Gold Award for the University in 2020 and was later the basis for FundMiner. Chelsea graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso, where she received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration. Before joining UTEP, Chelsea was the Executive Director of the El Paso Opera, where she now serves of the Board of Trustees. ### Leave a comment: ## Related Articles [![](https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Blog%20Cartoon%20Board%20(2).png)](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/who-owns-the-fund-tactics-from-the-field-on-solving-fund-managements-hardest-question) ### [Who Owns the Fund? 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All rights reserved *“We are grateful to FundMiner for their innovation, vision, and creativity in delivering exceptional customer service to our donors and alleviating the workload on our small but mighty staff.”*  Vice President - Development ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Chelsea Lamego", "url" : "https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/author/chelsea-lamego" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-22T17:26:02.626Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-09T14:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The State of Fund Management: What’s Holding Organizations Back?", "image" : [ "https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Blog%20Cartoon%20Reading%20(1).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/the-state-of-fund-management-report-2025", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Design%20Images/Horizontal%20Logo.png" }, "name" : "FundMiner" } } ```