If you’ve been in nonprofit fundraising circles long enough, you’ve likely heard this argument: “Expecting 20% year-over-year growth is unrealistic.” At PhoenixFire Strategic Consulting, we respectfully—and confidently—disagree. Not only is 20% annual growth possible, we’ve helped clients achieve it consistently, and in many cases, far exceed it. That’s not bravado. It’s strategic reality.

In the world of nonprofit fundraising, the word “realistic” gets thrown around a lot—often as a synonym for “safe.” But what does realistic growth actually mean? Is it aligning your goals to industry benchmarks? Doubling down on what you did last year? Or is it something more dynamic? At PhoenixFire Strategic Consulting, we believe that realistic growth is not about being cautious—it’s about being calibrated.

Most nonprofits are sitting on a goldmine of data without even realizing it. Your donor database and their giving trends, email campaigns, social media interactions, event attendance, it’s all data. And within that data are insights that could help you raise more funds, engage donors more effectively, and run your programs more efficiently.