Beyond fundraising: Rethinking resource mobilization in the UN

The humanitarian and development sectors are facing a very different reality in 2026: funding is shrinking and becoming harder to predict, forcing organizations to make difficult choices about where to invest, what to prioritize and what they can no longer sustain. At the same time, needs are ever-present. Conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and economic uncertainty continue to put pressure on communities around the world. Organizations are being asked to respond to more challenges, often with less. This is changing not only how development is financed and crises supported, but how organizations need to work, partner, and demonstrate results.

The United Nations (UN) is not immune to these pressures. Across the system, organizations are having to rethink how they work, how they design programmes and projects, and how they use increasingly limited resources. UN80 adds urgency to this shift, with a clear push for greater efficiency, stronger collaboration and less duplication.

But efficiency alone is not enough. As traditional funding becomes more constrained, organizations need to look beyond traditional donors and explore new possibilities: blended and innovative financing, private philanthropy, foundations, private-sector actors and other non-traditional partners.

This is not simply about finding new sources of funding. It requires a different way of thinking about programmes, partnerships and financing. And it requires people across the UN to build the skills and confidence to identify opportunities, engage new partners and turn ideas into viable initiatives.

This changing landscape also calls for a different approach to resource mobilization. It can no longer sit mainly with fundraising teams or be treated as a specialist technical skill. It needs to become a broader strategic capability across the UN.

This means being able to build meaningful partnerships, demonstrate value, engage different types of partners and mobilize resources in new ways. Thinking about resource mobilization much earlier, as part of how programmes and projects are designed, not only when funding is needed.

In practice, everyone has a role to play, from senior leaders and programme teams to individual colleagues. At its heart, it is a shift from asking:

"Fund our organization. Our programme is important, and we need your resources."

To asking:

"What problem are we trying to solve, and how can we solve it together?"

This may sound like a small change in language, but it represents a much bigger shift: from fundraising to partnership, from asking for resources to cocreating, and from resource mobilization as a separate function to something that is built into the way we design and deliver our work.

Fundraising is relational...

Identify donors - write proposals - receive funding - report.

An emerging model requires a more strategic and relationship-oriented approach:

Understand the ecosystem - put yourself in the donor's shoes - identify shared interests - co-create solutions - mobilize multiple forms of resources - demonstrate results and impact - deepen the partnership - repeat

This means understanding not only who potential partners are, but also what motivates them, what they value, what challenges they are trying to address, and where genuine alignment exists. It means speaking their language while remaining clear about our own value and purpose. And it means recognizing that partnerships must create value for all involved, not only meet programme KPIs.

This is long-term, multidimensional work. The "ask" is rarely the starting point of resource mobilization; often, it is an organic result emerging from a relationship that has been thoughtfully developed over time.

Beyond financial resources

We also need to broaden our understanding of what it means to mobilize resources.

Resource mobilization is not only about securing financial contributions. It can involve technical expertise, technology, data, access to networks, innovation capacity, advocacy, convening power, in-kind contributions, knowledge and political support, alongside financial resources.

This broader perspective is particularly important in a changing UN landscape. The question is not simply "How much funding can we secure?" but also:

"What resources, relationships and capabilities do we need to achieve the impact we are aiming for, and who can help us get there?"

Answering that question requires managers and teams to develop new capabilities: understanding the external environment, positioning their work, mapping and engaging stakeholders, acknowledging that we cannot achieve ambitious goals alone, understanding donor motivations, articulating compelling value propositions, building trust and only then translating opportunities into concrete proposals.

Building the resource mobilization mindset

This shift will not happen through resource mobilization specialists alone. It requires a shared understanding across functions and levels of the organization, and the confidence to see resource mobilization as part of strategic leadership, partnership-building, and impact creation.

It requires some humility as well: understanding that although your organization has a name and a reputation, it needs partners to achieve ambitious goals.

Our programme S.O.S. - Strategic Opportunities Series for Managers in the UN - Resource Mobilization and Stakeholder Engagement is designed to support this mindset shift.

Through five practical learning blocks, the series takes staff from navigating a changing landscape through stakeholder and donor engagement, to developing compelling value propositions and grant narratives.

You can learn more about the programme here or contact us at [email protected].