RFPs are the biggest vanity metric

RFPs are the biggest vanity metric

Open RFPs are the biggest vanity metric in nonprofit fundraising.

I see it all the time:

Someone comes to our platform.
They search for "open grant opportunities."
Then they reach out to our customer success team asking where those are.

But if an RFP is open and you're just finding out about it now, you probably already lost. 

You’re entering a process that’s been moving for months, often with informal conversations, soft commitments, and preferred partners already in play.

Open RFPs often feel productive. 

There's a form to fill and a deadline to meet. 
You spend weeks refining the budget, polishing the narrative, and clicking submit.

So nonprofits keep chasing them. 

They optimize for the feeling of productivity instead of doing the harder work that actually moves funding forward.

But only ~9% of grants come from open RFPs.
The other ~91% come from relationships and direct outreach.

Nonprofits chase the 9% because it looks like work.
The 91% requires mapping funder ecosystems, understanding who already gives in your space, and finding warm paths in.

There’s no form for that.
But in the end, it's much more powerful.