Erin Balsa

Content Marketing Consultant and Writer 

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions.

Erin enjoys B2B content marketing, keeping the Halloween spirit alive year-round, and talking about herself in the third person. 

No but really ... 

I've been working in content since 2011 when I landed my first job as an editor. Since then, I've worn a bunch of hats like:

- Content marketing agency leader
- Inc. 5000 B2B SaaS marketing director
- Freelance content strategist, writer, and editor

Over the years, I've written for a bunch of brands you probably know including:

- HubSpot
- Drift
- G2
- Intuit
- And a Fortune 100 that shall not be named

These days, I help marketing teams at B2B SaaS companies (Series A-C) survey a representative sample of their ICP and write a 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 original research report that positions their brand as a credible authority — to secure press mentions and close enterprise deals.

If you're ready to publish research that builds trust instead of skepticism, let's chat. And if you just want to connect with a fellow marketing nerd who decorates for Halloween in July, I'm here for that too.

Hausofbold.com

Content Marketing Consultant

I build and execute content marketing strategies for sales-led B2B SaaS startups that sell complex, enterprise-ready solutions. 

Unlike some strategists and agencies, I don't hand you a content strategy and say, "Best of luck!" I ensure your success by helping across four buckets:

▶ People 
▶ Process 
▶ Strategy
▶ Execution 

Learn more and read client testimonials at: hausofbold.com

Anyone else feeling like a bear coming out of hibernation today?

After taking extended time off for the holidays, I'm simply not ready for the onslaught of peppy "Behold my 25 top New Year's resolutions!" posts.

I want less of that and more of this:

- I need a nap but also a marketing strategy. 
- Slowly remembering how to be a professional human.
- Desperately searching for things to say at the start of the Zoom call.
- Pretending to remember what we decided before the break.
- Trying to inspire others while feeling like a potato. 
- Eh, that can probably wait until Wednesday. 

Here's to giving yourself (and others) some grace. 🥂

I help B2B marketers create original research reports

An influencer once posted about how to publish an original research study in a week. 

When I asked a technical question about data analysis, it was clear we weren't talking about the same kind of "research."

I could end the story here because IYKYK. 

But for those of you newer to publishing survey-based research reports, I'll add a pinch of color.

*𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘫𝘪*

You can NOT publish a 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 study in a week. 

Even if you collect enough quality responses in two business days — and even if you use AI to analyze the data and surface trends — that leaves you only THREE business days to do everything else:

Report strategy
Survey design
Soft launch
Data cleansing
Human review of AI output
Outline building 
Outline review
Copywriting
Editing
Revisions
Graphic design
Proofreading
More revisions
Autoresponder creation and testing
Nurture campaign creation and testing
Rev ops
Sales enablement
PR
Launch day prep
etc. etc.

Shoot, I spend an entire day writing survey questions!

So yeah, it's possible to publish 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 in a week. But there will be trade-offs, like:

- Potential inclusion of AI hallucinations 
- Rushed survey design that produces obvious, shallow insights
- Limited analysis (no time for meaningful cross tabs or synthesis)
- Weak narrative cohesion that undermines thought leadership
- A report that screams "we built dis 4 leads!"

If your goal is credibility, increased trust, and research that actually shapes the conversation in your space, one week simply won't cut it.

I help B2B marketers create survey-based research reports 📈 Next available report kickoff date → April 6

Turns out the rumors are true. 







Washing machines really DO eat socks. 

I’m enjoying a typical morning of juggling work and home responsibilities. 

Today, the appliance repair guy is here fixing our front load washing machine, which has been leaking due to a rip in the door gasket. 

As the guy was fishing around inside the recesses of the machine, he pulled out a freaking sock. 

45 years old and I’m still learning something new almost every day. 🤭

The most difficult part of transitioning from a retainer-based biz to a project-based biz?

Scheduling 

Survey-based research reports are complex projects with lots of moving pieces. 

And even though I’ve developed — and refined — my report project management template over the past 8 years, scheduling multiple overlapping timebound reports has been surprisingly challenging. 

That said … 

Back in my agency days, I used to manage writer resources for 15+ full-time writers to the 30-MINUTE UNIT! 

Imagine your agency has 350 clients.  Each client gets different types and amounts of content. In order to maximize profits, you need to assign each writer as much work as they can humanly handle — and keep their assignment log full at all times, in spite of frequent delays on the client side. And now imagine that one 30-minute unit is equal to 200 words of “standard content,” 150 words of “premium content,” 100 words of “responsive content,” 1 page of an e-book, a 250-word “gold infographic,” a 500-word “silver infographic,” a 300-word video script (and so on and so forth). 

It was nuts. 🥜 

But that’s the kind of workload I managed — by hand, inside various spreadsheets, long before ChatGPT — for 3.5 years. 

So yeah, scheduling multiple report projects for myself is tricky, but I got this.

No alternative text description for this image

🎬 Behind the scenes of making a Navattic research report 🎬 l

Multiple marketing leaders have told me they love Navattic's reports, so Natalie Marcotullio and I figured it would be cool to show you how Navattic "makes the sausage."

I'll be sharing bits of our 30-minute Q&A across a few different posts.

Erin: When did the idea for your "State of the Interactive Demo Report" first come about?

Natalie: The first report was published in 2023, which means the idea came about in 2022. We kept getting questions from customers and prospects asking for data. When you sell to marketers, they really love data — so it was a no brainer! Let's build a resource that succinctly answers all these questions that we can share whenever someone asks a question.

Erin: What questions were your customers and prospects asking?

Natalie: Customers ask questions like, "How long should I make my demo?" and "What kind of language should I use?" Prospects usually want help making their case internally. So with the benchmarks in hand, they can say to their leadership: "Demos convert at a higher rate than other assets we use," or "If we invest in this, here's what we can expect."

Erin: What was the primary question you were trying to answer when you created your first report?

Natalie: What do top-performing interactive demos have in common? 

Erin: How has that primary question evolved, if at all?

Natalie: In the 2026 report, we're still trying to answer what top-performing interactive demos have in common ... but we're getting more granular. People don't just want to hear how their demo compares against ALL the demos built on Navattic — they want to measure performance within their industry or for their company size. Also, we now have lots more features, and people have specific questions about those. For example, "That extra CTA banner that's always across the demo — is that commonly used in the top 1% of demos?"

👉 Navattic's 2026 State of the Interactive Product Demo 2026 report drops next week. 

Want to be the first to see it?

Get early access here: https://lnkd.in/edZ_e7aJ

Meanwhile in Boston ... 

Just sitting here playing the "Should I try to get some work done even though there are five children in the next room?" game. 

Considering it took me 15 minutes to hear myself think long enough to write this three-word post, I’ll see myself out.

Your research report launched ... and nobody seemed to care. 

What do you do?

Welp, your first instinct might be to stick your head in the sand in shame. Totally understandable. But just know that this is fairly common.

(I recently spoke with a former colleague who spent MONTHS and THOUSANDS on a survey-based research report that didn't do a damn thing for the business.)

Fortunately this is a solvable problem — if you're willing to run a project post-mortem. Here's a simple plan of attack plus the kinds of questions that reveal what went wrong:

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗲 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱. 

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘵?
𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥?
𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵?

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝘄𝗼 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰.

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘐𝘊𝘗 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵?
𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨?
𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴?

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆.

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦?
𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵? 
𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴. 

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸?
𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘦?
𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

And if you'd like an outside opinion on where things broke down, I'm always here to help!

The 2026 State of the Interactive Product Demo report just dropped! 👀 

Navattic analyzed the top 1%, 10% and 25% of demos built on their platform to uncover what actually works.

They found that top 1% interactive demos do 7 specific things:

1) They keep it short (5-13 steps).

2) They offer choices. 

Demos that give people options (explore different product lines, personas, or use cases) have a 57% completion rate vs. single-flow demos, which have a 35% completion rate.

3) They get Step One right.

On step one, 29% use "you/your" language, 24% add visual beacons to indicate where users should look, and 15% give explicit instructions. 

4) They use multiple CTAs inside the demo.

Believe it or not, they use 4-5 CTAs per demo on average! Most CTAs are actionable (Try for free, Book a demo, Get started).

5) They deploy interactive demos all over the dang place.

50% of top performers have demos in multiple places:

- Product pages: 62% (up from 19% last year)
- Homepage: 48% (up from 8%)
- Demo centers: 45%

6) They tend to be ungated. 

7) They use HTML/CSS web capture. Web captures refer to HTML/CSS cloning of the front end of your product. This means the demo looks and feels real and you can edit the product data for personalization. 

👉 Download the full report for more helpful insights — like interactive demo performance and adoption by industry! 

Link in the comments.

And keep an eye out for more posts from my "Behind the scenes of making a Navattic research report" interview with Natalie Marcotullio!

Chart from Navattic's State of the Interactive Product Demo report

Yesterday I was a bear coming out of a cave. Today I'm a marketer talking about research reports.

More specifically, how brands do it wrong.

Mistake no. 1: Sloppy methodology.

You may have heard the phrase "Garbage in, garbage out."

If you build your report on a foundation of garbage data, you wind up publishing a garbage report that spreads misinformation.

And that's likely at odds with what you're trying to accomplish as a brand. 

Got 30 seconds? Watch the clip.
Got 30 minutes? Watch the full video. 

Thanks Justin Vajko for inviting me on your podcast!

What's the ROI of a research report?

As I told Justin Vajko, while there's nuance, you should generally see two outcomes:

1) In the short-term, press mentions.

There are three things you gotta get right here. 

- Your research has a newsworthy angle.
- Your report is built on high-quality data.
- You let the market know about your study.

If you get those things right, you should see press hits right away. As an example, one of my clients got a write up in an industry publication with 2.6 million daily readers on day one of their report going live.

2) In the longer-term, deal impact.

It generally takes a couple of months to see deals you can confidently attribute to the report, which is why I check in with my clients at the 3-month mark.

At the time of this recording, the same client had just told me that their report had already influenced a few enterprise deals and a few renewals.

Enterprise deals are big, and they take time. 

If the report was that one thing that helped buyers think, "This brand gets it. They seem credible," then I've done my job. 

👉 Liked this clip? Check out the full interview where I explain my approach: Believable Research.  

I'll drop the link in the comments as per usual.

My face when I see someone make sweeping claims about an industry based on their survey of 50 people.

(jk jk — I’m not here to judge, I’m here to help.)

If your survey sample was itsy bitsy teeny weeny, don't present your findings using words like:

everyone
no one
all

That's like walking into a room where all 50 people are wearing Nike sneakers and declaring, "Everyone wears Nike sneakers!" 

No. 

Everyone in that ROOM wears Nike sneakers.

There’s nothing wrong with surveying a small group and sharing what you found. It's a great way to spark interesting conversations on social. 

Just don't frame your findings as universal truths.

Instead, use language like:

"Of the 50 senior leaders we surveyed ... "
"The majority of respondents said ... "
"1 in 3 surveyed BDRs ... "

That way you come across as credible instead of just another vendor who stretches the truth to push their narrative and sell shit.

ISB Co'24 | Independent Consultant

About me in one line- I help raise funds to create social impact.

You can block some time using the link, would love to see you on the other side- https://topmate.io/bhagyashree_lodha13

I also host a podcast where we invite industry leaders- 

YouTube- https://youtube.com/@bhagyashreelodhaa?si=kAzlpuK0bXWt5gA-

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/4CblVN6KCXOjAzw7noPUQs?

Bhagyashree Lodha

25,000 reasons to say thank you.

Grateful for this community.

25,000 of you here, and I don’t take it lightly.

What matters more than the number is the conversations, questions, and shared intent to build stronger social impact.

Thank you for being here and growing together.

More learning, sharing, and value ahead.

Sumit Chauhan breaks down the concept of "Brand-Led CSR," shares actionable advice for NGOs on how to pitch effectively, and discusses the critical balance between scaling impact and maintaining depth.

Whether you are a social work professional, an NGO founder looking for funding, or someone aspiring to build a career in CSR, this conversation is packed with a lot of insights.

What we discussed:

--Brand-Led CSR: Why corporates fund what they fund.

--The Funding Pitch: Common mistakes NGOs make and how to stand out.

--Scale vs. Depth: Why chasing numbers can sometimes hurt the actual impact.

--Career Advice: The top skills required to succeed as a CSR professional.

--Mphasis Initiatives: Tech-enabled social mobility and environmental sustainability.

The episode is now live on YouTube & Spotify, link in the comment

What I do- I help organizations in fundraising

The podcast with Sumit Chauhan, CSR Head Mphasis, is now live

Watch the full episode on YouTube & Spotify

Link is in the comments

Let me know your thoughts

Top 5 of 25

Being featured in the Top 5 of Top 25 (2025) on Topmate under Unique 
Expertise is a moment of quiet pride.

This recognition isn’t about rankings.

It’s about trust from founders, NGO leaders, and social sector professionals who believed that fundraising doesn’t have to be guesswork, jargon-heavy, or driven by desperation.

Over the years, my work has stayed focused on one thing:

👉 helping organisations think clearly about funding, not chase it blindly.

Thank you to everyone who booked sessions, asked hard questions, challenged assumptions, and implemented what we discussed. 

Your progress is the real reward.

If you’re an NGO, social enterprise, or institution looking to:
• build a realistic fundraising strategy
• engage CSR more effectively
• move from ad-hoc grants to predictable funding

I help organizations raise funds in a structured, credible, and sustainable way.
Onwards. 

If you want to book a call, link in the comment

Dear Hyderabad 

I’ll be facilitating this 2-day in-person workshop on Fundraising Strategies at Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business 

The sessions are designed for social enterprises, early-stage startups, and NGOs looking to build realistic, stage-appropriate fundraising strategies across grants, CSR, impact investors, and more.

If fundraising feels overwhelming or fragmented, this workshop will focus on clarity, readiness, and practical tools you can immediately apply.

📍 Bala Vikasa CSRB Campus, Hyderabad
🗓 29–30 January 2026

Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business

View company: Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business

📢 Registrations Open

Fundraising Strategies Workshop
Bala Vikasa CSRB is organizing a 2-day in-person workshop on “Fundraising Strategies for Social Enterprises, Early-Stage Startups, and NGOs”

📅 Dates: 29th & 30th January 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Venue: Bala Vikasa CSRB Campus, Ghatkesar, Hyderabad

👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dxw_EXkB

 ⏳ Limited seats available

For any queries, please contact us at 
anil@balavikasa.org (9603861851) & shamini@balavikasa.org (6304621534)

Shoury Reddy Singareddy Sunitha Reddy Rahul Bhardwaj Mogili Vijender Moses John Paul Roy Anil Battini Shamini Ganna Janani Mohan Saadhika Naidu VVS Ramakrishna Bhagyashree Lodha Parvathy A Manoj Kumar Bada Ghar Wala Annie Vijaya Dr. Raveena Kousar

#socialentrepreneurship #socialimpact #startups #fundraising #fundraisingstrategies #NGOs #ruralentrepreneurs

List of CSR that support disability related initiatives

Tata Consultancy Services - India (TCS)

Infosys

Microsoft India

Wipro

IBM India

Accenture in India India

HDFC Bank

Google India

Mphasis

PS- I also host a podcast where we invite leaders from social impact space
Link is in the comments

Fundraising at scale is increasingly happening in places we didn’t traditionally associate with philanthropy.

In one of his recent posts, Arjun Vaidya mentioned how sport is no longer a niche market in India, sharing what he saw at the Get Fit Expo while collecting his half-marathon bib ahead of the Tata Mumbai Marathon.

That same scale is now clearly visible on the philanthropy side.

The Tata Mumbai Marathon has evolved into one of the country’s largest fundraising platforms:

-- ₹72.39 crore raised in 2024 for social causes

-- ₹53+ crore raised in 2025, supporting hundreds of NGOs across sectors

These are not incidental outcomes.

They reflect how sport has moved beyond being just a commercial or engagement platform.

Sport today is:
== not niche for profits

== and no longer niche for philanthropy either

For those of us working in the social sector and fundraising, this is an important shift to recognise.

Large, public, participatory platforms are now central to how capital for impact is being mobilised.

#Fundraising #Philanthropy #SocialSector #CSR #TataMumbaiMarathon

5 Fundraising Skills that will change how you raise funds in 2026:- 


1. Research That Digs Deeper


2.  Skills That Solve Problems


3.  Stories That Move People


4.  Understanding What Makes Donors Happy


5.  Smart Negotiation Top fundraisers create win-wins


Which of these skills are you working on?

Don't do this if you want funding

One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is trying to pitch their cause to anyone willing to listen. 

The result? Diluted messaging, wasted effort, and frustrated teams.

The truth is: clarity beats volume.

 When you decide which donors to target, you stop chasing shadows and start building meaningful partnerships.

== Understand donor priorities.

== Focus your energy where alignment is strongest.

==Map your mission to their CSR or philanthropic goals.

As a fundraiser, I’ve seen how this simple shift from “let’s talk to everyone” to “let’s talk to the right ones” saves time, improves conversions, and builds trust.

Because in the end, donors are not just funders. 

They are partners in impact. And the right partner can transform your vision into reality.

How do you identify and prioritise the right donors for your cause?

CSR budgets don’t close in March. Reputations do.

By the last quarter of the financial year, most CSR leaders are not asking:

-- Who has the most innovative idea?

They’re asking:

- Who will help us close the year cleanly?

This is why funding at FY close consistently flows to “safe hands.”

Safe hands are organisations that:

- Have delivered before
- Understand compliance and reporting expectations
- Don’t create last-minute surprises

In Jan–Mar, uncertainty is the biggest risk.

 And risk is what CSR teams are actively managing.

This is also why new NGOs struggle during this window, not because they lack impact, but because they lack institutional familiarity.

At FY close:
- Long discovery cycles are compressed
- Due diligence is selective, not exhaustive
- Trust substitutes for time
- Credibility becomes a shortcut.

== A strong reputation can do in weeks

== What a fresh proposal may not achieve in months.

This is often misunderstood as conservatism.

 In reality, it’s operational discipline.

At FY close, CSR is less about innovation and more about risk management.

The highest annual allocation so far


The Gates Foundation has announced a record $9 billion budget for 2026, its highest annual allocation so far.

At the same time, it plans to gradually reduce up to 500 staff roles over the next five years, as part of a long-term plan to cap operating costs and focus more resources on grants.

What does this mean in simple terms?

• The foundation is increasing funding for global health, women’s health, vaccines, polio eradication, AI for public systems, and U.S. education

• Annual operating expenses (staff, travel, administration) will be limited to ~14% of the total budget

• Larger grants will be made selectively, especially in areas facing setbacks like rising child mortality

• Teams working on HIV, TB, and global health are shifting closer to the regions they serve, including Africa and India

• This aligns with the foundation’s earlier decision to spend down $200B and close by 2045

The leadership has described the next two decades as the foundation’s most impactful phase, with sharper focus, fewer layers, and bigger bets.

For anyone working in the development, CSR, or philanthropy ecosystem, this is a useful reminder:

-- Budgets, staffing, geography, and grantmaking strategy are deeply connected, and large funders are actively redesigning how they operate for the long term.

Worth paying attention to.

Thank you Mr. Bill Gates for doing what you are doing for the community

Source: NDTV

What actually moves funds in Jan–Mar (and what doesn’t)

After working on multiple fundraises, one pattern is clear:

== Jan–Mar funding decisions are rarely emotional.

== They are operational, reputational, and timing-driven.

Here’s what that looks like on the ground.

What funders have usually already decided by December

- Core renewals with trusted partners

- Strategic commitments aligned to annual CSR plans

- NGOs they are not funding this year

By January, most doors are already labelled even if they aren’t closed.

What can still move in Jan–Mar

- Top-ups to existing or known partners

- Compliance or utilisation-linked allocations

- Organisations with strong credibility, clean documentation, and quick absorption capacity

== At this stage, funders optimise for low friction and low risk.

Their first cohort was house full and this cohort closes on 27th Jan

An NGO helping other NGOs to digitise their ground work flow so that it's easy to track their impact and keep their ground team digitally equipped.

Free access to Avni's robust platform to launch a real, working digital pilot that elevates program monitoring, field data, and reporting.

Kudos to Arjun Khandelwal and his team for the great work on launching this initiative

More details in the comment

🚀 Avni Launchpad — Cohort 2 is here!

After an encouraging first cohort, we’re excited to announce  𝐀𝐯𝐧𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐚𝐝 – 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 2 🎉

A cohort program for organisations looking to digitise a core program and strengthen it for scale.

Avni Launchpad supports teams in moving from intent to implementation — helping them set up, pilot, and refine digital workflows that actually work on the ground.

This cohort is ideal for organisations that want to:
◆Digitise program data in a structured way
◆Improve visibility, follow-ups, and reporting
◆Prepare own digital systems for long-term scale

📅 Key Dates:
◆Jan 27, 2026: Applications close
◆Mar 12–13, 2026: 2-day in-person workshop (New Delhi)

Learn more about Cohort 2 👉
https://lnkd.in/gYaJ9WyS

#Avni #AvniLaunchpad #Cohort2 #TechForGood #Digitisation #SocialImpact #NGOTech

6th January is the last day for the EOI

So, if u haven't applied yet or wanted to apply, please do

Comment Impact Stories and I'll DM u the link to apply

#impactstories

Call for Expression of Interest

This time, you decide the budget and we design, craft and create the video impact stories.

To amplify the powerful work your organization does

I’m launching an Impact Storytelling Initiative aimed at helping grassroots organisations document and communicate their work through powerful, well-crafted video stories.

With the financial year coming to a close, this initiative can also support organisations in showcasing impact to current and potential funders, helping strengthen reporting, visibility, and future funding conversations.

What this initiative includes:

✔️ On-ground field visits

 ✔️ Professional videography

 ✔️ Deep-dive conversations to understand your work and impact

 ✔️ Thoughtfully crafted narratives aligned to your goals

How the process works:

To ensure depth and quality, a structured screening process will be followed:

-- Understanding your organisation’s work and context

-- Identifying storytelling needs and intended use

-- Designing the storytelling approach based on the Projects and donor requirements

Only shortlisted organisations will be taken forward for detailed planning and execution.

If you are an organisation or know one that could benefit from this initiative, please express your interest below

Comment Impact Stories and I'll share the details

PS- I also host a podcast with senior leaders from the industry. The link is in the comments

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