Effective Fundraising for Results (3 days)

How to raise funds for NGO activities

Next courses

  • NEW DATE: 23 – 25 May 2012, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 5 – 7 November 2012, Geneva, Switzerland

Registration and course fees

Early bird fee / Full fee:

First course: Registration and payment deadline: 14 May 2012. Early bird fee available for payments until 23 March 2012.

Second course: Registration and payment deadline: 5 October 2012. Early bird fee available for payments until 5 September 2012.

Online currency converter: CHF to USD CHF to EUR CHF to GBP. These are indicative rates, provided by XE Currency Converter. 10% discount for returning students (within 12 months since the last course) or additional course participants from same organisation.

To register, please fill in the online registration form, or download the form and send it to us by email. For further inquiries, please contact us.

Course overview

Click here to download the course leaflet (PDF format). Competition among NGOs in the acquisition of donor funding is very strong. In order to face the donors’ expectations, the fundraisers have to improve and professionalise their work. This course is designed to give you practical and appropriate tools to raise funds successfully in favour of your organisation’s activities. You will familiarise with marketing and strategic elements. You will then learn how to elaborate a grant proposal and a corporate partnership, as well as how to approach individuals and major donors. Participants will have the possibility to make exercises in order to practice the theory, individually or in working groups.

Who should attend

The course will benefit in particular:

  • Newly appointed project managers
  • Newly appointed directors and department head of NGOs
  • Project and programme managers
  • Founders and board members of NGOs

How you and your organisation will benefit – Learning Objectives

On this course, participants will be able to:

  • Use marketing tools in raising funds
  • Understand the expectations of the donors
  • Formulate a fundraising strategy
  • Elaborate a grant demand
  • Learn how to develop corporate partnerships
  • Become familiar with individuals and major donors approach
  • Improve communication skills

Course programme

The training course is based on a series of modules, which can be adapted to the requirements of the course participants. The emphasis is put on practice and hands-on exercises and includes:

  • Group-work
  • Brainstorming
  • Questions and answers
  • Role play
  • Simulation
  • Short presentations
Day 1
  • Strategic approach in Fundraising: Positioning, environment analysis, objectives and resources
  • Identification of donors and their expectations: Institutional donors, private individuals including major donors, corporate, foundations, others
  • Presentation of NGO projects: Characteristics and possible benefits for the donors

Day 2
  • Fundraising tools review (direct mailing, telemarketing, events, face-to-face, sponsorship, one-to-one…)
  • Personalisation and testing
  • How to write convincing letters, how to develop direct mailings concepts and grant proposals
Day 3
  • Action-plan and budget (income and expenses) development
  • Donor’s follow up
  • Results analysis – Most common Key Performances Indicators

Individual consultation

As a participant, you can obtain an individual consultation from one of the trainers during the course on how to further develop a project of your own.