Humanitarian Fundraising Strategies Training Course

Participants can define an organisation's funding position and construct an evidence-based case for support.

• Organisational positioning defined through mission, mandate, access and comparative advantage
• Stakeholder value proposition tailored for donors, communities and delivery partners
• Needs evidence connected to services, outcomes and credible organisational capability
• Problem statements tested against humanitarian principles and response strategy
• Case for support structured around urgency, feasibility, evidence and accountability
• Message house developed for consistent programme, finance and communications narratives

Participants can translate needs and context evidence into clear funding priorities.

• Rapid needs assessment findings converted into fundable problem definitions
• Severity, scale and unmet need evidenced using secondary data
• Joint needs assessment data checked for source quality and gaps
• Protection, gender, age and disability analysis integrated into priorities
• Community feedback channels used to test proposed response assumptions
• Humanitarian principles assessed against access constraints and operational risks

Participants can research, assess and prioritise prospective donors using a structured qualification process.

• Donor mapping matrix scores fit, access, timing and award potential
• Prospect research captures mandate, past awards, contacts and decision routes
• Funding opportunity qualification uses bid-no-bid criteria and capacity thresholds
• Relationship maps identify influencers, gatekeepers, technical reviewers and sponsors
• Donor engagement plans sequence briefings, concept notes and follow-up
• Ethical prospecting respects independence, neutrality and conflict-of-interest controls

Participants can create a resource mobilisation strategy that links programme priorities to funding targets.

• Resource mobilisation strategy links income targets to programme priorities
• Revenue mix scenarios test restricted income, flexibility and concentration exposure
• SMART fundraising objectives assigned owners, milestones, budgets and indicators
• Donor pipeline stages defined from prospect identification through award
• Go-no-go governance sets approval thresholds for bids and partnerships
• Strategy assumptions recorded with triggers, mitigations and review dates

Participants can plan and draft donor proposals that meet stated requirements and evaluator expectations.

• Donor guidelines converted into proposal compliance checklists and bid plans
• Concept notes frame need, response logic, budget range and differentiators
• Win themes align donor priorities with community needs and delivery evidence
• Proposal narratives connect activities, outputs, outcomes, risks and accountability
• Technical review plans assign writers, budget owners and approval authorities
• Red-team reviews test clarity, evidence, coherence and evaluator usability

Participants can develop results frameworks that demonstrate a credible path from activities to outcomes.

• Theory of Change maps causal pathways, assumptions and external factors
• Logical framework matrices define goal, outcomes, outputs, indicators and risks
• Outcome indicators specify baselines, targets, disaggregation and data sources
• Assumptions tested for plausibility, evidence, influence and monitoring needs
• Activity plans trace delivery sequences, dependencies, responsibilities and timing
• Results narratives reconcile technical design with donor template requirements

Participants can prepare realistic grant budgets, cost-recovery calculations and funding cash forecasts.

• Activity-based budgets cost personnel, procurement, logistics, overheads and contingencies
• Full-cost recovery calculations allocate shared support costs using defensible drivers
• Budget narratives justify quantities, unit costs, assumptions and procurement methods
• Currency, inflation and exchange-rate scenarios tested against grant ceilings
• Cash-flow forecasts align instalments, commitments, implementation schedules and liquidity
• Cost realism checks compare market rates, benchmarks and delivery constraints

Participants can identify and manage key compliance obligations before and after grant award.

• Donor due diligence requirements mapped to organisational policies and evidence
• Grant agreements reviewed for eligible costs, amendments and reporting deadlines
• Compliance calendars track contractual milestones, approvals and document retention
• Sanctions screening, anti-terror controls and partner verification procedures applied
• Procurement records linked to donor thresholds, competition and audit trails
• Subgrant controls define flow-down clauses, monitoring and financial verification

Participants can develop partnership propositions that protect humanitarian independence and beneficiary interests.

• Corporate partnership propositions match business interests with humanitarian safeguards
• Partnership due diligence assesses reputation, conflicts, human rights and independence
• Sponsorship packages distinguish cash, in-kind support and pro bono services
• Foundation cultivation plans use tailored briefings, site visits and reporting
• Cause-related marketing proposals protect beneficiary dignity and informed consent
• Partnership agreements clarify branding, data use, liabilities and exit terms

Participants can plan supporter acquisition and retention activity while meeting data protection requirements.

• Individual giving journeys segment supporters by motivation, channel and value
• Digital fundraising funnels track acquisition, conversion, retention and lifetime value
• Emergency donation pages apply clear calls-to-action, trust signals and consent
• Email appeals use audience segmentation, testing plans and response metrics
• Regular giving programmes forecast attrition, upgrades, payment failure and retention
• Data protection controls govern consent, profiling, suppression and retention periods

Participants can organise timely and accountable fundraising activity during humanitarian emergencies.

• Emergency appeal decisions use trigger thresholds, verified needs and operational readiness
• First seventy-two-hour fundraising actions coordinate communications, finance and programmes
• Appeal budgets distinguish immediate response costs from recovery requirements
• Situation reports supply donor updates, evidence, access constraints and gaps
• Media requests managed through safeguarding, consent and humanitarian principles
• Surge donor stewardship schedules acknowledgements, updates, amendments and close-out

Participants can manage grant delivery and donor communications throughout the award lifecycle.

• Grant start-up meetings align workplans, budgets, indicators and reporting duties
• Donor reports reconcile programme evidence, financial data, variances and decisions
• Variance analysis identifies underspend, overspend, delays and corrective actions
• Amendment requests present justification, revised plans, budgets and timing
• Donor stewardship records commitments, correspondence, feedback and next actions
• Close-out checklists cover asset disposition, final reports, audits and learning

Participants can use monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning evidence to strengthen funding decisions.

• MEAL plans align indicators, collection methods, responsibilities and reporting cycles
• Data quality assessments test validity, reliability, precision, integrity and timeliness
• Feedback and complaints mechanisms generate evidence for donor accountability
• Outcome harvesting captures unplanned change, contribution evidence and significance
• Evaluation findings converted into credible claims, lessons and future proposals
• Results dashboards present disaggregated progress, variance explanations and management actions

Participants can incorporate safeguarding, ethical fundraising and risk controls into funding plans.

• Safeguarding commitments translated into proposal design, budgets and partner requirements
• Do-no-harm analysis identifies foreseeable adverse effects and mitigation measures
• Risk registers score likelihood, impact, ownership, controls and residual exposure
• Fraud risk assessments link red flags to prevention and reporting
• Data protection impact assessments address beneficiary information and donor records
• Reputational incident protocols define notification, facts, messaging and remediation

Participants can establish practical systems for managing bids, content and fundraising performance.

• Bid calendars balance opportunity deadlines, team capacity and approval lead times
• RACI matrices assign accountable owners for research, writing, review and submission
• Standard content libraries maintain current evidence, policies, biographies and case material
• Proposal production workflows control versions, comments, sign-off and submission evidence
• Fundraising dashboards track pipeline value, conversion, hit rate and cost
• After-action reviews record bid feedback, process failures and improvement actions

Participants can guide fundraising priorities using governance, scenario planning and sustainability measures.

• Board fundraising roles define oversight, introductions, risk appetite and stewardship
• Income sustainability plans set reserves, unrestricted targets and diversification measures
• Scenario planning models funding shocks, response options and decision thresholds
• Fundraising ethics policies address donor influence, restricted gifts and transparency
• Team capability assessments identify recruitment, coaching, workload and specialist needs
• Quarterly performance reviews connect pipeline evidence to strategic adjustments

Participants can build, review and present a complete humanitarian fundraising strategy and donor-ready proposal package.

• Capstone brief selects a live humanitarian funding priority and target donor
• Fundraising strategy integrates positioning, donor mapping, targets and pipeline governance
• Case for support presents needs, response evidence, safeguards and differentiators
• Proposal package combines theory of change, logframe, budget and narrative
• Compliance plan schedules due diligence, approvals, reporting and risk controls
• Peer review applies donor criteria, financial realism and ethical challenge
• Presentation defends funding choices, trade-offs, assumptions and implementation priorities