The document provides an introduction to fundraising, including defining fundraising as gathering voluntary contributions to support specific programs or activities. It then discusses different types of fundraising done by ActionAid Rwanda, including child sponsorship programs and partnerships with major donors, governments, and institutions. The document emphasizes that fundraising should be program-led to ensure funds support strategic objectives and that fundraising requires building relationships with donors and communities. It provides guidance on actions country programs and local partners should take, such as excellent project implementation, donor relationship building, problem identification, capturing donor intelligence, and writing strong funding proposals.

1. INTRODUCTION TO
FUNDRAISING
Michel Ndayambaje

2. ROLE PLAY

3. RESOURCE MOBILISATION
• Fundraising:
Fundraising is the process of gathering voluntary
contributions of money or other resources, by requesting
donations from individuals, businesses, charitable
foundations, or governmental agencies for specific
programs/activities

4. TYPES OF FUNDRAISING IN AAR
• Through child sponsorship, a supporter in Europe (UK, Italy and
Greece) is linked with a Rwandan child in a poor and community.
The child communicates twice a year with the supporter who is also
encouraged to communicate as frequently with the child and an
exchange of information of each other’s lives takes place. The
supporter contributes an agreed amount each month through AAI.
• Partnership income:
 High value: High Value donors are:
– Individual major donors,
– charitable trusts and foundations,
– companies.
Giving >£5k per annum
 Official donors:
- Government or Institutional donors (e.g. DfID, UN, ECHO)
- Give very large grants often in the £millions
- Use grants and tenders to NGOs to deliver their own strategy
Supporter marketing

5. WHY RESOURCE MOBILIZATION?
• We do fundraising for our program (PLFP) but
also we do program to fundraise
• Programme Led Funding Planning (PLFP) is an
approach to ensure that we raise the right
amount of money and the right kind of money
to achieve our strategic objectives. The ‘right
kind of money’ means money that either has
no restrictions on how it can be used, or the
restrictions match with our programme
objectives.

6. Funding Planning: Why is it needed?
• It ensures we are programme led, not donor
led
• It recognises the entire funding mix
(companies, national fund, foundations, official
etc.)
• Outlines our funding needs or gaps
• It is integral to planning, strategy development
and your ability to fund your strategies/ plan of
actions

7. Funding Planning: The Theory
Funding planning is the core of the planning process, as it links
together the work you plan to do with the resources you have
available
PLFP Toolkit 3.1.1 Funding Planning Basics
Income
potential
Programme
Objectives

8. AA
Fundraising
Affiliate
AA Country
Programme
Donors Communities
AA Fundraising
Affiliate
Identifies and builds
relationships with
donors and decision
makers
Raises funds for CPs
and AAI
Raises the profile of AA
in their country to raise
more funds and support
Campaigns to northern
policy makers for
change that affects
poor people
internationally
Supporting CPs to
plan, monitor and
evaluate projects
Reports back to donors
on how their funds are
spent.
Donor
Provide Funding for:
CP projects for 1–5
years
May fund more than
one project and
more than one
country
Will renew their
support for AA if a
project goes well
Help to raise our
profile with other
donors who might
support
Communities
Participation in
project planning
Project
Stakeholders
and
“beneficiaries”.
AA Country Programmes
Building Strong Relationships with
Local Partner Organisations
Building the capacity of the Local
partners
Project planning
Provides information to enable
FA Fundraisers to build strong
proposals
Help FA Fundraisers to build
strong relationships with donors
(by providing information, or by
hosting donors on a visit)
Project delivery
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
Reporting back to AAI and
Fundraisers.
Write concept notes and
proposals
Local Partners
Building relationships
with communities
Project delivery
Project Monitoring and
Evaluation
Reporting back to
Country Programme
Write concept notes
and proposals
From Donor to Community – Roles & Relationships
Local Partner
Organisations

9. What should we do at CP and partner
level (five actions)

10. Focus on CP and Partners Relationship
• Excellent implementation of the programme
• Relationship building with potential donors
• Problem/issue identification
• Donor intelligence
• Write strong concept note

11. Donor Intelligence: Why?
Interaction with donors provides opportunity
for:
• Increasing income – and increasing diversity
of income
• Early intelligence of opportunity
• Advocacy opportunities (bringing the donor
to ActionAid)

12. Donor Intelligence: The core
A pre-existing relationship with donors is
usually essential to successful
fundraising
Pre-existing partnerships with donors is
usually essential in order to influence
donor policy

13. Donor intelligence: How
Engage face to face with donors (on a
regular basis)
Opportunities include: PRRPs, invite donors
to projects, anniversary receptions,
immersions, planning processes
(and informal opportunities wherever
possible)

14. Donor intelligence: Face to face
Do NOT sell a project on the first meeting
• Research the donor
• Describe local AND the international
strength of ActionAid (donors complain we
punch below our weight). Show how AA
adds value
• Discuss funding and advocacy opportunities
And document the meeting

15. Donor intelligence: Basics
• Submit only proposals that meet any donor
set criteria
• Submit only high quality concepts and
proposals
• Manage and implement existing grants and
funding to a high standard
• Do not stop talking to the donor

16. Sources of donor intelligence
As well as in-country
- Read newspapers for tender publications
- Network! Attend forums
- Meet the donors!
Funding Affiliates
International Fundraising

17. Strong Logical Project Intervention
• Focus on developing a strong logical project
intervention, with clearly linked and realistic
goal/impact, outcomes/objectives and
actions/outputs. This can be done by
developing a critical pathway for your
proposed project.
What makes a good concept note?

18. a)logical project intervention
Actions
The activities you
will undertake to
achieve the
outcome
Outcomes
The specific changes
you expect to deliver
based on the actions
undertaken
Impact
longer term
change(s) or
impact this project
is contributing to

19. Critical Pathway of change

20. Critical pathway…continue…
Impact The longer term change(s) or impact to which the project is
contributing to. Its scope is larger than what the project can achieve
within the defined timescale - it will normally be one of the global
KCP’s Impact statements.
Project Goal What the project seeks to achieve within the timeframe of the project.
Outcome What the project will change based on the activities undertaken –
leading to progress against or achievement of the Project Goal.
Actions Activities are the individual actions or tasks undertaken which will lead
to the achievement of the outcomes.

21. b) Outline the problem clearly and the root causes
• Describe the key problems and needs this project
will address – try to be specific to the region or
target group
• Describe the scale of the problem - include key
statistics or external evidence/research where
possible e.g. no of people living on less than $1 a
day - include your sources!
• Include a summary of any rights analysis
undertaken if available.
• Rights Analysis

22. c)Clearly state the actions/activities the project will fund
• There should be at least one or two actions for
each outcome
• Use numbers wherever possible e.g. number
of schools, communities, girls

23. THANK YOU, MERCI,
MURAKOZE
Q&A