The financing strategy provided in these courses outline how an organization can plan to finance its work to meet its mission and objectives. With a focus on financial resources, it asks three important questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there?

This package is designed to help you answer these questions with the end result of developing the right finance strategy for your organization. To do this you will explore ways of sustaining all operations of an NGO – not just its short-term projects – now and into the future. You will consider a broad range of income to minimize financial risk and strengthen independence and autonomy. You will learn how best to increase your indirect cost recovery so when you do receive funding you aren’t left with nothing to cover your own costs.

Finally, you will look at methods needed to conduct research and respond to the changing priorities in the communities you work with. And finally, in doing all of this you will work to gain strength and credibility by attracting support from your local community.

Financial Management for Development Professionals (Finance Dpro)

• Build and use effective budgets, such as project and donor budgets and cash flow forecasts
• Describe the key processes and methods used to keep accounting records
• Use financial reports to monitor project performance and identify actions to keep project finances on track
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your financial management system
• Explain how internal controls protect NGO assets and minimize the risk and impact of fraud and errors

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Planning for NGO Financial Sustainability

• Assess their own/partner NGO organization’s financial sustainability & risk status in a way that identifies specific areas to improve
• Determine how to diversify income and become less dependent on donor income or external funding agencies, including institutional funders
• Learn how to create and manage options for cost recovery and unrestricted funding
• Set targets for and identify how to build financial reserves
• Complete a communications plan to strengthen stakeholder relationships so that your challenges and goals are embraced by others
• Practice using tools to create a finance strategy that everyone in the NGO organization can use and understand

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Maximize your Indirect Cost Recovery

• Learn about indirect costs (overhead)
• Learn different indirect costs allocation theories
• Practice alternative approaches to structuring indirect costs and/or indirect rates and allocation methods
• Understand the different ways donors think about and regulate indirect cost or indirect rate payments

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Small to medium-sized NGO staff members that are working with funders and other sources of income. You want to improve and build their capability in financial strategy and sustainability across their organization.

Humentum’s courses are all focused on the learner’s participation to increase your ability to apply what you learn.

Each course will do this in different ways and may include videos, quizzes, reading, asynchronous discussions, and webinars in one of the courses.

The platform is open for a set number of weeks, and you can log in to work at your own pace whenever convenient. You’ll find our learning platform easy to navigate, with clear guides and instructions. You can find out more about our online training platform by watching this video.

Upon completion, Humentum provides a certificate of attendance for each course.