Planning for NGO Financial Sustainability

When funding restrictions limit what you can do, how do you strengthen and diversify to keep your NGO’s mission on track? Not to mention that funding flows may not be consistent or reliable. How can you make that uncertain source of funding sustainable?

This training shares proven, practical tools to move from uncertainty to financial sustainability. You’ll start by learning how to assess your own and your partners’ financial health and risk status in ways that point out specific areas to improve. You’ll then learn a range of financial skills, from cost recovery to stakeholder engagement. You’ll practice each new skill and try out each tool so that at the end, you’re ready to apply all that you’ve learned for your NGO.

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

• Determine how to diversify income and become less dependent on donor income or external funding agencies, including institutional funders
• Create and manage options for cost recovery and unrestricted funding
• Identify how to build financial reserves
• Build a communications plan to strengthen stakeholder relationships
• Practice using tools to create a finance strategy that everyone in the NGO organization can use and understand

This training is designed for:

• Senior managers of national NGOs, such as CEOs, Program Directors, or Finance Managers who need to work directly with funders
• INGO program managers who support partner NGOs in implementing projects while supporting their internal operations
• INGO managers who develop a financing strategy for their country programs
• Members of local boards of trustees, such as Chairperson or Treasurer providing guidance and direction on the financial sustainability of the organization.