When funding restrictions limit what you can do, how do you strengthen and diversify to keep your NGOs mission on track?

You live the daily struggle of fundraising: getting enough funding, from a diverse group of funders, with enough unrestricted funding to plan ahead. By the very nature of NGOs, you depend on donors, who keep changing their priorities and demands. How can you make that uncertain source of funding sustainable?

This training will share proven, practical tools to evaluate your current situation and move from uncertainty to financial sustainability. You’ll learn how to recover administrative costs; find and manage unrestricted funding; diversify your funding; and engage your stakeholders for long-term success.

• 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

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.

Not sure if this training is for you? Feel free to contact us.

Humentum’s self-directed and focused trainings put the learner first. Connect and engage with peers from around the world, while learning through a series of engaging videos, assignments, and readings. An expert facilitator will guide you.

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.

Each week, the following module will become available. To proceed to the next module, you’ll need to earn points for completing various tasks (such as watching videos, reviewing resources, and interacting with others). The more tasks you complete, the more points you’ll earn.

We estimate this training requires 2-3 hours per module (5 modules in total), depending on your pace of learning, and previous experience.

Module 1

You get started with a background to the concept of financial sustainability.

• Key Principles
• Sustainability and NGOs – Key concepts
• What is a financing strategy?
• Where do NGOs get their money?

Module 2

We introduce some planning tools to help assess an organizat-ion’s financial position, risks, resources, and opportunities.

• Where Are We Now? Situation Analysis
• Situation Analysis Tools – SWOT and Stakeholder Analysis
• Financial Analysis: Understanding financial statements
• Using financial ratios

Module 3

We focus on managing risk and look at how healthy your income is, identify other financial risks that could affect our operations now, and in the future.

• Where Are We Now? Risk Assessments
• Assessing income diversification
• Donor dependency
• The risk assessment and mitigation process

Module 4

Module 4 is all about building on strengths and opportunities, minimizing the impact of risks & threats, and setting targets.

• Where Do We Want to Go? Setting Targets
• Setting targets: The desired financing mix
• Strategies for diversifying income
• Conducting a resources audit
• Alternative financing options
• Charging for services

Module 5

A strong focus on key financial policies as well as taking a look at financing central support costs and the ethics of fundraising.

• Where Do We Want to Go? Financial Policies
• The reserves policy
• Ethical fundraising policy
• Financing core costs policy
• Managing Stakeholder relationships
• How Do We Get There? Financing Strategy

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

Humentum encourages teams to attend this course together.

We offer a 15% discount for groups of 5 or more to attend this course.

Learn about our Organizational Training Package for members – an offer that allows even more flexibility and cost savings for your organization – starting at groups of 15 or more.

Humentum members receive a 10% discount off this course. When registering, ensure you use your organizational email address. Your member discount will then be automatically applied at checkout. Having trouble? Contact us at workshops@humentum.org.