In early March 2017, the new Trump administration published a budget proposal which, among other things, called for a 28% cut to United States spending abroad including the State Department and USAID for fiscal year 2018. This is a troubling prospect for many international organizations relying on the US government for funding. So what does this mean and what can we expect going forward? Here we have answered some of the questions currently on the mind of every NGO. What is the current US … [Read more...]
Featured Articles: Fundraising, Proposal Writing & NGO Management
Featured Articles to help you learn about Fundraising, NGO Management and Proposal Writing.
Rethinking Video Content For Your NGO
January 25, 2017 By
I’d just like you to take a moment think back to a time your perception of the world was changed, a moment where all that you believed in was challenged and you felt motivated to change the world. When you think back to these moments, there’s most likely a familiar thread - you either watched something incredibly thought-provoking or maybe you were in the field and witnessed something with your own eyes.I’d just like you to take a moment think back to a time your perception of the world was … [Read more...]
Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw: Free Legal Services for NGOs
January 18, 2017 By
TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono legal programme. It connects the best law firms and corporate legal teams around the world with high-impact NGOs and social enterprises working to create social and environmental change. It produces groundbreaking legal research, and offer innovative training courses worldwide. Through TrustLaw, over 100,000 lawyers offer their time and knowledge to help organisations achieve their social mission for free. This means NGOs and social … [Read more...]
How to organize special events to raise funds for your NGO
November 2, 2016 By
Fundraising strategies that were effective a decade back cannot be put to use today, and therefore NGOs should update themselves to cope with changing fundraising techniques and methods. As an NGO practitioner you might be well accustomed to raising funds through proposal writing, door to door collections, corporate partnerships, direct calls etc., but these days there is a growing trend to organize special events for fundraising. This guide will help you in organizing special events to raise … [Read more...]
View Top 12 Tips for Building Sustainability Here!
September 9, 2016 By
The top 12 tips that will help NGOs in building sustainability are mentioned below: 1.Review your current practices Before discussing sustainability with an existing or potential recipient of funding, review your current practices and make improvements. Does your (online) application form include anything on sustainability? Are you clearly communicating what it is you expect in this area? Did you ever ask for feedback from earlier recipients and make improvements based on this feedback? A … [Read more...]
How Donors Can Build Sustainable NGOs – 12 Tips
September 9, 2016 By
Introduction There is an oft-used saying that applies especially to the field of international development field: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Perhaps the only piece missing is that the man might also need a quality fishing rod! As a long-time program manager and fundraiser I have seen many donors interested in ‘teaching to fish’ but not as many willing to supply the tools, or the ‘quality fishing rod’. In this guide we … [Read more...]
How to Write a Master Proposal Template
September 3, 2016 By
Introduction Writing proposals for funding is one of the most crucial aspects for any NGO. Proposals are important for any organization, as they decide the success or failure of an organization. No matter how big or small your organization is you cannot get away from writing a project proposal. As an NGO staff you might be aware that the primary purpose of a project proposal is to convince the donor agency to fund your project. It is thus important for you to write a proposal that is … [Read more...]
Leadership qualities essential for modern NGO professionals
August 31, 2016 By
NGO and development sector professionals work in difficult and challenging circumstances. With limited resources and constantly changing, complex and dynamic situations, an NGO professional has to be on toes all the time to adapt to the environment. Working in this sector demands dynamic personalities, leadership qualities and management aptitude and skills. Do you have it in you to be a coolheaded, agile, highly professional and motivating leader? A leader can be a leader in his/ her own … [Read more...]
How can your Volunteers help you in raising funds?
August 31, 2016 By
As a non-profit organization, you might have come across many passionate individuals, ardent supporters and advocates for your cause, who have supported or continue to support your organization. These people devote their time, knowledge and passion for your cause as ‘volunteers’. Volunteers have been instrumental in achieving many organizational goals, by helping an organization do good for the underprivileged communities. You might have involved volunteers for various purposes, like … [Read more...]
How to develop a Budget for your Project Proposal?
August 22, 2016 By
Developing budgets for your project or for even your organization is one of the most time-consuming tasks. Often we think that a budget is a simple format attached to a project proposal and you need to fill it according to the activities and strategies proposed in the project. However, when you start opening up a proposal backwards, you will realize that the budget is a critical component of the project. We have decided to develop a project proposal because we have understood and realized that … [Read more...]
How can NGOs apply and get grants from Bilateral Donor Agencies?
August 20, 2016 By
Bilateral donor funding refers to the donor country’s Government aid to recipient country in a Government-to-Government or a Government-to-NGO/Civil Society partnership. It is part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies of the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which are working towards economic progress and trade. They play a major role in providing development funding to Governments and Civil Society mostly in developing … [Read more...]
Evergreen Grants: How to apply for funding without worrying about deadlines?
August 19, 2016 By
When we identify a funding opportunity and decide to apply for it, the single big factor that will most significantly influence us in the process is its deadline. A deadline that is close enough can be very disappointing. For example, if you come to know of a funding opportunity 3 days prior to its deadline, you will either give it up or you will put yourself under lot of pressure to complete the proposal and submit it within the given timeframe. Some donor agencies can be very rigid and … [Read more...]
Fundraising follow-up with donors
August 12, 2016 By
All of us know that donor communication is very important for the non-profits of today. To retain donors and convert one-time donors into recurrent ones, to also encourage them to feel like a part of the cause, and to spread the word within to their kith and kin, the importance of donor communication is well-established. But what does communicating with donors mean? Is it a thanks note, an appeal to donate again, or an update, or is it all of the above? What makes a donor tick? There can be … [Read more...]
Weekend Volunteering for Company Employees
August 12, 2016 By
There is an increased awareness and sensitization about volunteering work these days. The spirit of ‘giving back to the society’ is growing and spreading across people from all walks of life. It paints a very positive picture of the society as a whole, wherein everyone can contribute towards the society in a meaningful and sustainable way. Non-profit organizations offer innumerable opportunities for civic engagement for the greater good. Additionally, many companies and employers even have … [Read more...]
How does USAID support NGOs?
July 19, 2016 By
What is USAID? United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a US Government Agency that is responsible for administration of all foreign civilian aid. It was established in the year 1961, and is headquartered at Washington DC. The mission statement of USAID is to ‘to partner to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing the security and prosperity of the United States’. The main purposes of USAID aid and assistance are disaster … [Read more...]
How to set up 501(c) 3 non-profit in United States and what are its advantages?
July 19, 2016 By
Lot of passionate individuals, or groups of people wish to contribute their lives for a good cause, and many of them either join a charitable organization, or start their own. But, establishing and running an organization is not an easy task. One must first be confident and convinced, must have enough support in terms of technical, programmatic, and legal support to start a nonprofit. If you are a nonprofit organization, and you wish to acquire a 501c3 status in United States, let us understand … [Read more...]
Quick tips to boost your fundraising efforts
July 6, 2016 By
Most often fundraising efforts of organizations go futile because of improper planning and lack of effective fundraising strategies. No matter how effectual an organization is in implementing field projects, they generally have to struggle when it comes to raising funds. Fundraising forms the most important activity of any NGO to sustain and continue their efforts for social wellbeing and development. Many experts consider it to be the backbone of the nonprofit sector, which is very true, as … [Read more...]
How to ensure sustainability?
July 6, 2016 By
The term sustainability has gained significant popularity in policy-oriented research, business development and social sector over the last few decades. It is the most sorted feature to ensure success to a venture. Sustainability, a word frequently used across several disciplines, has become part of our everyday lexis. Origin of the word Sustain dates back several centuries, from two latin words sus which means- up and tenere meaning to hold. The current use of the word implies something that … [Read more...]
Open Grants and Awards on HIV/AIDS
June 29, 2016 By
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is a fatal disease caused by a rapidly mutating retrovirus that attacks the immune system and leaves the victim vulnerable to infections, malignancies, and neurological disorders. HIV/AIDS has now become a curse on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination. Being a serious health issue … [Read more...]
How can NGOs participate in Crowdfunding?
June 28, 2016 By
As the name suggests, crowdfunding is a way of raising funds (funding) from a large number of donors (crowd) by mediums like internet, social media and mobile phones. Lot of social enterprises, start-ups, and even nonprofits are successfully raising funds by doing crowdfunding campaigns. How NGOs can make their crowdfunding plan and how to actually implement it, here is a short and simple guide about the process and steps to plan one: Planning the campaign: Every successful activity has … [Read more...]
