March is a special month not only because it heralds the breaking in of spring but also because it celebrates women worldwide. The momentum that began with Women's Day has been carried forward by Women’s History Month with this year’s theme “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence” An interesting theme, especially for NGOs, this year is aimed at honouring women "who have led efforts to end war, violence, and injustice and pioneered the use of nonviolence to change society."[1] … [Read more...]
Featured Articles: Fundraising, Proposal Writing & NGO Management
Featured Articles to help you learn about Fundraising, NGO Management and Proposal Writing.
How 2018 fared for Non-Profit Fundraising
2018 has been an eventful year to say the least, from the British Royal Wedding to the world's largest democracy decriminalizing homosexuality, Robert Mugabe being forced to resign, and of course several whirlwind foreign policy shifts under President Trump. It has been no different for the non-profit sector with several developments on the international and national front-owing largely to policy changes, tech for impact initiatives, maturation of the philanthropy fraternity in developing … [Read more...]
A Quick Help Guide on ‘AmplifyChange Strengthening Grants to Support Small & Medium Civil Society Organizations’
Introduction: You were earlier notified about AmplifyChange Strengthening Grants opportunity for the same we will help you guide through the applying process so that you have best chance to get the proposal sanctioned under your civil society organization (NGO). Let us first understand what exactly does Amplify Change wants you to do? As per the opportunity released, the Amplify Change has clearly mentioned the program is to support organizations that are already working in the area of … [Read more...]
A Quick Help Guide on ‘How to Apply Effectively for Nestle Foundation’s Research Grants Program’
Introduction: For institutions who are interested in applying for the Nestle Foundation's Research Grants Program can make use of this this quick help guide develop their research proposal. What is the purpose of this Research Grant? Nestle has announced a Research Grants Program to support the research on human nutrition with its relevance to public health looking at Lower Income Countries (LICs) and Lower middle-income countries (LMICs). The research findings will further be used … [Read more...]
Instagram for NGOs: How Media for Social Change can help in Brand Building
If there was a Star Social Media Platform of the Year Award for 2018 Instagram would perhaps emerge victorious. It feels like everyone is on it—organisations, celebrities, individuals, even pets seem to have dedicated profiles! At a time where Instagram claims to have one billion users worldwide, not having a profile for your NGO is a chance missed at reaching a wide audience and marking your digital and social existence. While Facebook clearly has more user profiles, Instagram is a strong … [Read more...]
How to Research and Identify New Donors for your NGO
We are sure you understand the reasons why your NGO both needs and merits funding - to further its mission and values, to run and implement the programs and projects, to plan for future programs, to ensure you hire and retain your amazing staff, and to spread the word about your work. But as the core competency of an NGO like yours lies in doing what it does best- social good; fundraising takes a backseat until there is a drop in funding or number of funders. Because of this reactive approach, … [Read more...]
How the Expo 2020 in Dubai will benefit NGOs: The $100,000 Impact Grant Program
The Expo 2020 Dubai will be held from October 2020 to April 2021 in Dubai bringing in people from hundreds of countries, representing international companies, universities and organizations. But do you know that NGOs and grassroots projects are also expected to play an important role in this event and there is an innovation impact grant program, providing funding of up to USD $100,000? The Expo 2020 Dubai is considered to be the first World Expo of the region (Middle East, Africa and South … [Read more...]
Why NGOs get banned from receiving foreign funds in India and how to avoid it?
On July 24, 2018, the Union State Minister of Home Affairs in India, Kiren Rijiju announced that nearly 19,000 NGOs in the country have been banned from receiving foreign funds under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) of the Government of India since the year, 2011. Foreign funds are a major source of financial support for NGOs in India. Various private foundations, foreign governmental agencies, and individuals provide money for charitable causes in India in form of donations … [Read more...]
A Free Guide on ‘How to Create a Communications Plan for Your NGO’
What Is a Communications Plan? A communications plan is a document that guides the external communications efforts of an organization. It helps an NGO strategically focus its communication and outreach efforts around a certain set of goals – usually the mission and objectives of an organization. A communications plan is necessary to help an NGO effectively promote its work in the public and donors eyes. Communications plans help NGOs accomplish this in a number of ways. First, a plan assists … [Read more...]
Sample Project Background for India
Writing a project background is a crucial part of the Proposal. A donor should know beforehand of the general situation of the area before going through all the projects plans and strategies. It helps the donors to picture well of project area and about the importance of the project. In order to make your proposal stronger and realistic, the reliable data and information helps donor to be clear with the reasoning of your project idea. You also show that all the assumptions you make about your … [Read more...]
How (Not) to Impress a Donor?
When you contact or meet a donor for the first time, what are easiest ways to ruin your shot at getting funded? First impressions count, and avoiding these mistakes will help you put your best foot forward. Mistake #1: Not introducing yourself Do not send an email to a donor without any introduction. Donors see many emails that only contain a funding request similar to this one: “Can you fund our work with children in Uganda?” Without so much as an introduction or explanation. Explaining … [Read more...]
Why Do Donors Hate Me?
Many small, grassroots, and start-up NGOs eagerly look for their first grant to grow their program. But after sending out dozens of request for funding by post and email to scores of donors they either never hear back or are rejected. Why is this? Does the donor not like small NGOs? Are they only interested in funding large well-established NGOs? Our research indicates that this is not necessarily the case. When we reviewed US foundation grants going to Tanzania from 2003 to 2015, Nearly … [Read more...]
12 Tips to Build Great NGO Partnerships for Donor Funding Applications
By Erik Detiger Introduction There are many good reasons for NGOs to work together to reach a common goal. When each partner brings its own expertise and resources to a program the impact can be multiplied. The sum total of the partnership is worth more than what each NGO can achieve on its own. Donors know this and often promote or require NGO partnerships for this very reason. Joint donor applications by a group of NGOs, also called a consortium, are becoming more common. In a consortium, … [Read more...]
Infographic: 7 Steps for NGOs to Build a Network
Here are 7 steps for NGOs for building a network: 7 Steps for NGOs to Build a Network from FUNDSFORNGOS.ORG … [Read more...]
5 Steps to Fundraising Success for Small and Grassroots NGOs
By Erik Detiger All NGOs need to fundraise. But for new, small, and grassroots NGOs who do not yet have fundraising systems in place fundraising can be particularly challenging. Here are our steps to get on the path to fundraising success. Step 1: Know your organization’s needs Before you even begin to research donors and apply for funding, start by examining your own wants and needs. You can’t ask for help before you know what you need help within reviewing your own organization, make sure … [Read more...]
How NGOs can Work Remotely More Effectively
An Interview with Peter Ivanov Over the last 20 years, Peter Ivanov - Keynote Speaker and Executive coach, Athletic Champion and father of five girls - is leading international virtual NGO teams across Europe, Asia and Africa to show them how to deliver projects quicker, reduce cost and develop their NGOs for the future. Today, Peter is sharing his advice on effective leadership and collaboration within virtual NGO teams. How can NGO companies achieve extraordinary results … [Read more...]
10 Things to Remember About Donors
Asking a donor for funding can be both difficult and stressful. Merely getting a response from donors can be difficult and it is easy to get discouraged. Approaching a new donor can feel very impersonal; it is hard to picture the person on the other end who will receive your message. Even after you make a contact, maintaining that contact takes a lot of work. To successfully build and maintain relationships with donors, it is very important to get into their shoes and understand their … [Read more...]
US Foreign Aid Budget Cuts – What Next?
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...]
Rethinking Video Content For Your NGO
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...]
