Project description

The Building Advanced Fundraising Skills Serbia (BAFSS) programme has supported the non-profit organisations in the Serbian society and strengthened the civil society. A voice of all civil actors created a culture where people feel ownership over their own future and where communities will thrive.

The objective of the Building Advanced Fundraising Skills for Serbia –BAFSS- programme was to offer non-profit leaders the opportunity to develop skills to initiate, evaluate, change and implement new and effective fundraising programmes. The Non Profit organisations in Serbia have a strong history and have established income generation programmes. But there is a need to create more sustainable organisations that are fit for the future with a diversified income, that can tap into the more wider opportunities beyond foreign project funding (large private,  bilateral and multilateral donors) and look at local, regional sources (Direct Marketing, individuals, corporate donors, income generating activities etc)

Participants have learned how to assess their current philanthropic culture and fundraising situation and think creatively when looking for new and innovative income streams. They  learned how to look at their markets, how to connect with potential donors and gain insight into why people give. They gained an understanding of Branding and how to engage board and volunteers in the important work of fundraising.  The BAFSS programme offered tools and resources relevant to advance non-profit organisations and in doing so, supported the upscaling of the Civil society in Serbia. The training also delivered the next generation of Fundraising trainers and consultants who will strengthen the entire non-profit sector in years to come.

In the first workshop participants got an introduction into all generic fundraising techniques, share case studies and knowledge and will understand all possible fundraising opportunities and resources. The programme was interlaced with Train-the-Trainer details and we looked at presentation techniques didactic resources and personal skills.

In the intrim period between the two workshop the participants were encouraged to test the theory and explore more about fundraising in thier local context. This consisted of homework such as

• Investivate philantropic culture in Serbia and beyond based on a short questionnaire
• Market research into other non profit organisations and thier fundraising
• Writing a strategic fundraising plan
• Starting a crowdfunding campiagn as a trial

In the last workshop all the learnings were finetuned. Firstly, we discussed the findings of the participants in the home work excersises and interactively stimulate the thinking around most succesful and effective fundraising. We explored the donor motivations by inviting a Major Donor and a representative of a commercial organisation who have a CSR programme. In interview style, the class developed a deeper understanding of the donor as an individual and a comapny. In addition, we organised a site visit to the fundraising depeartment of a large Non-Profit in order to look at the trial and tribulations of every day fundraising.