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5 Latest International Grants that can fund High Impact NGO Projects

It is seldom that a combination of grants is available at the same time from leading international donors and NGOs and that both international and local organizations can apply and participate in one of the most competitive calls for proposals offering substantial amount in funding.

In this article, we discuss about 5 such international grants that seek to create an impact at the grassroots-level.

FP2020’s Rapid Response Mechanism (No Deadline)

The RRM supports projects that amplify existing family planning programs in an FP2020 focus country.

FP2020’s Rapid Response Mechanism is open to NGOs, INGOs and UN organizations to fund projects that will help FP2020 to meet its goal of enabling 120 million more women and girls using contraceptives by 2020. The RRM supports projects that amplify existing family planning programs in an FP2020 focus country.

RRM grants are catalytic, unblocking challenges to stimulate FP2020 work and aims. Although funding cap under RRM is USD $250,000, most projects receive less than USD $100,000 that need to be used within a maximum time period of 12 months by the grantee as part of the emerging, unanticipated and/or time-bound response.

The RRM follows a dual track, being either (1) a consultancy-based contract or (2) an activity-based grant around themes such as technical assistance, training of family planning providers, advocacy, outreach access and others.

You can learn more about this opportunity here.

Addressing Root Causes Fund (Deadline: 4 March 2016)

The Addressing Root Causes (ARC) Fund can be applied by local NGOs as well as international and Dutch-based organizations.

This is the Government of the Netherlands’ funding which aims to address the root causes of armed conflict, instability and irregular migration in the most sensitive regions of the world.

The Addressing Root Causes (ARC) Fund can be applied by local NGOs as well as international and Dutch-based organizations. Select countries where projects can be implemented include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This is part of the Netherlands Government work on a regional and national level on peacekeeping, facilitating peace processes, strengthening the rule of law and strengthening the capacity of the (central) government. At the same time, through subsidising NGOs (e.g. Reconstruction Tender, the Strategic Partnerships Protracted Crises and Dialogue & Dissent) efforts are made to tackle the root causes of armed conflict, instability and irregular migration ‘bottom-up’ through i.e. strengthening of civil society, encouraging possibilities for peaceful conflict resolution and improving the social cohesion among citizens and the social contract between citizens and the government.

For more information about ARC, you can visit here.

DFID LEGEND Challenge Fund (Deadline: 26 February 2016)

The projects should aims to strengthen land governance which will ultimately contribute to inclusive growth, increased incomes of the poor, especially women

Grants between £100,000 and £750,000 are invited by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to support the development and testing of innovative approaches and partnerships for strengthening land governance, with a specific focus on piloting approaches to responsible land-related investments.

The Fund has two concurrent windows, namely, ‘Responsible Land-Based Agricultural Investments’ and ‘Open Innovation.’ There are seven African countries where the proposed projects can be implemented which are Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone.

The projects should aims to strengthen land governance which will ultimately contribute to inclusive growth, increased incomes of the poor, especially women, reduce environmental damage and reduce conflict potential; and test innovative approaches to ensure that agricultural investors act responsibly and assist in developing partnerships with rural communities.

For more information about the LEGEND Challenge Funding, visit here.

Small Grants Fund from the Global Forest Watch (Deadline: 15 February 2016)

The small grants fund is aimed to promote broad uptake and innovative use of GFW tools by civil society around the world.

Global Forest Watch (GFW) is a free, online forest monitoring and alert system that provides timely and actionable information to support sustainable management and conservation of forest landscapes.

GFW data and tools have been used by journalists and civil society organizations around the world to conduct advocacy, launch campaigns, and strengthen local forest management and law enforcement activities on the ground.

The small grants fund is aimed to promote broad uptake and innovative use of GFW tools by civil society around the world. Applicants must submit a proposal explaining how they would like to apply GFW data and technology to enhance their organization’s work, including, but not limited to, advocacy, campaigning, journalism, research, community forest management, and conservation projects.

Grants are available between $10,000 and $40,000 and projects on forest management, advocacy, data collection, policy research and education and training/capacity-building can be proposed.

For more information about Small Grants Fund, please visit here

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa 2016 Grants (Deadline: 31 March 2016)

The programmes support will look beyond immediate symptoms and seek to address structural problems that reproduce poverty, inequality, exclusion and discrimination.

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is currently accepting applications for 2016 from NGOs across Southern Africa.

OSISA supports innovative programmes working towards open society ideals and which advocate for these ideals in southern Africa. The programmes support will look beyond immediate symptoms and seek to address structural problems that reproduce poverty, inequality, exclusion and discrimination.

Specific areas of funding include Human Rights, Access to Justice and the Rule of Law; Democracy and Governance; Social and Economic Justice; Natural Resources Governance; Youth Arts and Culture; and Women’s Rights. OSISA is willing to consider concept proposals from such unregistered and informal groups and formations that, if approved, may then be further developed into fully-fledged grant proposals for consideration.

For more information, visit this link.

16 Powerful Tips to Boost your Online and Offline Fundraising Efforts

This guide offers you some tips that have worked for some organizations and will surely help you to maximize your funding efforts.

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 continuous flow of funds ensures NGOs to perform effectively. Raising money is indeed a challenge, but with some help and practice you can boost up your fundraising efforts.

This guide offers you some tips that have worked for some organizations and will surely help you to maximize your funding efforts. To help you in various methods of fundraising we have divided the guide into two sections; the first section deals with tips to help with conventional fundraising methods while section two deals with tips to enhance online fundraising.

Planning is the key and that’s why do not wait till your project comes to an end

Section 1: Tips for enhancing conventional methods of fundraising

Plan well in advance: Planning is the key and that’s why do not wait till your project comes to an end. Start planning at least a year in advance, so that you have enough time to submit application to various donors. As different donors have a funding cycle, you will not want to miss any opportunity and therefore keep enough time. You can engage team members in the fundraising exercise and allocate responsibilities for taking up different roles for example; some one can conduct donor research, while the other can develop proposals. Planning ensures that you don’t miss any deadline and all correspondence with the donor is done on a timely and proficient manner.
Diversify your donors: Well if you are still stuck with traditional donors, it high time you diversify your donors. There are several new donor mechanisms in place viz. virtual funding platforms, crowd funding, CSR, individuals etc. Keep an eye on such funding windows as there is a huge potential to get funds from them. This will surely help you in engaging with multiple donors thereby enhancing your chances of funding.
Share your success and impact stories with donors: Donors like to know how you have utilized their money, therefore share with them impact stories. Sharing information motivates them to support your cause in the long run. You can let the donors know that their money is being used to improve lives and with their continued support can bring about a positive change in the society.
Pay special attention while writing your proposal: This is one of the most important steps towards ensuring donor engagement and receiving money from donors. The proposal should provide information on what you intend to do, what are the objectives, key activities, how will it help the cause, how much money you need etc.. As there are several organizations applying for funding, you need to develop a strong case to avail the fund. Writing a proposal forms the most important part of the fundraising plan, as it is the proposal that will decide if you will get funded or not. Some points to be kept in mind while drafting your proposal:

– Use simple and effective language to explain your proposal. Avoid using jargons and don’t be too verbose.

– Do not make the proposal too academic by using too much facts and figures. Use facts at only relevant places eg. Describing the issue/problem and how you intend to solve it.

– Have a human pitch to your proposal, which simply means the proposal should show that your care about the issue. However do not make it overly emotional.

– Follow the guidelines, format and instructions properly.

– Clearly mention about the sustainability aspect of the project and your exit strategy from the project site.

– Make a detailed budget reflecting how you will be utilizing the funds.

– Ensure that your share relevant documents with the donor agency.

– Avoid making spelling and grammatical mistakes, so share the proposal with your colleagues and get it checked thoroughly before submitting.

Face to face meetings always result in better results: These days people emphasize on new methods of fundraising like use of internet, telephone and crowd funding but no matter how much technology progresses, face to face meetings are the best way to raise funds. These interactions are the best way to communicate with donors about causes you care about and also help you to understand donors view point and their interest. Once you get the chance to speak with a donor representative make the most of this opportunity. Some of the points to remember when meeting donors are:

– Ensure that communication is done by a person who knows about the donor agency and has good communication skills. This is your first interaction and therefore you will surely not want to ruin it.

– Introduce your organization and the work you have done in the past. However, do not waste time in narrating long stories, be precise and to the point.

– Avoid asking questions for which answers are available on their webpage and guidelines.

– Listen to them patiently as suggestions by them can help you in improving your proposal.

– Once the call/meeting comes to an end thank them for giving time, this can be done by sending them an email, immediately after your meeting or call. If they have asked for some information, provide it immediately without wasting time.

Keep your financial statements and audit reports handy and available: One of the best ways to enhance donor support is through clearly stating your financial details and making it available to the donor. This will make your more accountable and credible Questions are increasingly being raised about how to make NGOs more accountable for the funds they receive and how to enhance their effectiveness and performance. This enhances your credibility in front of the donor and will make you look more professional and credible to the donor thereby increasing your chances of getting funded.
Maintain a congenial relation with your existing donors: You need to maintain a good rapport with your existing donors as well. Submit all the reports, financial documents and updates with them in a timely manner. It is important that you involve them in your organization and acknowledge them for their support. Developing long term relation with the donors will certainly increase the likelihood of repeat funding.

Section 2: Tips for enhancing online fundraising efforts

With the growing use of internet globally, you should also strengthen your online fundraising efforts. Here are a few quick tips that can enhance online donations for your work.

Go mobile: As more and more people use smart phones, the use of laptops and desktops will reduce considerably for internet search. In such a scenario it is advisable that you make your website mobile friendly. This way you can reach that group of donors who are active on their mobile phones all day long. Besides Google search is also configured to prefer mobile friendly pages and apps.
Make sure to have a donate button visible all across the website: When you start online fundraising it is important that you add a donate button and place it appropriately on the page. You should make it visible to the people who visit your webpage so that they can easily locate it and donate an amount towards your cause. Make sure that button stands out this can be done by either making it bright, colorful or bold. Some organizations also integrate the donate button on all pages of the website, this is done so that the visitor can hit the donate button anytime while navigating through your website. Develop a page that has a strong story/ case which would compel the donors to support your cause.
Share your impact stories on your webpage and monthly newsletter: You can attract more donors by regularly updating your website. Many organizations also send monthly updates to all their donors stating the new events and activities undertaken for a particular cause. This helps you to stay connected with your donors.
Provide donors options: While making your donation page, make sure to provide donors with multiple options to support your cause. These options can be in the form of ways to support your cause like: in kind donation, volunteer support etc.. or you can provide giving amount options example : 5$, 10$, 50$ etc.. This would ensure that interested donors not only provide money but also get associated with your organization for a long period. Research also reveals that giving amount options leads to improved donation.
Use compelling imagery: Visual images always create a long lasting impact on humans and therefore use images that compel the donors to support your cause. It is very important to select images wisely because you want the donor to get a clear message from the image without having to read the details. Use relevant imagery that clearly indicates to the donors what you are raising funds for. Remember not to clutter the page with too many images, use only few images that convey a strong message.
Use statistics to show results: many organizations have improved their fundraising performance through the use of data. You can use charts, graphs and figures on your donation page to represent important information for donors. You can show the current status through a status bar representing how far you have reached towards achieving your goal. You can also use data to show how money from donors has impacted lives.
Make sure to secure online transactions: Financial transactions have become commonplace on the internet, but people still like to know that you’re taking the appropriate precautions to ensure their information is secure. Financial safety and security is one of the major turnoff for a potential investor/donor. Ensure that the payment gateway used is authentic and has additional security protocols such as secure pages and 128 bit encryption. This can be a confidence booster for many investors.
Make the process of payment easy: Do not complicate the process of donation. Make the forms easy to understand and ask for information that is relevant. Complicated payment mechanisms and lengthy forms deter donors. Try to make payment process simple and then take the donor to pages where additional details are required.

Acknowledge your donors: Another great tip for both conventional and online fund raising is acknowledging your donors. Send thank you messages, share the names of your supporters in blogs, web pages and newsletters, this motivates donors to continue their support. Some leading organizations also send gifts to the donors as a thank you gesture.

Incorporating the above mentioned tips in your fundraising effort will surely boost up your performance and will help you engage with many donors. Just remember that these tips can help you in improving your performance and if you don’t get immediate results do not lose hope but instead keep trying and integrate the above-mentioned tips in your routine.

Organizational Preparedness for Resource Mobilization

As development professionals or fundraisers, we often hear this term ‘resource mobilization’. It is a term for a. collecting resources, and b. mobilizing them or making use of these resources for our cause. An organization may require many resources to function, like financial resource (money), human resource (people), in-kind contributions like equipment, furniture and expertise, apart from many others. It is important for an organization to raise resources on its own, and it might be helpful to prepare your organization first to be able to achieve that.

For resource mobilization for your organization or cause, the first and foremost requirement is to have a strategy and plan in place. Chalk out a plan as per your organizational strategy. For example, if you are working for child education, work out the targets for a given period, say educating 1000 underprivileged children in a year, and then list the resources required to achieve them. Look at what resources you already have within your organization, and what you will need to acquire additionally.

Some points to ponder if your organization is well- prepared for mobilizing the resources it requires:

Mission and vision:

You have a mission and vision that drives your fundraising and resource mobilization strategies. These strategies always validate your vision as you seek support for your programmes.

Systems and processes:

You have the systems and processes in place to achieve your targets and also to monitor. You ensure that the organization has methods in place to track donations and report impact even before you seek support.

Organizational structure- team/committee/ consultant:

Your organizational structure enables you to designate the tasks to people within the organization as per their capacities and skills. Also, you understand that it is worthwhile to invest in human resource exclusively to mobilize resources or raise funds.

Involving the community:

You believe in a democratic and participatory system, wherein you involve the target community to understand what their needs are. Your organization believes in this ‘bottom-up’ approach and utilizes ground reality to assess the requirement of resources. You know that this community will definitely participate henceforth, being the most powerful resource for social transformation!

Partnerships:

You have a wide network and have developed strong relations with your partners. Knowing that partnerships are crucial to move ahead, you have a deep understanding of where you may utilize these partnerships as resources. For example, as an organization working for child education, partnerships with other organizations dedicated for child rights may be very beneficial to provide functional linkages in terms of training, awareness, consultancy, among other needs they may fulfill.

Research and documentation:

A strong evidence-driven communication material helps in proving the mettle of your organization in the field it is working in. Third party evaluations also significantly deliver the credibility to the donor you seek. Your organization knows the importance of evidence of the impact it is making in the form of case studies, statistics, and testimonies.

Seven Qualities of a Successful Fundraiser

In this era of globalization and digitization of everything, methods and ways of fundraising are also transforming from conventional to very innovative and creative ones. A successful fundraiser needs to be dynamic, innovative and creative to get into the swing of fundraising. A dynamic and effective fundraiser is an asset for the organization. If you have a fundraiser in your organization, or you are planning to hire one, it will be worthwhile to ensure s/he has the following attributes. If you are into fundraising, here is a check-list of what can make you a successful fundraiser:

Passion, confidence and creativity:

You believe in the cause you are supporting, or are raising funds for. So, you ‘ask’ confidently as you believe how your donor’s money can transform lives. You are creative and constantly willing to learn about new ways of connecting with people, asking what you need and why.

Story-telling craft:

You know that people love hearing beautiful stories of transformation in the lives of people, rather than just problems they face. While it is important to explain the cause, it is actually the hope of ‘bringing about the change’ that makes a donor tick.

You know what to ask for and for what:

You understand the cause and the work of your organization completely. You are aware what resources are required, and for what purposes. If it is not just money and you need other resources as well, like expertise, you are well-aware of the plans and strategies. You can answer the donor’s queries about how you are going to make use of the resources you ask for.

Humility and honesty:

You are humble while sharing the work and successes of your organization, and also acknowledge the efforts of the entire team that is making it possible. Honesty is one quality you vouch for, and are not afraid to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I will get back to you about this’ in case of any doubts. You know it is better to be honest rather than misrepresenting facts or providing wrong information.

You understand the donor:

You undertake meticulous research about the donors you are approaching, and understand their requirements, portfolio, and business values too. Prior to approaching a donor, you conduct a detailed planning exercise with mapping of potential donors, and then approach them. You also know how to make a business case for your proposal, while making it meet their expectations and fitting into their business ideologies.

Belief in networking:

Being into fundraising is a 360 degrees engagement, and it entails reaching out to people who matter, and building good and strategic relationships with them. You understand the importance of networking and maintain regular and meaningful communication with donors and prospective donors too.

You’re a go-getter:

You set goals for yourself and your team, with focus on end results. While you know that it is not just your efforts which will bring in the funds but many other factors also come into play, you acknowledge the fact that fundraising is a skill to be acquired, and you diligently work towards mastering it!

MASHAV’s Upcoming Training Programmes in 2016: International Professionals can Apply via Scholarships!

MASHAV Professional courses are offered annually in Israel and abroad that are based on a “train the trainers” approach to institutional and human capacity building. These training programmes are specially designed for individuals and organizations from developing countries for improving their skills and building their capacity in effectively addressing issues, managing projects, advocating for rights and replicating successes in their areas. Such programmes are golden opportunities for NGOs in low income countries as they not only help in increasing their knowledge but also build strong networking with like-minded institutions and open newer opportunities.

MASHAV focus primarily on areas in which Israel has a competitive advantage, including agriculture and rural development; water resources management; entrepreneurship and innovation; community development; medicine and public health, empowerment of women and education.

We have developed a list of upcoming training programmes organized by MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation) for this particular year 2016. Many of these programmes offer full or partial financial support to participate in these training programmes which are held internationally at different locations.

List of 2016 Professional Courses

This is a list of MASHAV’s upcoming professional courses to be conducted in 2016 in Israel-

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Education System 7-26 February
Postharvest Physiology, Pathology and Handling of Fresh Commodities 7-26 February
Educational Methodologies Youth at Risk: Preventing Students Dropouts and Facilitating Reintegration 6 March-6 April
Education for Sustainable Development (for participants from African countries) 20 March-8 April
Modern Apiculture Management: Honey, By-products and Pollination 28 March-14 April
Climate Change and Agriculture 3-15 April
Integrated Pest Management 3-22 April
Renewable Energy as a Catalyst for Regional Development 16-31 May
Clean Technologies – Environmental Technology, Innovation and Management Systems as a Means for Regional and Economic Development 30 May-23 June

About the Scholarships

MASHAV awards a limited number of scholarships. The scholarship covers the cost of the training program including lectures and field visits, full board accommodation in double rooms (two participants per room), health insurance and transfers to and from the airport. Medical insurance covers medical services and hospitalization in case of emergency.

Read the description of each course in the next articles.

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25 Worldwide Open Grant Opportunities on the occasion of Human Rights Day – December 10

The Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10^th of December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

The theme for the 2015 Human Rights Day is “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.”

According to U.N, this year’s Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966.

The world today understands the value of human rights and people everywhere are concerned regarding their rights. Despite of all these pros we can see inhumanity, racism and differentiation through casts, gender and a lot more such kind of inhuman behaviors that are diminishing the importance of human rights in modern world.

Some organizations and people worldwide are putting their continuous efforts in order to provide human rights to all and today, we have created a list of open grant opportunities for such organizations for the same.

Please go through the list by clicking Next.

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How to Apply for the United Nations Democracy Fund – A Complete Guide to a Successful Application

For NGOs to win funding, it is very important to submit a strong application especially because there is huge competition for seeking grants from United Nations Democracy Fund 2016. As a worldwide opportunity, NGOs need to consider some important elements that matter in the application form.

Before You Apply: Learning about the United Nations Democracy Fund 2016

The very first step you need to take (even before you begin writing your proposal for funding) is to go the United Nations Democracy Fund website and read the information provided about this specific funding opportunity.

What Types of Projects Are Fundable?

The UNDF funds projects related to democracy and civil society empowerment, such as: the empowerment of women, citizen’s access to information, voter registration, civic education, and much more.

UNDEF allocates 70% of its budget for projects in a country. This means that local NGOs can apply and often succeed, competing against large international organizations.

As UNDEF tries to allocate funding to a wide range of countries, NGOs in small developing countries with only a few NGOs have a higher statistical chance of success than those in very large countries with many NGOs. For example, ten projects where allocated to Indian organizations in the past nine funding rounds, while Liberian NGOs received six during that same period.

UNDEF also prefers to fund projects within countries and regions where challenges related to democracy are more critical. These countries and regions include those emerging from conflict, new and restored democracies, Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries, and Middle Income Countries.

Finally, the office of the UN Resident Representative (the formal head of the UN system in any given country) will likely review the shortlisted applications. As the UN works with the government it is possible that they will not approve very controversial or combative programs. As the UN Resident Representative is almost always the head of UNDP, if you have connections with UNDP you may wish to let them know you are applying.

Steps for Completing the UNDEF Application Form

UNDEF provides an example application form from 2014 at this link.

You can use this form to complete your application off-line; then go online to the online application form and submit your application.

You need to have a computer with an Internet connection to submit your application form on the UNDEF online application form.

You must register your organization on the UNDEF website by creating a profile before you can apply for UNDEF funding.

Once you have registered your organization, an email message will be sent by the online system (also known as the OPPS system) with a login username and password. Use this username and password to log into the UNDEF website to complete your application form.

You do not need to complete the online application form all at one time. If you do not want to submit your application right away, choose the “SAVE” option located at the end of the online application form.

Once you are confident that your application is complete, click on the “SUBMIT” button.

NOTE: Once you hit the “SUBMIT” button you CANNOT go back and edit your application again. So, hit the “SUBMIT” button when you are absolutely sure that your application is complete.

Please visit next page to get detailed information about UNDEF Application Form completion.

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How to write a Case for Support for your NGO

As an NGO you might have developed several case studies to document your project results or while conducting research on a particular topic. Along with show casing your organizations work, case studies can also be used to solicit funds from donors. When case studies are used as a fund raising tool they are referred as Case for Support.

When approaching a donor for soliciting funds, your case statement forms the most important document. Developing a case for your NGO facilitates in engaging donors effectively to aid your organizations mission. It is therefore essential that you write a strong case statement, which would compel the donor to support your cause.

Most NGOs are familiar with writing proposals and concept notes, however when it comes to drafting a case for support/ case statement they often get confused. This guide will help you to write an effective case for support for your organization.

What is a Case for Support?

In simplest terms a case for support is a narrative of your organization that tells the prospective donors about your funding requirements and the problems you would address on receiving the funds. In other terms it is a document that provides donors with information about your organization, future goals and aspirations, accomplishments, and why should a donor invest in your program.

This document is one of the most important tool that would attract donors to support your organization.

Key features of a case for support:

Should be attractive
Should be donor centric
Should clearly illustrate your funding requirements
Should showcase your accomplishments
Should convince the donors to engage with your organization

Steps for writing a case for support

Now that you understand what case for support is, let us proceed to the steps involved in writing a case statement.

Identify a core group (2-3 writers) for writing: It is important that your organization identifies 2-3 people who have excellent writing skills and are well versed with your organization’s background. In case you are short of staff, you can also select one person to compile the case statement.
Identify the audience: While developing your case statement you should have an idea of who are your potential donors and partners. This step is important so that you develop the case keeping in mind the aspirations and requirements of your potential donors.
Gather Information: Start collecting as much information as you can about your organizations history, present projects, annual reports, current donor details, financial statements etc.. While collecting the information also talk to the board members and trustees to capture their ideas about the organization. This step will help you in getting information about the institutional, financial and governance mechanisms of your organization.
Make a Case: Once you have collected information about your organization and donors, develop a case. You should select one particular project/area of work which needs immediate attention. Collect all data and facts related to the particular project which would include: demographic details, geographical location, activities, and financial requirement etc.
Compile all the information: Now that the writer has all the details available, the first draft of the case for support can be compiled. This first draft will need several revisions and editions, so don’t waste too much time in formatting. Just make sure that the case has all the relevant information.
Share the draft with your team: Once the first draft is ready, share it with the senior team members and board members. It is often seen that senior team members and trustees have a different vision about the organizations future, it is thus important that you take their suggestions while compiling the case for support. Try to incorporate suggestions given by the team members as this will add value to your case statement.
Packaging the case statement: After your draft has received approval from your team members it’s time to package the case for support. Packaging the case for support is an important step, as this will help you in raising funds for your organization. Make sure that it is appealing and attractive to donors.
Share with donors: The final case statement can be uploaded on your webpage or can be shared with donors. You can have both hard and soft copies of the case statement.

How to write a strong case statement?

While writing the case statement you should keep the following points in mind:

Use of Emotional Language: One should remember that the case for support should have a human touch to it. Use simple language and be expressive while describing the social problems you will be addressing. You should be careful while writing the case statement as you shouldn’t make it appear like a movie story.
Use of Accurate Data and Facts: Donors appreciate use of accurate data and facts in your case. Therefore along with making an emotional appeal to the donors it is equally important for you to quote facts and figures to reinforce your case. A fine balance is to be made between quoting factual data and the emotional pitch.
Align your objectives with that of the donor: Your case should give the donor sufficient reasons to invest in your program. This can be done by aligning some of your objectives and by being consistent with the donor’s portfolio.
Use Images and Graphical Representations: Visual formats not only make the case statement more appealing but also help in conveying the message more convincingly. Use strong images to explain the social problems you are addressing to attract donors. When quoting data, you can use graphs and pie-charts to explain the context more effectively.

What all should be included in the case for support?

There are various formats for writing a case for support, but no matter which format you choose, try to include the following points in your case for support.

Organization background: Your case for support should have a paragraph on the history of your organization. Clearly state reasons that led you to establish the organization and how it has been working towards creating a positive change since inception. This particular section will help in letting your donor know the past activities of your organization, thereby adding credibility and assurance that you have been doing excellent work for social welfare.
Vision and mission statement: Define your vision and mission statement which would indicate to the donor the purpose and mandate of your organization. The vision statement your organizations future aspirations.
Major Programs and Activities: This section should brief the readers about the different programs that your organization implements. Do not give a detailed description about all the activities that you undertake, this is just to update the donors about the array of services that you executes.
Accomplishments: Describe how over the years your organization has made changes in the community, how many people have been supported, awards you have received etc.. This section again adds credibility to your organization works and strengthens your case statement.
The Social Cause you need assistance for: You should explain the urgency of the situation and the need for addressing it. For example is you want to raise funds for a flood relief campaign, clearly state the following:
- Number of people affected by flood
- Present condition of the people
- Organizations currently providing relief to the victims
- Gaps in the current relief program
- How does your organization plans to fill in the existing gaps
- Funding requirement
Funding Requirement: Mention about the finances that you need to undertake a particular project or for running your organization. Describe the various proposed activities that you would undertake if you get the funding.
Benefits from Partnership: Donors are keen to know how will partnering with you help the donor, this can be done by writing a paragraph on the benefits the donors would derive by supporting your cause.
Meaningful Impact: Make sure that your case for support has a well written section on outcomes and impact. Donors are keen to know how their money will be utilized, and your case statement should give a comprehensive narrative of the same.
Ways for support: Readers will be interested to know the various ways in which they can support your organization. Make sure you clearly mention about ways a donor can support you, this can be financial support, volunteer support, in-kind support, sponsorship etc.

Ideal length of a case statement

Depending on your write up, your case statement should be between 4 to 8 pages, this being said, do not worry if you have a case statement that is longer than 8 pages. You should however ensure that the case statement is not less than 4 pages, as a shorter case statement will not be able to give a detailed account of your organization to the donor.

By now you might have understood that having a case for support is essential to raise money to continue your efforts. The case for support can be used as a guiding document by your organization while you engage with donors. Depending on your donor interactions and their application procedures, you can extract relevant information from the case for support and share it with diverse donors.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Latest Funding Opportunities for NGOs working for Differently-abled People

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD) is a United Nations sanctioned day celebrated each year on 3 December. The day aims to promote an understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being.

The theme for 2015 is: Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities.

The estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide face many barriers to inclusion in many key aspects of society. As a result, people with disabilities do not enjoy access to society on an equal basis with others, which includes areas of transportation, employment, and education as well as social and political participation.

The right to participate in public life is essential to create stable democracies, active citizenship and reduce inequalities in society.

By promoting empowerment, real opportunities for people are created. This enhances their own capacities and supports them in setting their own priorities. Empowerment involves investing in people – in jobs, health, nutrition, education, and social protection. When people are empowered they are better prepared to take advantage of opportunities, they become agents of change and can more readily embrace their civic responsibilities.

There are also three sub-themes this year:

Making cities inclusive and accessible for all
Improving disability data and statistics
Including persons with invisible disabilities in society and development.

The annual theme provides a frame for considering how people with disability are excluded from society by promoting the removal of all types of barriers; including those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology (ICT), or attitudinal barriers.

Disability organisations, businesses, governments and the community come together at various events held across the world to mark the occasion and celebrate the achievements of people with disability.

Emphasizing the importance of the day, we have compiled a list of open funding opportunities for NGOs worldwide that are working for disabled people around the world.

Please go through the list by clicking Next.

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The Best Grants to Strengthen Your Organization and Build Your Networks

Most grants that you seek to raise from donor agencies are for benefiting communities in your project area. But do you also think about grants that could directly benefit you and your organization?

There are several donor agencies around the world that consider NGOs and the larger civil society as a great resource to push change. In fact, NGOs are one of the biggest change agents and investing direct resources into them is going to benefit the community as a whole.

These donor organizations build up programs to target civil society by not only funding them but also providing necessary skills for running their institutions more effectively. NGOs in developing countries often fail to acknowledge this and often overlook such programs

Below, we are presenting some of the top open grants available to directly benefit NGOs for picking training, exchanges, knowledge and development to contribute towards a stronger civil society and democracy.

Yale World Fellows

Yale World Fellows is a leadership development program for mid-career NGO professionals seeking new skills and looking forward to build strong networks. The fellowship offers 4-month intensive training and networking opportunities with like-minded individuals to find new ways and ideas to their work.

The fellowship will help you get engaged with other global leaders in your field and empower you with ideas for taking your mission forward. The deadline to apply for next year’s program is December 2, 2015. You can learn more about it here.

The Open Society Foundation’s Fellowship Program

The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals pursuing innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. The fellowship not only provides substantial funding for your work, but it also help you in reaching out to the vast network with new people and ideas.

With this fellowship, you can also develop your publications and even launch new campaigns or organizations. Competition to this program is highly competitive. The next deadline to apply for this opportunity is January 4, 2015. To learn more about this opportunity, you can visit here.

Atlas Corps International Fellowships for Nonprofit Leaders

Every year, Atlas Corps seeks applications from NGO leaders to apply for its fellowship program in order to develop leaders, strengthen organizations and promote innovation.

The fellowship period runs from 12 to 14 months and it provides a great platform to learn best practices, build organizational capacity, and return home to create a network of global changemakers.

This prestigious fellowships includes health insurance, enrollment in Atlas Corps Global Leadership Lab, flight and visa costs, and a living stipend to cover basic expenses (food, local transportation, and shared housing). To apply for the next year’s fellowship, the deadline is 15 March 2016. You can learn more about this fellowship here.

Commonwealth Foundation’s Grants Program

Commonwealth Foundation’s grants are focused on enhancing civil society participation form stronger democracy across commonwealth countries. It provides grant of up to £30,000 per year and multi-year funding is also possible.

One of the core areas of this grants program is ‘Developing Capacities to Replicate Good Practice on Participatory Governance’ and it recognizes that civil society organizations are critical for development.

The Foundation supports civil society so that it can engage in policy processes more effectively. This means supporting organisation to develop, articulate and progress an agenda and then to identify and utilize the spaces available in governance structures – such as ministerial meetings, high level working groups and summits – to get its message across.

The other focus areas of the grants program are participatory governance and learning. The next deadline to apply for this grant is 31 December 2015. To know more, visit here.

The UN Democracy Fund

The UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) is open to supporting projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights and encourage the participation of all groups in democracy processes. UNDEF has a large focus on civil society and most of its funding is available for NGOs around the world. Grants start from $100,000 up to a maximum of $300,000.

Proposed projects to UNDEF should cover one or more of these areas: Community Activism, Rule of Law and Human Rights, Tools for Knowledge, Women’s Empowerment

Youth Engagement, Media and Freedom of Information and Strengthening Interaction with Government.

The grant opens every year from 15 November to 31 December. FundsforNGOs Premium has developed a training video on how to apply for this grant.