For Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the ability to communicate their needs in terms of operational costs, in a well-structured proposal is crucial in obtaining good results. Such proposal should include the “why” element to convince corporations to become a donor. September is the best time to submit a fundraising proposal

Addressing a Catalyst workshop entitled “Fundraising: How to Fundraise Successfully” held at the Maverick office on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, Permata Bank’s CSR Vice President Agusnadi emphasized the importance of the ‘why’ element in front of dozens of attentive NGO administrators attending the workshop. As a corporate representative, Agusnadi knows very well, how a good proposal must look like from a donor’s perspective. He also shared tips and tricks on how to prepare successful fundraising proposals with eager participants.

While Agusnadi focused on how NGOs should communicate their vision in a fundraising proposal, Founder of the Center of Orangutan Protection (COP) Hardi Baktiantoro, emphasized the importance of branding as one of the keys to successful fundraising. Hardi also shared his own experience in seeking funding support for COP’s operational activities with the workshop participants.

The high enthusiasm of the participants marked the entire duration of the workshop. The 46 participants came from 31 NGOs dealing with a different scope of activities, ranging from preventing illegal trafficking to increasing public financial literacy, but this different background did not hinder them from engaging in a focused discussion. They were pleased to say that they had gained a broader perspective in understanding the challenges of fundraising. The participants also benefitted from the lessons-learned session as it helps them to make better proposals.

The participants’ enthusiasm rose by a notch as they began the fundraising simulation session, in which they were asked to make a proposal and present it to the two speakers who acted as potential donors. With Ndoro Kakung as the moderator, the presentation and discussion were very active and lively. The Q&A session drew the involvement of not only the group doing the presentation but also everyone else in the room. This enthusiasm continued until the closing of the workshop, which saw Maverick Partners award certificates to both speakers. There were door prizes, too!

Catalyst is a pro-bono yearly initiative from Maverick intended for local NGOs and communities interested in enhancing their capabilities in communications. Since 2005 Maverick has condcted workshops on different topics for local NGOs and communities with various backgrounds to improve the communication skills with their stakeholders. We hope that this year’s Catalyst workshop carrying the theme of fundraising would be able to provide the necessary information and insights to help NGOs in preparing high-quality fundraising proposals.

See you again in the next Catalyst event!