Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Fundraising and Financial Sustainability
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Introduction
In today's competitive landscape, mission-driven organizations face the challenge of securing sustainable funding while demonstrating impactful results. The Fundraising and Financial Sustainability course equips students with the essential tools and strategies to navigate this complex environment. Designed for future leaders in non-profits and social enterprises, this course covers a comprehensive range of topics, including fundraising techniques, institutional funding and ethical practices.
Through a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical applications, students will learn to design diversified funding strategies, build strong donor relationships, and ensure long-term financial stability.
With a global perspective, students will be prepared to lead fundraising efforts in diverse cultural and international contexts, ultimately driving their organizations toward financial sustainability and lasting success.
Objectives
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of various fundraising methods, including institutional funding, grant writing, individual and major donor solicitation, corporate sponsorships, legacy fundraising, online campaigns and loyalty programs
- Emphasize the importance of cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with both individual and institutional donors.
- Introduce students to the concept of revenue diversification to mitigate financial risks.
- Ensure students are aware of the ethical and legal standards governing fundraising activities, including compliance with institutional funding requirements.
- Teach students how to measure the impact of their programs and communicate impact effectively to donors, including institutional funders.
- Explore how technology can enhance fundraising efforts, from digital campaigns, inbound marketing to data management.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Students will be able to design and implement effective fundraising strategies, incorporating a range of techniques to meet organizational goals.
- Students will learn to successfully identify, pursue, and secure institutional funding from foundations, government agencies, and corporate partners, through well-crafted proposals and strong relationship management.
- Graduates will be skilled in cultivating and maintaining relationships with both individual and institutional donors, ensuring donor retention and satisfaction through effective stewardship practices.
- Students will be capable of developing and implementing strategies for revenue diversification, reducing financial risks through multiple streams of income, including earned revenue, investments, endowments, and institutional funding.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of ethical and legal standards in fundraising, ensuring that all fundraising efforts comply with regulations and maintain transparency, particularly in institutional funding.
By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage fundraising and financial sustainability efforts in mission-driven organizations, ensuring long-term viability through diverse funding strategies, ethical practices, and strong leadership
Syllabus
- Introduction to Fundraising and Financial Sustainability**
- Definition and importance of financial sustainability
- The role of fundraising in mission-driven organizations
- Strategic Importance of Diversified Funding
- Ethical Screening and Code of Conduct.
- Fundraising Strategies and Techniques
- Individual donors:- Acquisition and committed givers
- Middle and Major Donor Fundraising
- Corporate partnerships
- Crowdfunding
- Institutional Funding: Understanding foundations, government grants
- Digital Fundraising
- Face to Face
- Fundraising events
- Social Business models
- Fundraising planning: Aligning budgets with organizational priorities:
- Financial forecasting for sustainability
- Revenue Diversification Strategies
- Building multiple revenue streams (earned income, investments, endowments)
- Risk management through diversification
- Donor Relationship Management and Stewardship
- The donor lifecycle: from acquisition to retention
- Best practices for donor engagement and communication
- Stewardship and Reporting
- Demonstrating impact to donors
- Effective reporting practices and transparency
- Tailoring stewardship for institutional funders and corporates
-Ethical and Legal Considerations in Fundraising:
- Conflicts of interest and ethical dilemmas
- Legal Compliance and Regulations
- Communicating Impact to Stakeholders
- Storytelling techniques to demonstrate impact
- Case studies of successful impact communication
Fundraising Project:
Throughout the course, students will work on a capstone project where they design a comprehensive fundraising and financial sustainability plan for a real or hypothetical organization. The final session will be dedicated to student presentations of their projects, followed by peer feedback and course review.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Combination of theoretical classes, practical work, and guest expert visits
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Develop a fundraising plan for an organization
Bibliography and resources
TBD