Fundraising

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are independent organizations which work on issues of social and political relevance such as environment, poverty and human rights. In order to reach their objectives, to fund their operational costs (rent, communication) and their project costs, NGOs often first seek financial assistance from its members and others who support the objectives.

However, NGOs usually cannot support themselves without eventually needing
support from so-called funding agencies. These funding agencies in turn receive their funds from governments or individuals who want to support certain kinds of projects in the fields of development, health, struggle against poverty, human rights, empowerment of women, indigenous peoples or other marginalized groups, environment etc.
These funding agencies are designed to act as expert bodies on whichever field they focus on, like environment, and are thus expected to be able to evaluate, better than an individual donor, or a government official with limited time, that the funds given to a certain project, say on protecting an area with a rare species of plant, will truly be effective. It is their primary task to see to it that the money they are given is spent responsibly and within the parameters of the mandate of the funding. Thus becoming familiar with a funding agencies mandate is the initial step in seeing if one's project can indeed be funded.

> This mandate, in turn...

This mandate, in turn, is also the promise to the funding agencies own donors to fund certain projects, with certain goals. Thus, the responsibility the funding agencies themselves carry necessarily means that they need to have control over all the projects they fund. It is of the utmost importance, being a recipient of their funds, to be as open and transparant as possible, allowing the funding agency to be able to have insight into the project at all times.
Unfortunately, there are sometimes people who present themselves as a legitimate NGO in order to try and cheat the funding agencies. These incidents have necessarily raised alarm among funding agencies. Thus, many funding agencies now only want to financially support projects from NGOs they already are acquainted with. This of course makes it hard for small, starting NGOs to apply for financial support with success.

> A first step...

A first step is to see what funding and/or development agencies are active in your region. Their immediate location means that they will more easily be able to supervise and control also the project that you are seeking funding for. This in turn, can perhaps even facilitate their willingness to support your project.

As many funding agencies and development organizations work from ideological backgrounds (perhaps religious, and/or from a socio-political point of view) explain the vision and ideological background of your own organization in your proposal. Also be alert to any conflicts of interest within your own organization when seeking funds, say if your organization does not want to accept money from certain religious directions, etc.

> Criteria

There are funding agencies for all kind of projects including environment, women, promotion of human rights, etc. That is why it is very important to be well informed, not only on the mandate of the funding agency, but also its criteria for funding projects.
If you don't know the exact criteria please ask for them directly from the funding agency before you apply with your project.

Once you have found the appropriate funding agency, the most important thing to do is to write the project proposal. Writing the project proposal is also an essential step of the project development itself, as it will necessarily ask you to rethink and reevaluate all the elements of the project your organization is planning to execute. It will also ask that you also try to foresee all the steps, including the possible pitfalls in the execution of the project. In developing in the project proposal the whole action from the initial concept to the finished project gives you the opportunity to explore where the difficulties might lie, what you need to make the project a success, or perhaps even cause you to change or even stop the project in its present form.

> Writing a clear proposal...

Secondly, writing a clear, well thought-out and developed proposal gives you a better competitive edge over other applicants. This can perhaps even help you to be selected faster and be entrusted with more funds over a lesser-quality project proposal. A high-quali ty project proposal also lets the funder know that you are serious about the project and capable of articulating its importance. Thus it can also be used to show their own supporters the necessity of your project and reflects well on the funding agency as well.

Thirdly, the project proposal you write serves as the formal introduction of your organization to the funding agency. Showing that you are able to produce a well-organized application means that you are not only responsible, but - probably - will be able to succeed with a well-organized project.

Fourthly, it takes a funding agency a lot of time to read and evaluate all the project proposals it receives. Be aware, that almost all funding agencies are not willing to fund
projects that have started or are already finished! Therefore, be sure to find out as part of your first inquiry to the funding agency not only the exact dates of submission, but also the expected period it takes for a decision to be made.
Fifthly, but not less important than the other aforementioned items, you and your organization should be sure that you have the organizational capacity to carry out the project if it is financed. Thus, you should determine this already at the project development stage: that is: how many people are there to do the work, what are their abilities, do you need to hire form the outside, etc,
The above-named elements are thus the ones which all should be taken into account when developing your project proposal. If you're a small, starting NGO don't try to do too much at once. Start with a small project first that you are convinced can be successfully executed. Thus, when you complete this project you will have this as proof of your capabilities and it will help you to find further financial assistance for your following projects, perhaps with even the same funding agency...

> Contacts

Look for funding agencies among the agencies that are already active in your region. Ask directly there what kind of projects this particular agency is willing to fund and see if your project fits within these criteria.

In general, you can turn to foreign embassies located in your country. Most foreign embassies have funds for development projects. The Netherlands (Dutch) development aid policy is especially interested in helping projects that fight against impoverishment, especially where women are concerned. Indigenous Peoples are also an item that has the interest of the Netherlands government, although not all of its embassies are aware of that. Besides the Netherlands Embassies you'll find German, Japanese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and other embassies that might be able to help you.

If you have any questions concerning Fundraising, just write or e-mail us. We wish you all good luck and hope that your efforts will be met with success.

> Some funding agencies

Click here for the addresses of funding agencies that might be interesting for your projects >>