The target group comprises young people, 15 to 30 years of age, who are in need of financial assets in order to implement projects and carry out activities by means of which they change the current state of affairs in the community and the society. The Unit is particularly intended for young people who deal with fundraising and their organisation’s sustainability.
The importance of the Unit revolves around familiarising young people with what fundraising is, which encourages them to seek additional funds for their organisation’s projects. Young people learn how to lead the fundraising process, attend meetings held with prospective donors, analyse their potential donors, etc. During the workshop, they gain experience concerning different approaches to seeking funds, learn to communicate with donors, and evaluate internal and external impacts on donors’ opinions about applicants. Numerous practical exercises and examples, as well as theoretical insights, provide young people with the opportunity to grasp the fundraising basics. They acquire particular skills during a simulation interview: donor-applicant, and upon analysing the simulation.
The whole training course concept is based on the fundraising process and it incorporates the following topics:
1) manner of raising funds,
2) internal and external impacts on donors’ opinions about applicants,
3) identification of familiar and prospective donors,
4) manner of addressing a donor,
5) communication with a donor before and after funding,
6) simulation interview: donor-applicant and the simulation analysis,
7) making a fundraising action plan for the respective organisation.
The Unit objectives are:
1. introduce young people to the concept of fundraising,
2. encourage them to seek additional funds for projects,
3. familiarise young people with the fundraising process management,
4. successfully hold a meeting with a potential donor and analyse potential donors,
5. assess internal and external influences on donors’ opinion about applicants.
Young people who undertake the workshop on Fundraising gain particular knowledge and experience that enable them to successfully approach various donors and obtain financial assets to implement a project in the local community. Young people gain confidence and are consequently willing to hold talks so as to raise funds, and thus use the obtained financial assets for the implementation of their ideas.
The methodology incorporates group work performed in smaller or larger groups, plenary discussions, audiovisual presentations, simulations of real-life situations, and various creative workshops that promote an active acquisition of knowledge. The simulation of an interview between a donor and an applicant is of particular interest.
The participants have to make a plan for visiting local businesses that can somehow contribute to the co-funding of local activities. Moreover, they have to visit one of the potential entrepreneurs-donors.