Resource Alliance To Start Fundraising Course At XIMB

Business Standard, Bhubaneshwar, 4 March 2008

Resource Alliance, the London headquartered non-profit charity, will launch a course on “fundraising” at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB). It has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with XIMB and the courses would start from 1st May 2008.

“In collaboration with XIMB, we will launch a 15-day course on ‘fundraising and communication’ from May 1, 2008, which will help the NGOs in capacity building”, Simon Collings, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Resource Alliance, told Business Standard. He said Resource Alliance will provide teaching materials retaining the copy rights on them.

During the first year, 25 students will be given admission and the fee will be Rs 12,000 (Rs 15,000 for the students who will stay in the hostel). The locally available resource persons from fields linked to the non-governmental organisation (NGOs) will teach the students. They will receive systematic training in areas like planning for fundraising, transparency, fundraising technique and will be provided exposure to the NGO activists.

Stating that the professionally trained and experienced persons are in short supply in the developing countries, Collings said, available training has been brief and unsystematic. Keeping that in view, Resource Alliance has established foundation courses in fundraising and resource mobilisation.

It is an intensive programme aimed at people having experience in the NGO sector. They are taught through classroom work, presentation, group work and case studies. “We feel the NGOs can learn a lot on marketing and financial planning”, he pointed out. While the course is running in Mumbai from 2004, Resource Alliance introduced this course in Delhi last year.

Discussions are in advanced stage to launch the course in Ahmedabad this year. Besides, efforts are being made to introduce this course in India Business School in Hyderabad, he said. Arguing that the international funding to India is declining as India is seen as a global power, Collings said, the expectations of the rising middle class and successful business community is also increasing. NGOs will have to work for the realisation of theses objectives.

“That is the gap we are trying to fill up by reaching out to NGOs. Ultimately, we will reach out to the people in general. Effective fundraising requires some technique, and it requires some the redressal of problems of the people. Since the NGOs use the development jargon which hardly a common man understands, telling success stories on issues like sanitation, health and telling them that you are providing these services will make a difference,” he observed.

While funds can be sourced from private trusts or foundations, co-operative sector, private individuals, proper financial planning is needed on part of the NGOs in more organised and systematic way. About the future plan, Collings said, efforts are on to link the courses in India and other countries like United States and United Kingdom. Similarly, to further improve the quality of the course it plans to bring some resources to India from other countries, he added.

Resource Alliance, which also provides consultancy service, us primarily focusing on the organisations in developing countries. Its expert team seeks to bring international experience and local knowledge in a combination best suited to individual clients. The consultancy services include fundraising audit, feasibility studies, prospect research, fundraising strategy and training in fundraising.