REWATI DHAKAL’S IMPACT STORY
Changing the face of fundraising in Nepal.
From struggling fundraiser to inspired changemaker.
Rewati Dhakal embodies everything we seek to achieve with the International Fundraising Congress. Through attending the event in the Netherlands, as well as IFC Asia, Rewati was inspired to change the fundraising and philanthropic landscape in Nepal.
Rewati joined the event for the first time in 2014 and returned again and again and again. “I was new to fundraising and wanted to be part of the community,” Rewait said. “Being at the IFC made me realise the gaps I had in my knowledge.”
Inspired by what he learned, and by connecting with fundraisers from his region each year at each IFC, Rewati made the decision to establish an in-person event for fundraisers in Nepal – the first of its kind.
One hundred and twenty people attended the inaugural Philanthropy Beyond Fundraising conference in 2019. They spent their time together sharing stories, challenges, and solutions, addressing, for the first time, the unique regional challenges affecting their work in Nepal.
“Before this, there were no motivations for fundraisers in Nepal,” Rewati explained. “It was not even recognised as a career.”
Rewati’s efforts helped to shape fundraising in Nepal into a cohesive and sustainable system, supporting the growth of a culture of giving.
Thanks to his knowledge and connections, Rewati was invited to be part of the fundraising team at the Kathmandu Institute of Health, where he is one of the leading members of a major campaign to support the hospital’s $80 million project where $40 million is required to build a first phase children’s hospital and another $40 million for satellite hospitals in six other provinces. Currently there is only one government-sponsored hospital to serve the country’s 12 million children.
Rewati continues to use the inspiration he got from his IFC experiences – as well as the concrete learnings he brought home and the deep well of connections he made – to make a difference. His long-term goals are to continue to support fundraising and fundraisers and philanthropists in Nepal.
“I want to empower the younger generations of fundraisers to support more impactful and ethical fundraising,” Rewati says. “And to run another conference. My goal in 2021 is to reach 300 people, particularly from Nepal and other Asian countries.”
Every year, the global fundraising community comes together for four days of rich and innovation-led learning, sharing, and cocreating at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC), which is delivered on-site in the Netherlands as well as online.
