Fundraising is universal – but the way we ask is not.
In an increasingly globalised philanthropic landscape, you’re increasingly likely to be engaging donors across borders, cultures, and social norms. This session explores how a single fundraising objective can require multiple approaches to your ask, depending on those factors.
Drawing on real-world international campaign experience, the workshop will unpack what changes when fundraising goes global. You’ll learn how cultural context shapes donor motivations, decision-making, and expectations, and examine how to prepare for an ask when values, communication styles, and power dynamics differ.
We will cover common pitfalls in cross-cultural fundraising – as well as how you can avoid them – and you’ll get practical tools to help you adapt your messaging without compromising authenticity. You will reflect on your own cultural assumptions as a fundraiser and explore how trust is built and sustained across cultures.
This will be a practical, reflective, and empowering session in which ethics and respect will be central to the conversation and case studies from international campaigns will bring theory into practice.
You will leave with a clear, actionable framework you can use to plan, deliver, and steward culturally-informed fundraising asks in diverse multicultural environments. Designed for fundraisers working in international or multicultural contexts, join us to gain confidence in making bold, respectful asks anywhere in the world.
Learning outcomes
- Understand how culture shapes the fundraising ask
- Learn to adapt your ask with confidence and integrity
- Apply a practical framework for cross-cultural fundraising