Our Enabling Programs for the ASKERS
Enabling non-profit organizations to strengthen their fund raising capacity through grounded, collaborative, and sustainable approaches.
At Venture, we do not simply deliver services or offer advice—we work alongside our partners to co-create solutions rooted in their contexts, capacities, and goals. Our work is guided by a deep understanding of the fund raising environment across various sectors and years of experience helping organizations - of varying sizes and levels of fund raising maturity - design, manage, and sustain their resource mobilization efforts.
Grouped below are our key interventions, which may be delivered as stand-alone engagements or may be integrated into broader Capacity-Building or Technical Assistance programs.
Understanding where you are, and designing where you need to go.
Institutionalizing fund raising through people, systems, and policies.
Supporting your team as they apply what they’ve learned.
Using insight and reflection to improve fund raising practice.
Empowering Fund Raisers Through Meaningful Learning Experiences.
At Venture, we believe that strengthening the fund raising capacity of individuals and organizations is essential to creating sustainable impact. Our training programs go beyond delivering information—we aim to deepen understanding, build confidence, and provide practical tools fund raisers can immediately apply.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your fund raising to the next level, our public and customized courses are designed to meet you where you are. We create inclusive, engaging learning environments where participants reflect on their own contexts and explore proven strategies that work.
Public Courses
Accessible, practical training for fund raisers and development professionals.
Our public courses are open to individuals and organizations seeking foundational knowledge and skills in fund raising. These sessions blend theory with real-world application and foster a supportive community of practice for those working to resource social change.
Customized Courses
Tailored learning experiences built around your organization's unique needs
At Venture, we understand that every organization faces distinct fund raising challenges, opportunities, and contexts. That’s why our customized training programs begin with a thorough Organizational Assessment. This allows us to design a learning experience that directly responds to your goals, priorities, and capacity.
We work closely with your team to co-create training content that is practical, relevant, and aligned with your mission. The format, delivery, and pace of the training are all adapted to ensure it fits your organization’s needs—whether you’re a growing NGO, a sector-based coalition, a funding organization with partner organizations, or a network of community-based groups.
Most of the topics we offer through our public training programs are also available as exclusive, customized workshops for partners who want to train their staff, member organizations, or supported networks. These sessions are contextualized to reflect your sector, audience, and operational realities—ensuring deeper relevance and stronger outcomes.
For organizations looking to expand or localize their fund raising efforts—particularly INGOs—we provide research on donor profiles, giving behavior, and the broader resource environment.
Outcome: A grounded understanding of fund raising potential within specific contexts.
For organizations preparing for larger-scale campaigns, we offer an objective, research-based assessment of readiness. This includes identifying potential major donors and campaign leaders, analyzing resource requirements, and recommending key next steps.
Outcome: A clear understanding of your organization’s capacity to undertake a capital campaign and the conditions required for success.
Every organization’s journey begins with clarity. Through our 10-P Assessment Framework, we work with you to understand your current fund raising capacity—reviewing your financial needs, donor landscape, team skills, structures, and internal systems. This process identifies strengths to build on, gaps to address, and opportunities to explore.
Outcome: A shared understanding of your fund raising readiness, and a solid foundation for decision-making.
The support of your Board can be vital to sustaining your mission. We facilitate conversations and orientation sessions to help Board members understand their evolving role in resource mobilization—fostering deeper engagement, shared responsibility, and long-term stewardship.
Outcome: A more informed and engaged Board, aligned with your fund raising goals.
Every member of an organization contributes to its sustainability. These sessions introduce your team to the principles of fund raising, build understanding of campaign objectives, and explore how each staff member can support the effort.
Outcome: Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, empowered and capacitated fund raising team moving in sync to achieve a common goal.
Learning deepens through practice. We provide hands-on mentoring during the early phases of your campaign—coaching your team, offering timely feedback, and helping adjust strategies as needed.
Outcome: A confident and capable fund raising team, gradually empowered to lead without external support.
Fund raising becomes more effective and sustainable when it is supported by the right internal structures. We help set up your fund raising or resource development unit—through role definition, recruitment and mentoring, system and processes setup, and policy formulation.
Outcome: A dedicated unit that is equipped and empowered to lead your organization’s resource mobilization efforts.
Compelling communication is key to engaging donors. We assist your team in crafting your Case Statement, Fund Raising Prospectus, and other essential materials, while also guiding your work with creative professionals.
Outcome: Clear, mission-aligned materials that resonate with your constituencies.
Evaluation is a key component of operating and sustaining effective fund raising campaigns. Utilizing metrics specific to the strategies identified in their fund raising plans, our partners will need to learn how to collect important information and analyze their results to increase their fund raising effectiveness over the long term.
The results from these activities will aid in the decision to scale up of your campaigns, identify unaddressed donor audiences, as well as inform into decisions on whether to discontinue or revise specific fund raising strategies.
Effective fund raising requires ongoing learning. We help partners develop and apply evaluation tools to understand campaign performance, track donor responses, and assess the effectiveness of various strategies.
Outcome: Data-informed insights to guide future decisions and improve overall effectiveness.
A capital campaign is the ultimate test of an organization’s fund-raising skills.
Because of the magnitude of organizational resources needed and high level of commitment required to conduct a capital campaign, there is a need to do a Capital Campaign Feasibility Study to determine if the proposed fund raising campaign has the critical ingredients for success, and whether the organization has the capacity to implement such a campaign.
The feasibility study will aid your organization in identifying key actions to prepare for the campaign, such as the amount that can be reasonably raised within a specific time frame, cost involved in managing the campaign, potential campaign leaders and donors, other factors that may affect the campaign, and recommendations on how the campaign should be conducted.
Rooted in your assessment findings, this participatory workshop guides your team in co-developing a fund raising plan that is both strategic and practical. Each component is shaped with a clear rationale, ensuring alignment, ownership, and a pathway to implementation.
Outcome: A context-sensitive fund raising plan led by a core group committed to its success.
Our flagship program—trusted by thousands of organizations, with 76 successful runs and counting!
The Basic Course on Fund Raising is Venture’s most well-known and widely attended training—a three-day intensive workshop that has helped shape the fund raising capacity of nonprofits across the region. With 76 successful runs, it continues to be the go-to course for organizations that are serious about building a strong, strategic approach to resource mobilization.
Whether you're starting your fund raising journey, onboarding new team members, or looking to refine your existing efforts, this course offers a comprehensive, updated and practical foundation on the principles and practices of professional fund raising.
Through interactive sessions, case studies, and hands-on exercises, participants will:
- Understand fund raising as both an art and a science
- Align fund raising goals with the organization’s vision and mission
- Appreciate the critical role of leadership, staff, and other stakeholders in successful fund raising
- Identify and engage different types of donors effectively
- Choose the right strategies for their unique organizational context
- Monitor and evaluate fund raising performance for continuous improvement
- Plan and implement fund raising activities through a clear, step-by-step process
Offered once to twice per year, the Basic Course is often paired with advanced level workshops that allow participants to dive deeper into specific areas of interest.
Additional Public Courses
Learn how to design a focused and actionable fund raising plan that aligns strategies with your donor segments. This workshop guides participants through identifying the right mix of approaches, understanding the resources required, and setting achievable targets within a defined timeframe.
Explore how strategic communications can elevate your cause. This workshop helps participants craft clear, compelling messages that increase visibility, build credibility, and strengthen engagement with donors, partners, and other stakeholders.
Build the skills and systems necessary to cultivate long-term donor relationships. Participants will learn how to move beyond one-time gifts by designing donor journeys that encourage deeper, sustained support for their organization’s mission.
Understand how to use data to improve fund raising performance. This workshop teaches participants how to collect, analyze, and interpret donor and donation data to uncover insights and refine strategies for greater impact.
Master the skills and mindset needed to make confident, compelling fund raising asks. Participants explore techniques for crafting tailored appeals, handling objections, and building trust throughout the donor engagement process.
Special Topics Series
Short, focused sessions that dive into specific fund raising methods and trends. Topics include:
- Special Events Fund Raising
- Direct Dialogue Fund Raising
- Online/Internet Fund Raising
- Earned Income Strategies
- Working with Corporations and Corporate Foundations
- Fund Raising Workshop for Grassroots NGOs and People’s Organizations: Designed specifically for grassroots groups to build their fund raising skills within their unique contexts.
Tailored learning experiences built around your organization's unique needs
At Venture, we understand that every organization faces distinct fund raising challenges, opportunities, and contexts. That’s why our customized training programs begin with a thorough Organizational Assessment. This allows us to design a learning experience that directly responds to your goals, priorities, and capacity.
We work closely with your team to co-create training content that is practical, relevant, and aligned with your mission. The format, delivery, and pace of the training are all adapted to ensure it fits your organization’s needs—whether you’re a growing NGO, a sector-based coalition, a funding organization with partner organizations, or a network of community-based groups.
Most of the topics we offer through our public training programs are also available as exclusive, customized workshops for partners who want to train their staff, member organizations, or supported networks. These sessions are contextualized to reflect your sector, audience, and operational realities—ensuring deeper relevance and stronger outcomes.