The Power of Communications in Fund Raising: Highlights from our Recently-Concluded Workshop

June 1, 2025
As part of our 25th anniversary workshop series, Venture proudly hosted “The Art of Engagement: Fund Raising Communications Workshop” from May 20–22, 2025—a three-day deep dive into the power of strategic communications in inspiring generosity and building lasting donor relationships.

Building on the momentum from our back-to-back workshops in 2024 (Basic Course on Fund Raising #76, Donor Management, and The Science of Fund Raising: Fund Raising Planning and Fund Raising Monitoring and Evaluation), this latest offering brought together fund raising professionals and changemakers eager to sharpen their communication skills and craft compelling messages that move people to give.



The workshop began by establishing a common understanding of core fund raising principles—crucial groundwork before diving into communication tactics. With this foundation in place, participants then explored how to develop communication strategies aligned with their organization’s mission and audience.


“The workshop gave me a better grasp of how to approach fund raising in a more structured and strategic way.”

— Ms. Angel


Through interactive sessions and group exercises, attendees reflected on the context of their communication efforts, examined donor motivations, and discussed how to craft messages that resonate.



One of the most appreciated parts of the workshop was the communications planning activity, led by Executive Director Ms. Pinky N. Medina and Deputy Executive Director Ms. Marie Kiel S. Fernandez. They walked participants through the process of aligning communications strategies and key messages with the organization’s fund raising goal, determining the right target audiences, and choosing the appropriate channels based on audience behavior.


“I realized how important it was to have a communications plan, and that we should always have a WIIFM—‘What’s In It For Me’—when pitching.”

— Ms. Sari


“The AHA moment for me was learning how to craft a Fund Raising Communications Plan. It streamlines the rigorous process of fund raising. Having a template will be very helpful for our organization.”

— Ms. Joy



On Day 2, Ms. Pinky shared about the importance of telling stories to stimulate empathy from donors and help the organization stand out and be more memorable.  She, together with Ms. Kiel, also gave inputs on creating content for various collaterals - like mail, website article, social media post, event and video scripts, etc.


Ms. Ira Hachero, Program Associate, introduced participants to the role of visuals in fund raising communications. She emphasized the importance of aligning design with message intent and platform requirements.



These sessions culminated in practical exercises where participants developed fund raising messages, created a visual campaign piece, and even produced short fund raising videos. These hands-on tasks allowed for immediate application of lessons learned.


“The most helpful part of the workshop was crafting a good pitch and key messages.”

— Ms. Vina


We were honored to welcome two dynamic guest speakers who added depth and insight to the workshop:


Ms. Amrei Dizon of Introspeck Management Consultancy and Vitalstrats Creative Solutions led a discussion on the evolving landscape of fund raising communications, including how and when to outsource creative work effectively.



Dr. Roderick Evans Bartolome, DComm, highlighted ethical considerations in fund raising communication—a vital but often overlooked aspect of building trust with donors and communities.



Alongside Ms. Pinky, our guest speakers, provided thoughtful feedback on the previous days’  outputs of the participants and shared real-world best practices that can strengthen fund raising communication campaigns.


The Fund Raising Communications Workshop was more than just a training—it was a collaborative learning experience that empowered participants to bring new strategies back to their organizations. We are grateful to the participating groups for their energy, ideas, and openness to learn.


If your organization is interested in future workshops or would like a customized version to suit your specific needs, we’d love to collaborate. Reach out to us at venture@venture-asia.org to explore the possibilities.


Together, let’s continue building the capacity of fund raisers—and amplifying the causes that demand our support.


Happy friend-raising!

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