Results That Make a Difference
- Receive three free hours of expert proposal critique, a $450 value
- Write proposals with a higher likelihood of success
- Raise more money with more confidence
- Diversify your funding base
- Integrate development into your organizational plan
- Actively involve your board in fundraising
- Add a great new credential to your resume
How Do You Get a Certificate?
Take all six of the required workshops AND one of the elective workshops listed below within any 18-month period and receive a Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion of the program, participants may receive 3 CEUs (click here for CEU criteria).
Required Workshops
- Writing Winning Grant Proposals (0.6 CEUs)
- Budgeting for Grant Proposals (0.6 CEUs)
- Outcome Measurement (0.6 CEUs)
- The Board's Role in Fundraising (0.3 CEUs)
- Prospecting for Individual Donors (0.3 CEUs)
- Stewardship (0.3 CEUs)
Elective Workshops
- Capital Campaigns (0.3 CEUs)
- An Introduction to Corporate Philanthropy (0.3 CEUs)
- Major Gifts Fundraising (0.3 CEUs)
- Raising Money Online (0.3 CEUs)
How Much Does It Cost?
There is a one-time enrollment fee of $99, plus a sliding-scale tuition fee (based on your agency's budget) that includes all seven workshops. Use the chart to determine the entire cost of the Fundraising Certificate program.
| Agency Budget | Tuition Fee | Enrollment Fee | Total Cost of Certificate |
| Under $200,000/unaffiliated individual | $480 | + $99 | $579 |
| Over $200,000 and under $1 million | $770 | + $99 | $869 |
| $1 million and under $5 million | $1,060 | + $99 | $1,159 |
| Over $5 million | $1,240 | + $99 | $1,339 |
How Do You Register?
Contact Andrea Dispenza, Program Coordinator of Training: andrea@supportcenteronline.org | Ext. 321
Workshop Descriptions
Writing Winning Grant Proposals
While nonprofits complain about the difficulty of obtaining funding
from foundations, foundations complain about the scarcity of really
good proposals. In this workshop, we will discuss what makes a project
compelling to a funder, and how you can get the right information, in
the right order, to paint a vibrant picture through the limited format
of a typical proposal. While proposal writing is not the answer to an
immediate fiscal crisis, it can be an important component of a diversified
fundraising plan. By attending this session, you will learn:
- The language of proposal writing
- The eleven basic components of a proposal
- How to "attack" the RFP
- How to develop strong program objectives
Budgeting for Grant Proposals
Many good grant proposals fail to get funded as a result of incomplete
or poorly constructed budgets. A well-formed budget can both increase
your chances of success and help you design your project in more concrete
terms. In this workshop we will focus on some of the questions that
can perplex even seasoned proposal writers:
- What numbers should you include?
- Where do you get them?
- What do they mean?
By attending this session you will:
- Learn the language of proposal budgeting
- Use examples and exercises to practice techniques that can be
immediately applied to your organization's proposals
Meaningful Outcome Measurement
Foundations and corporations are more likely to invest in agencies
that have a proven success record. Outcome measurement is a valuable
tool to demonstrate how your organization has contributed to discernable
changes for your clients. This workshop describes what outcome measurement
is and what it is not, as well as providing an overview of its benefits.
You will learn how to:
- Use a structured logic model as a framework for identifying and measuring the outcomes of your programs and services
- Differentiate and see the relationship between outcomes and activities
- Develop meaningful and appropriate measures for your outcomes
The Board's Role in Fundraising
This workshop is designed for those who are leading and/or supporting
fundraising in their organization. This hands-on workshop will help
you:
- Increase your board's willingness to help you raise money
- Increase your ability to help your board play a fundraising role
- Increase your organization's funding opportunities
Tools, tips and techniques will be shared to help you get your board actively engaged in establishing new funding relationships and deepening those that exist.
Prospecting for Individual Donors
Are you experiencing funding cuts? Are you looking to expand
your donor base? Do you want to find the “millionaires next door” in
your database? This session will present you with the nuts and bolts
of prospect research and introduce you to strategies for implementing
effective research techniques in your own organization.
Stewardship
Securing gifts from new donors is hard enough. Donors who give repeatedly
and in larger amounts are key to a successful fundraising program. In
this workshop you will identify and explore:
- Ways to thank and recognize individual donors, foundations and corporations
- Creative ways to keep donors involved in your organization
- Stewardship tracking systems to ensure that your funders receive updates on how their contribution is making an impact
Capital Campaigns
Capital Campaigns represent the best way for many organizations
to raise significant capital funds. These campaigns can be successful
if planned and executed thoughtfully and effectively, and they should
leave organizations stronger after a campaign than they were before.
This workshop will guide you through the process that has worked for
many organizations and will focus on:
- The need for thoughtful planning
- The importance of a persuasive case for support
- The importance of doing a feasibility study
- The necessity for lead gifts
- A recommended process for conducting the campaign
An Introduction to Corporate Philanthropy
Is corporate fundraising for you? In this workshop we will talk
about why corporations provide philanthropy. You will learn how to knock
on many different corporate doors and how to:
- Conduct corporate research
- Identify good corporate prospects
- Develop a solicitation strategy before approaching corporations
In addition, you will learn different styles for writing corporate vs. foundation proposals, and how to build a successful corporate/nonprofit partnership.
Major Gifts Fundraising
Success in securing individual major gifts is critical to an organization's
growth and longevity. Solicitation of major gifts requires a different
way of thinking and, for most organizations, a much different way of
operating. We will explore how you can make these changes and how to
tap into what is clearly one of the most important sources of philanthropic
funds. In this workshop you will learn:
- The essentials of developing a major gifts program
- How to use the resources of your organization to identify, cultivate, and solicit your best prospects
- Techniques of major gift cultivation and solicitation
- How to develop a management system to shape your program and track your activity
Trends, Tools, Tips and Tricks: An Introduction to Raising Money Online
Over the past decade, nonprofit organizations have been testing,
refining and excelling in using the internet to attract donations.
While other forms of revenue generation have been declining, revenue
from online donations continues to grow. Beyond taking advantage
of the increasing comfort level of donors to contribute online,
nonprofits need to integrate their fundraising strategy (connecting
email, direct mail, telemarketing and friend-to-friend asks) and
leverage the interactive platform of the web to make personalized
and compelling requests for support. Did you design your website
with donors in mind? How well are you using email to tell your organization’s
story? We’ll examine these questions and create a strategy you can
implement to raise more money online.
For more information about our Certificate Programs, please explore these links:
For more information about our Training and Professional Development Services, we invite you to explore the following links:
- Professional Development Workshops
- Customized Training
- New Strategies in Grantmaking: Meet the Grantmakers Panels
- Our brochure (Download PDF)
To Get Started, Contact:
| Andrea Dispenza Program Coordinator of Training |
212-924-6744, Ext. 321 | andrea@supportcenteronline.org |
| Steve Damiano Director of Professional Development |
212-924-6744, Ext. 302 | sdamiano@supportcenteronline.org |
