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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Resource Alliance Announces New CEO to Lead Transformation to Global Community Model

Posted on: October 1st, 2020 by Resource Alliance No Comments
 

After an extensive global search, Resource Alliance (RA) is delighted to announce the appointment of its new CEO, Brian Higgins, who will be leaving his post as CEO of Ireland’s Bloomfield Health Services on 30 November 2020.
 
With extensive international experience in service development, fundraising and operational delivery, Brian’s appointment is seen as a strong affirmation of the organisation’s commitment to strengthen the IFC and build and expand the Resource Alliance Global Community  — a unique global membership network that brings thought leaders and fundraising practitioners together to curate exceptional learning opportunities for social impact organisations of every size and type around the world.
 
”Brian first caught our attention in 2018 when he was the highest rated speaker at our flagship event, the International Fundraising Congress (IFC),” noted Bill Toliver, Chair of the Resource Alliance Board of Trustees. “He comes from the community we serve, understands the essence of our obligation to that community, and brings a truly unusual combination of executive leadership, fundraising and community-building talents to Resource Alliance.”
 
Resource Alliance, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, curates and produces the International Fundraising Congress — the pre-eminent global conference for fundraisers and changemakers, serving nearly 1000 delegates from 60 countries. Their recent Fundraising Online event (#FRO2020) brought together 15,000 participants from 145 countries, and the Resource Alliance Global Community democratises access to this exceptional content for organisations everywhere.
 
My first experience of Resource Alliance was through my participation in IFC 2018.  I had never experienced anything like it before!  Immersive, engaging, informative and mindblowing!” recalled Higgins, “ I am humbled to think that I will have a role to play in enabling thousands more to benefit from not only the exceptional quality of content and experience of the International Fundraising Congress, but also in curating the highest quality and most innovative learning experiences through the Resource Alliance Global Community .” Higgins further explained, “I knew RA was the place I wanted to be after seeing the commitment that the board and staff have made to living up to the promise of the organisations Manifesto. The team is relentless in their desire to break down barriers to access so that everyone, irrespective of where they are around the globe can access the critical knowledge, tools and connections most needed to accelerate their vital work. I am thrilled and honoured to be able to contribute to that work.”  
 
As part of their commitment to reach organisations around the world, the RA team has developed a digital platform to share content and build online collaborations. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated what was a multi-year development plan into a multi-month transformation, and the organisation is now in the final weeks of preparation for the first ever IFC Online: Virtual Summit (October 13 – 16).
 
”Brian will be an active presence at IFC online.” noted Toliver. “He’ll be hosting the Senior Leadership Summit on the first day of the conference (Monday, October 12th), and we have a number of opportunities for him to engage with our community so that he can hit the ground running when he formally assumes his position as CEO of Resource Alliance on 1 December 2020.”

The Emerge Programme

Posted on: April 17th, 2020 by Resource Alliance No Comments

Everything You Need to Know

What is the Emerge programme?

Emerge is a capacity building programme that aims to help organisations to devise and implement a fundraising strategy that enables them to diversify their income sources and improve the prospect of long term financial sustainability. The delivery process is designed to help the organisations improve their resource mobilisation skills and strategic thinking and also enable them to critically assess other areas of organisational functioning, including governance, leadership and management. The change that Resource Alliance wants to see is that organisations take ownership of and sustain new resource mobilisation activities that diversify their income base.

The programme is delivered by Resource Alliance associates (consultants), who are carefully selected and matched with the organisation in terms of skills, experience and their location.

Who is the Emerge programme aimed at?

The main beneficiaries of this programme are small to medium-sized organisations who need help and support to diversify and grow their funding portfolio for growth and/or sustainability.

What are the benefits of taking part in the Emerge programme?

  • Strengthened organisational capacity in fundraising and resource mobilisation, including, if needed, the development of appropriate organisational structures and processes.
  • Enhanced resource mobilisation skills, competence and confidence amongst key staff.
  • A functioning resource mobilisation strategy with plans and tools to support the process.
  • Coaching and mentoring to support the organisation in increasing and diversifying funding in the short, medium and long term.

What happens during the Emerge programme?

The intervention combines the expertise of a consultant with local market knowledge and a diverse range of skills and experience matched with each Oak grantee, and an opportunity to participate in peer learning activities. They are then supported by the Resource Alliance through the following process over 12 months:

The ultimate aim of the programme being implemented is for the participants to become more resilient, sustainable and capable of affecting change in their areas of work. It also aims to make organisations more robust, less dependent on a small number of donors and better able to leverage funding from a wide range of sources for the changes they wish to make. The project focuses on the critical areas of leadership and resource mobilisation, which are crucial to an organisation’s survival and its ability to grow and bring about sustainable programme outcomes.

It seeks to:

  • Foster confidence and skills amongst staff, which can be applied to other areas of fundraising and to ingrain a culture of strategic thinking with regard to resource mobilisation.
  • Develop a fundraising culture within the whole organisation so that resource mobilisation becomes a collective effort and an integral part of organisational functioning rather than a silo activity that is the responsibility of a few.
  • Help establish an exit strategy for the organisation so that the financial dependency on any single funder is reduced.

Who has taken part previously in the Emerge programme? 

Since 2014, the Emerge programme has supported 42 organisations across 15 different countries across Asia, South East Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

“We benefited immensely from the Emerge programme. This has enabled us to set concrete targets and objectives, and we are engaged to follow up the strategy with concrete implementation. This will allow us to implement our three-year strategic framework”.

ALEX KAMAROTOS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL, SWITZERLAND

“We found the Associate you provided us on the Emerge programme to be highly engaging and knowledgeable, and she was quickly able to get under the skin of our organisation to appreciate what we needed and how we could develop our fundraising strategy”.

MARIA ALEJANDRA PAVICICH, COORDINATOR OF INSTITUIONAL DEVELOPMENT, MEMORIA ABIERTA, ARGENT

What do NGOs need to do to apply for the Emerge programme?

Organisations interested in the programme should contact Ajay@resource-alliance.org.

What can funders do if they’re interested in funding the Emerge programme?

The Emerge programme has clear benefits for NGOs requiring help with building their fundraising capacities. However, funders whose aims and mission concern the building of the fundraising capacity of their grantees may also benefit through investing in the financial sustainability of their grantees.

Funders and investors interested in finding out more about the Emerge programme should contact Ajay@resource-alliance.org.

5 Things You’ll Learn from IFC Holland

Posted on: July 27th, 2018 by IFC Holland

With theme of “Together We Can,” this year’s International Fundraising Congress (IFC) will offer opportunities for fundraisers, innovators, changemakers, and game changers to network and share ideas. But above all, you will be able to put your heads and heart together to collaboratively overcome the biggest challenges we face in the social impact sector today.

Through deep-dive Masterclasses, interactive Workshops, inspiring Plenaries, and even over coffee, industry experts will present invaluable insights from both their successes and their failures in sectors ranging from Fundraising and Philanthropy to Leadership and Communications and Digital Innovations.

There is no end to the possibilities of what you will take away from ”Together We Can,” but we wanted to share our hotlist of the Top 5 Things You’ll Learn from IFC Holland 2018:

1. Blockchain Technology and You

“Blockchain” is one of the newest buzzwords to hit the beat this year. But what does this tech trend have to do with your organization, and how can you harness it’s potential? During the “Innovation in Fundraising: The Blockchain” Workshop, Duncan Cook, CEO, 3 Sided Cube, will breakdown blockchain opportunities for fundraisers, and examine, “how it could change the way charities work in the future.”

Together we can… use tech for good to make the world a better place!

2. The Science Behind Support

Have you ever wondered what exactly makes some people more generous than others? The innovative Big Room Session “The Neuroscience of Philanthropy: A Fundraisers’ Guide to How Supporter Brains Work” will address the science behind giving. You’ll learn surprising facts about the way we think and make decisions, and how to improve your communications from Bernard Ross, Director, The Management Centre (=mc), Meredith Niles, Executive Director of Fundraising & Engagement, Marie Curie UK, Omar Mahmoud, Chief of Market Knowledge, UNICEF, Geoffrey Peters, CEO, Moore DM Group.

Together we can… use our brains for social good!

3.  Journey Mapping for the Win

Understanding the “donor experience” is a critical step to engaging long-term sustainable giving. Through the process of Journey Mapping, you will learn about the who, what, when, where, and how’s of what motivates your donors. With this knowledge, you will discover how, “to transform how you view, and support, your donors,” through the Masterclass, “Journey Mapping: Empathize with your donors so they can empathize with your cause. Learn to map your donors’ journeys to better understand and meet their needs, and your own.” Speakers include Michael Johnston, President and Founder, hjc, Diana Ruano Ortiz, Global Donor Development Manager, UNHCR, and Brian Walsh, Principal, Structured Empathy.

Together we can… transform our donor relationships!

4. Putting Digital First in Your Integrated Campaign

Has your organization been victim to the war between fundraising, communications and campaigns? In reality, these aspects of your foundation must be working together to achieve your goals. In the Workshop “Radical future: How digital-first campaigning organisations are changing fundraising forever,” you’ll discover how to integrate your strategies to focus on the infinite potential of digital. You’ll learn from real-world success models from Jon Lloyd, Advocacy Campaigns Manager, Mozilla and Anne Isakowitsch, Senior Campaigner, SumOfUs.org and Co-Founder, Campaign Bootcamp Germany.

Together we can… make radical change possible through digital!

5. Improve your Corporate Fundraising Game

Do you feel like you simply cannot compete with Big Brands when it comes to acquiring corporate partnerships? You are not alone! Believe it or not, there are ways for organisations of all sizes to successfully compete in the corporate fundraising game. “The making of a modern corporate fundraiser: How to win breakthrough corporate partnerships and develop your own personal influence” will give you the tools and the confidence to “compete and win against bigger names and bigger budgets.” Workshop hosted by Adam Heuman, Director of Engagement, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and Helena Sharpstone, Director/Co-owner, Sharpstone Skinner.

Together we can… gain the confidence to achieve our fundraising goals!

Whatever challenges or goals you face, at IFC Holland 2018, you will meet like-minded peers and mentors to help you on your fundraising journey. Whether you’re a fundraiser newbie or an established industry thought leader, you’ll leave IFC with a renewed sense of community and the connections you’ll need to achieve your mission.

TOGETHER WE CAN – FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IFC

Our Top 5 Learnings from IFC Holland

Posted on: July 27th, 2018 by IFC Holland

In October 2017, the international fundraising and social impact community gathered together for 4 days outside Amsterdam to spark conversations that would collectively change the course of the fundraising world. IFC Holland 2017: A New Conversation was attended by over 1000 delegates from 60 countries, eager to share their social impact knowledge and experience with each other, because it is only by working together that we can overcome the challenges that face our world.

Through deep-dive Masterclasses, interactive Workshops, inspiring Plenaries, and even over coffee, industry experts presented invaluable insights from both their successes and their failures in sectors ranging from Fundraising and Philanthropy to Leadership and Communications and Digital Innovations.

While what we learned from the conference could certainly fill a book, our Top 5 Learnings from IFC Holland 2017 were:

1 . Rethinking the Value of Volunteers

Delegates were urged to specifically rethink their attitudes towards volunteers as not just “free labor,” but instead as key team players. Volunteers are the backbone of our industry. Without them, we would not be able to effect the change our organisations are striving to achieve. IFC Holland taught us that by empowering our volunteer networks to be more active and engaged with staff, together we can achieve our missions!

2. Showing Some Donor Love

“Donor Fatigue” is plaguing the sector. The conundrum is that the more desperately we try to reach our donors for support, the less likely they are to give. Speakers at IFC Holland 2017 challenged us to rethink how we engage with our donor base by deepening these relationships. This can be achieved by opening the lines of communication, encouraging collaborations, and generally showing our donors some much needed LOVE!

3. Overcoming Barriers to New Innovations

In our digitally driven world, innovation is king. In the nonprofit world, “the Bottom Line” is what takes precedence, often leaving many small to mid-sized organizations vulnerable to being left behind because of bandwidth, finances, and fear of failure. IFC 2017 sessions focused on giving us the tools to recognize and overcome barriers to innovation, specifically how to operate in a climate that encourages risk and allows for failure, thus creating outcomes the might never have otherwise realized.

4. Marketing to Millennials

The future of fundraising is the Millennial Market – but how do we reach this digitally-obsessed, short-attention-spanned market that demands transparency, results, and above all “realness?” IFC 2017 delegates learned how young people can be cultivated from “awareness to activism to giving.” This youth demographic requires new ways of thinking, non-conventional outreach, and revolutionary campaigning, long before they even have the capacity to give. One thing is for sure: Millenials are definitely worth the investment from our industry.

5. Beyond Fundraising

One of the most common themes running through IFC Holland 2017 was that social impact depends on more than just fundraising. For sustainable growth and long-term success, we must begin to explore innovative financing and partnership opportunities. Because of the temperamental nature of fundraising, our very survival depends upon being open to new ideas – even including sharing our success secrets with each other… which is exactly what IFC is all about!

After all the sessions, networking opportunities, and plenaries, we could all agree that conversation and collaboration are vitally necessary to invigorate and sustain our social impact work. Building on the learnings of 2017, this year’s IFC will focus on the theme of “Together We Can.” We hope that you can join the conversation from 16-18 October, 2018 in Holland where together we can change the world!