The fight against discrimination based on sex aims to prohibit and eliminate any legal measure which implies differential treatment of men and women and is likely to produce or reinforce inequalities between men and women. It is considered that there is inequality between men and women when men and women are in respective different situations… [Read More]
What are the essential elements to implement Gender Mainstreaming?
According to the Council of Europe, “Gender mainstreaming is the (re) organization, improvement, development and evaluation of decision-making processes, with the aim of incorporating the perspective of equality between women and men in all fields and at all levels, by the actors generally involved in the implementation of policies”. Gender issues should be mainstreamed at… [Read More]
Is a concept note an idea for a project?
No the term ‘Concept Note’ is often misleading as it implies that it is just an outline of an idea. The reality is that a Concept Note is actually a first stage preliminary proposal that funders use to assess if a proposal is good enough to be invited to put forward a full application. Most… [Read More]
What do funders mean by ‘Value for Money’?
If you think of funding more like a financial investment, you will see why funders want to make sure that their investment is being used wisely and that costs are not only justified, but also that where possible you are ‘adding value’ to their investment. For example, your project may involve training women in SRH… [Read More]
I have written a proposal for funding which was not successful. However, now that it is written, is it a good idea to send it to a number of other funders?
Why was the proposal unsuccessful? If possible try and get feedback from the funder to help you with future proposal development. It is a good idea to step back and review the proposal again to see where it might be strengthened. Every funder has different criteria and different development areas they are particularly interested in…. [Read More]
What goes into the content of a Concept Note?
A concept note will have the basic contact details of the lead person submitting the application, along with details of any implementing partners. It will usually contain the title of the project, a project description/summary, the duration, and geographical area, in the introduction section. It will require details of the lead applicant organisation and an… [Read More]
What is the most important thing to consider in a project proposal?
Sustainability is a bit of a buzz word, but it is probably the most important thing to consider when developing a proposal for funding. You need to show the Funder how the project will continue after the grant has ended. Simply thinking that you will raise more money through fundraising is not enough. It is… [Read More]
Does all the money that a donor gives to an NGO go directly on its projects and beneficiaries?
Think of an NGO or charity as a social business. In the same way that a business needs money to operate, so does an NGO. These days many NGOs require professional, skilled staff who provide skills and expertise in a variety of areas that relate to community development. These roles may be back-office finance roles… [Read More]
What is unrestricted funding? Why it is important for an NGO to raise unrestricted funds and how to raise unrestricted funds?
Restricted funds are funds that have been acquired through donors for a specific project or activity. Unrestricted funds are those funds that have been raised to support the work of a charity or NGO but without a designated use. The two should be kept separately in accounts for transparency and to be able to show… [Read More]
Is it possible to use a freelance fundraising consultant and pay them on a commission basis only?
It is possible to recruit somebody and pay them on results, but this is highly unusual, and it is unlikely that a professional, experienced person would accept these terms. Writing grant applications takes time and effort starting with the research required to understand the project and source potential funders, checking their requirements and eligibility, looking… [Read More]
