This four-week introductory course is designed for journalists or media professionals who are new to fundraising. Philanthropy is becoming an increasingly important part of news organizations’ revenue mix — no matter if they are for-profit or non-profit — and the course will provide participants with key skills and infrastructure best practices to begin to build their own fundraising programs. 

Anna Barber, President and Principal Consultant of Barber & Associates, will lead the course, drawing on her years of experience as a fundraising consultant, frontline fundraiser at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and college athletics. Over the four week course, Anna will introduce participants to the core principles of fundraising including: 

• Goal Setting
• Budgets & Campaign Selection
• Stewardship Structures
• Identification of Prospects 
• Policies and Procedures
• Pitch

The course will meet weekly for 60-minute sessions starting on July 8. Full details about each of the four course sessions are below. The deadline to apply is Friday June 18 at 11:59 EDT. In order to facilitate an interactive learning environment, we’re only accepting up to 30 participants. We’ll share resources with everyone who applies. Applicants will be notified about their participation in the course by Monday June 28, 2021. 

You can apply here or in the embedded form. Full course details are below the application.

Session 1: Goal Setting – Thursday July 8

This session will walk through the details of the goal setting process by which an organization determines its short- and long-term goals and institutional needs that will require philanthropic support.

• Identifying and codifying fundraising goals and objectives

Session 2: Budgets, Case Statement & Campaign Selection – Thursday July 15

This session will dig in on setting a clear and comprehensive budget and what to include in your organizational case statement. Participants will also learn how to select the appropriate campaign for fundraising purposes.

• Building a budget to achieve goals
• Selecting the appropriate fundraising structure(s)
• Individual and institutional giving plans
• Building a gift pyramid

Session 3: Stewardship & Identifying Prospects – Thursday July 22

This session will focus on the process of stewardship (acknowledging, thanking, and keeping a donor engaged) after they have made a gift, as well as learning the process for identifying prospects.

• Donor recognition and benefits stewardship structures
• Strategies for identifying prospects
• Populating a gift pyramid

Session 4: Policies and Procedures & Pitch Training – Thursday July 29

The final session will offer a review of policies and procedures important to the fundraising process. This session will conclude with an overview and basic training on donor and prospect pitches or cultivation and solicitation meetings.

• Fundraising Policies and Procedures
• Pledge forms and gift agreements
• Scheduling meetings with major donor(s) or prospect(s)
• Talking points and written correspondence for donor engagement