Certificate in Fundraising - Virtual Delivery (Starting 21st October 2025)

In this first module of the certificate, you will examine how evidence-based strategic planning forms a core component in achieving sustainable fundraising growth for an organisation and how theory can be simply and effectively incorporated into daily fundraising practice.

This module lays the foundation for your future learning, equipping you with essential skills that will be valuable throughout the course. It also facilitates the identification of real strategic opportunities that you can pursue in later modules.

In the second module, you will explore structured approaches to evaluating an organisation’s fundraising effectiveness, focusing on fundraising methods, income mix, and alignment with operational objectives. You will assess philanthropic orientation and examine the ethical, sustainable, and inclusive nature of fundraising practices. This module will also explore the role of digital tools and A.I. in enhancing fundraising practices, before applying evaluative techniques to identify strategic priorities for optimising income streams.

For the third module, you will study the key drivers behind donor motivation and behaviour. It will provide insights that inform more effective communication strategies and support the development of meaningful, long-term philanthropic relationships, which are more rewarding for the donor and enhance fundraising results. By exploring the psychological, cultural, ethical and behavioural factors that influence charitable giving, this module offers a critical examination of how individual and collective motivations can be used to shape more compelling propositions for specific donor segment engagement.

In this final module, you will employ a structured and evidence-based approach to developing a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan. Building on insights from the previous modules, you will apply strategic planning frameworks and decision-making models to effectively set fundraising objectives, prioritise strategic directions, and manage resources. You will also study how to conduct market segmentation and brand positioning for the purpose of selecting tactical activities that optimise income generation.

By the end of the module, you will be able to implement budgeting, scheduling, and monitoring tools that clearly convey the operational requirements for long-term fundraising success and use communication theory to develop a robust stakeholder communication plan that clearly conveys financial and operational requirements.