A Personal Perspective Funding A Personal Perspective

About the Philanthropy Leadership Network The Philanthropy Leadership Network (formerly the Southern African Community Grantmakers Leadership Forum) was set up to support and develop the community philanthropy sector through Peer Learning & Support Research that supports our work Advocacy for an enabling environment Our active members are in South Africa and Zimbabwe and we ready to welcome members from other countries in the SADEC region.

The Vision The PLN’s vision is “a vibrant culture of giving, citizen mobilization and multi-sector collaboration that eradicate poverty in the region”.

Information & Training Resources www.trialogue.co.za – CSI information SAFULA – Southern African Fundraising Leadership Academy www.safula.co.za Inyathelo – SA Institute for Advancement www.inyathelo.org.za The Thank You Economy – Gary Vaynerchuk

My top 3 Lessons About Funding Do not run after the ‘big bucks’ when you are starting out – an early big grant makes you complacent – obligations can be onerous Grow your fund strategy organically - your messaging will go through a series of refinements – so how you ask and what you ask for will change – refrain from spending lots and lots of time on the perfect document – plan enough to get going – act-reflect-refine until you get it right Diversify your income streams

Build Your Container Your team is your biggest asset – invest in them - support them – every person on your team should be able to tell your story sincerely and effectively Conscious Culture – Toxic cultures are costly – build your culture as you build your team Systems of tracking, reporting and communications – make consistency easy e.g. always collect phone numbers Your Brand will emerge from all of the above - authentic

Goodwill Do not under-estimate it Makes the job of the people asking easier How – share generously what you know – host events and make everyone who comes through the door feel like they’ve come to the right place – send thank you notes – ask if individual giver requires a tax certificate and send it timeously Events are great ways to build relationships and goodwill – so don’t do them just to raise funds because it takes time to be profitable – do them to meet potential and current donors face to face – build your community

It’s All About Relationships Your Team – having an A Team gives you an edge – your most important asset and relationship Your Alumni is likely a key target for financial support - if they are not they should be. In this respect their entire experience at your institution should be one that inspires gratitude, loyalty and community. It is not something money can buy so how you engage them from registration to graduation is something you want to spend a lot of time thinking about. The colloquium seems to be well placed and timeous to deliberate on these relationships.

Thank you www.plnafrica.org.za