# Editorial feature: online learning opportunities for fundraisers

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/11/16/editorial-feature-online-learning-opportunities-for-fundraisers/
- Published: 2020-11-16T14:58:58+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**This week’s editorial focus is online learning and how that has developed substantially
in the months since the COVID19 pandemic struck and forced overnight changes in 
working practice for most of us.
Online learning options have been available to 
fundraisers for around 10 years or so. They’ve tended to consist primarily of live
or recorded webinars. Over recent years these have expanded to events, usually a
stream of related webinar-type presentations, such as the Resource Alliance’s annual
[Fundraising Online](https://resource-alliance.org/fundraising-online/fro2020-welcome-aboard/)
conference. This is an appropriately online event, provided at no charge, providing
content on a range of digital fundraising skills and opportunities.Here is a summary
of some of the different online learning opportunities for fundraisers. 

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## Featured advertisers

The following online learning providers are current or recent advertisers on UK 
Fundraising:

 * [Blackbaud Europe](http://www.blackbaud.co.uk)
 * [CFRE](http://www.cfre.org)
 * [City Business](https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cce)
   School
 * [Directory of Social Change](http://www.dsc.org.uk)
 * [Fundraising Everywhere](http://www.fundraisingeverywhere.com)
 * [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.org/nonprofit/)
 * [University of Chichester](https://www.chi.ac.uk/university-chichester-conservatoire/our-courses/ba-hons-charity-development)

---

## Academic institutions

Universities and academic institutions have provided online learning platforms for
their students for some years. Of course, in 2020 that expanded considerably and
rapidly.
In the UK these include:• [The Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent](https://research.kent.ac.uk/philanthropy/),
lead by Dr Beth Breeze. During lockdown earlier this year they also offered their‘
[MA in a day](https://research.kent.ac.uk/philanthropy/home/ma-in-a-day/)‘ course
publicly for free, offering “some resources, ideas and information that are normally
only available to registered students”. 

## Advertisement

• University of Chichester – The university is home to the ‘world’s only undergraduate
degree in fundraising’. The [BA in Charity Development](https://www.chi.ac.uk/university-chichester-conservatoire/our-courses/ba-hons-charity-development)
is a three-year course available on campus, online or both.

• [The Centre for Charity Effectiveness](https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cce)
at City Business School in London offers a range of professional development programmes,
charities master’s programmes, and consultancy and business services. It has also
been the home for 25 years of Charity Talks.
 

## Sector training providers

Many of the charity sector’s infrastructure and training bodies have been offering
online learning and training since before 2020, and have since then expanded their
offering. These include:
• [CFRE](http://www.cfre.org) – the “independent nonprofit
organisation whose sole mission is dedicated to setting standards in philanthropy
through a valid and reliable certification process for fundraising professionals”.

• [Directory of Social Change](http://www.dsc.org.uk) – offering online training
in fundraising, finance and law, management, leadership, governance, marketing and
more.
 

• [Chartered Institute of Fundraising](http://www.ciof.org.uk) – offering training,
qualifications events and resources for fundraisers.
 

## Other training and learning providers

• [Blackbaud Europe](http://www.blackbaud.co.uk) offers training and information
via webinars and via its bbcon event, which this year took part globally, exclusively
online and at no charge.
• [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.org/nonprofit/) also
offers training and webinars to charities in the UK and around the world. 

## Online clubs and networks

A number of fundraising consultants and agencies have set up membership-based networks
for online learning and training.
• Sean Triner at Moceanic has offered such a service
for several years in the form of his [Fundraisingology Lab](https://www.moceanic.com/our-courses/).•
Lucy Gower offers the [Lucidity Network](http://lucidity.org.uk), focusing on a 
network of members who provide support to each other, plus online training from 
Lucy and guest presenters.

• Rob Woods’ [Bright Spot](http://www.brightspotfundraising.co.uk) network also 
offers training, coaching and inspiration.
 

## New approaches

The past year has seen a growing range of new entrants or approaches to online learning.

[Fundraising Everywhere](https://fundraisingeverywhere.com/) launched before COVID19
in November 2019 with a novel and much-needed transformation for online learning
and training for fundraisers. Together with its Everywhere+ function, the platform
has hosted well over 200 events of its own and for other charity clients. It adds
a sense of online community to its events and after they have finished, insists 
on sharing pre-recorded sessions (to achieve a high quality level) but with the 
trainer engaging live in the chat or rooms of the event, and has expanded the range
of topics addressed, not least by the inaugural BAME fundraising conference.

The video-based experience isn’t for everyone. **Text-based learning** is another
approach that is used by many charities although probably very few fundraisers. 
Platforms like Arist.co work with various NGOs to deliver training, usually in the
form of a single SMS text per day over a set period, one week or up to a month. 
It offers a manageable way of learning for many. It is ideal for those that don’t
have the bandwidth to learn from video-heavy content.

UK Fundraising has published a course on this platform covering [How to create news releases that work](https://fundraising.co.uk.charitybox.io.arist.co/courses).

## More training resources

You can keep up to date with UK Fundraising’s news on [fundraising training and learning.](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/tag/training)

Explore UK Fundraising’s 2022 focus on [fundraising education](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/07/15/monthly-focus-fundraising-education/).

## Future editorial themes

**To advertise in future editorial themed topics please [contact Nikita Saha](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/11/16/editorial-feature-online-learning-opportunities-for-fundraisers/ni*********@***********se.com)
for details.**