Free fundraising coaching offer for charities responding to Afghanistan crisis
Melanie May | 27 August 2021 | News
A programme of free coaching is on offer to help UK charities and voluntary organisations responding to the crisis in Afghanistan grow funds to support their work.
Fundraisers Supporting Afghans harnesses the expertise of the Welsh fundraising sector, and will see a team of experienced fundraisers coaching organisations delivering services, directly or remotely to those affected by the crisis in Afghanistan. This includes people who have fled to the UK as refugees, those displaced within Afghanistan, and people who have been dislocated to the surrounding countries of Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Applications to join the project are on a first-come, first-served basis.
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The scheme has the following eligibility criteria:
- UK-based not-for-profit organisation or group (can be unincorporated).
- Requires support to increase capacity to raise emergency funds and deliver humanitarian support.
- Funding raised through volunteer coaching will support work to benefit people from, or within, Afghanistan.
All the fundraisers involved are volunteering their time freely, with the coaching aiming to grow Afghan support organisations’ expertise in and knowledge of securing donations from the public, making successful applications to trusts and foundations, working with corporate sponsors, and promoting their fundraising activity for maximum impact.
Richard Newton, Director of Richard Newton Consulting, the organisation initiating and facilitating the project, said:
“We’re delighted that the professional fundraisers of Wales have joined forces, volunteering to support UK charities growing their capacity to help thousands of Afghani people. As a company, we are pleased to be in a position to donate the resources needed to initiate and facilitate this work.”
“The project will build on the warm welcome of the UK’s communities to refugees escaping the escalating situation in Afghanistan. The generous group of fundraisers is 150% committed to playing their part in helping to alleviate this catastrophic humanitarian crisis. We know from similar past projects that this support has a transformational effect – raising thousands of pounds to support this critical work.”
Professional fundraisers who would like to volunteer their time for the programme are invited to email in**@ri************.uk with Fundraiser Afghanistan in the subject line.
Fundraisers Supporting Afghans is based on the model of an earlier programme of fundraising coaching, which took place in 2020 – 2021, initiated by the Welsh government, through the Institute of Fundraising Cymru (IOFC) and WCVA (Welsh Council for Voluntary Associations), in response to the Covid emergency and its impact on the voluntary sector in Wales.
This was also delivered by Richard Newton Consulting, and supported 160+ charities and voluntary groups, which ranged from sports projects to community groups working with children and young people. In all, the programme supported Welsh groups to raise over £100,000 to grow their resilience.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.