Fund raising and lobbying for NGO s. The Ombetja Yehinga Organisation a Namibian welfare organization. Philippe Talavera, PhD

Transcription

1 Fund raising and lobbying for NGO s. The Ombetja Yehinga Organisation a Namibian welfare organization Philippe Talavera, PhD

2 Who We Are Ombetja Yehinga Organisation, commonly called OYO, is a Namibian nongovernmental, social welfare organization (WO199).

3 Mission: to decrease the impact of HIV and AIDS among young people in Namibia, primarily in the Kunene, Erongo and Khomas Regions - using the arts to promote informed discussion about HIV and AIDS, create awareness of social issues, and encourage behavioural change

4 Who we work with? School learners, ages (Grades 4-12) Out-of-school-youth, ages Adults working with young people, including teachers, school managers and youth workers. Students at UNAM

5 Where we work?

6 Programs we offer: Working with youth AIDS Awareness Clubs and out of school youth groups OYO youth magazine, OYO, young latest and cool Regional and national tours of OYO youth groups Special events

7 Working with teachers Special projects Films Theatre productions Music projects (CDs) Photography and visual arts

8 Lobbying and Fundraising Time consuming Frustrating! BUT NEVER GIVE UP!

9 Lobbying and fundraising - Theory How to start? The theory is simple! Have a good idea think that idea through (often useful is to discuss it with someone else to try and think about all is needed to materialise the project) Prepare a proposal and budget Find out what organisation is interested/ may be interested in such a project

10 Lobbying and fundraising - reality Start SMALL! Nobody will fund a million dollars project if they don t know you. First OYO project in 2001 was for N$ 30, Build up a reputation! SUCCEED with your first projects. Nobody funds again a project that has failed. Even if you have to put your own money, extra hours, do the work of 10 people at once to make sure the project is a success, do it! Do not find excuses SUCCEED!

11 Lobbying and fundraising - reality Gather as much information along the way as you can. Remember: you ll need to prepare a report. You therefore need ACCURATE information that is VERIFIABLE in your report. Nobody will fund you again is your report is fishy, unclear, doubtful and you have no clear indicators. Take photos, ask participants to report, write down case studies, etc. Make sure you have material you can use when you ll report. Prepare a GOOD report. It doesn t matter how many hours you need to put in, just do it.

12 Lobbying and fundraising - reality Be transparent with your finances! Report every cent and avoid unclear invoices. Play by the rules get quotes, prepare order forms, have a good filing system, keep your finances up to date, invite the donors to come and verify your finances. If you can afford an external audit, it s even better. Donors are extremely cautious and need proper financial reporting. Be HONEST, be TRANSPARENT and do NOT misuse money.

13 Lobbying and fundraising Do not wait be pro-active. Approach donors/ embassies/ private sector. As an average 1 proposal out of 20 is accepted (with regards to money) and 1 out of 10 (with contribution in kind). So you ll fail, you ll have proposals rejected and you ll often think you re wasting your time, but it s part of the game. Build up relationships if you succeed with your project and impress a donor it is more likely to fund you again and you ll know what type of project it is interested in, so you ll have more chance to succeed.

14 Lobbying and fundraising Once you ve reported successfully ask the donor to write you a reference letter other donors are more likely to support you if a donor has been happy with you. Be realistic with your budgets do not underestimate cost (because then you ll make your life difficult) but do not over-estimate it either. Remember that donors don t like to pay salaries, expensive accommodation or DSA/ S&T and costs that are difficult to trace.

15 Lobbying and fundraising Be realistic with your targets don t promise you ll reach the moon if you can t reach it! Donors are impressed when you reach your targets so make sure those targets are realistic. Brainstorm your project find out the best and most efficient way to carry it out at the most effective cost. Be prepared to answer questions that donors may ask. Show them you are prepared and know what you are talking about.

16 Lobbying and fundraising Approach more than one donor at once if one says no the other might say yes. Don t be afraid you may get two yes it seldom happens and if it were to happen you may rethink your project and make it bigger. Be careful with compromises. If a project cost N$ 50,000 and you get N$ 30,000 from a donor, can you realistically make it happen? Can you still get good results? How will you handle the situation? Sometimes it s better to say NO than to shoot oneself in the feet. However sometimes one can rethink the project and make it works.

17 Conclusion Fundraising and lobbying are difficult tasks that s why there are professional fundraisers! Yet it is not impossible to do. It requires work, energy, commitment and to be perseverant. It gets easier as one gets good results so invest a lot of time and effort at the beginning it s worth it!

18 ANY QUESTIONS???