Here - Bond

Feature | The future of fundraising:38 Supporting tomorrow’s leadersThe future of fundraisingSupporting tomorrow’s leadersInstead of looking for leaders from outside the internationaldevelopment sector, we should be investing in the potentialof home-grown middle managers, argues Erika Moisl.Leadership development is nothing new,but effective leadership within thevoluntary sector, and particularly withinthe fundraising field, is increasinglyimportant given the internal pressuresand external challenges currentlyexperienced by organisations seeking toserve a wide range of important causes.Middle managers areleaders of the futureAs the sector grows in size, scope andinfluence, organisations must becomeincreasingly more professional torespond to the reliance on them todeliver high quality services and beaccountable to an ever more diverse setof stakeholders.It is therefore more important thanever that fundraising departments arebuilding strong teams to pursue theirorganisational missions, and theresponsibility for motivating andproviding direction to these teamsoften falls to fundraising managers.Nevertheless, when organisationsinvest in leadership, these middlemanagers are often overlooked infavour of those already in leadershippositions. Recently the sector has alsoseen a trend for non-profits to seektransformative leaders from outside thesector rather than investing in thepotential of their existing middlemanagers who have an understandingof the complexities of the sector, whichis so vital for organisational strengthand sustainability.A new kind ofleadership programmeGiven her years of experience in thesector, Neelam Makhijani, CEO of theResource Alliance, was familiar withprofessional and personal developmentprogrammes for those already inleadership positions within charitiesand NGOs. However, she was keen tooffer something similar to theircolleagues which would specificallytarget the needs of senior and middlefundraising managers and integratestrong leadership into all levels offundraising management.The result is the Future LeadersProgramme for Fundraisers, an18-month training and mentoringprogramme launched by the ResourceAlliance in November 2012. Theprogramme has been developed overthe last two years, during which anin-depth feasibility study wasconducted with the collaboration ofFundraising Directors and FundraisingManagers from national andinternational NGOs. In response to thepersonal and professional developmentneeds identified, relationships havebeen forged with some of the leadingnames in leadership education.What the programmeincludesParticipants undertake 360-degreefeedback, attend a week-long residentialcourse, ‘Leadership Essentials forFundraisers’ taught by a combination ofprofessors from the London BusinessSchool and Said Business School, andreceive support from executive coachesand personal mentors. Throughout theprogramme there is access to exclusivenetworks, including a peer learningworkshop and e-platform.Long-term successand sustainabilityThe unique format of the FutureLeaders Programme for Fundraisersbuilds upon the Resource Alliance’strack record of delivering successfultraining with local and internationalNGOs worldwide, combined withon-going mentoring to ensure thatlearning is successfully implementedwithin fundraisers’ organisations andcontributes to their long-termsustainability.Douglas Tanton, Director of GlobalResource Development andFundraising at CARE International,endorses the need for this programme.“We face a future where fundraising,philanthropy, business, governmentand civil society are all converging oncore issues and challenges. The futureleaders of philanthropy, fundraisingand non-profit leadership will need adiverse tool box of skills andexperiences in order to meet thesechallenges. Our professional futurerelies on educating new leaders withnew ideas to rise up and move ourindustry forward. This programmedemonstrates the industry andeducation partnerships our futureleaders require and provides asignificant learning and networkingopportunity for those of experienceand ambition to take their learning andcareer to the next level."Participation in the Future LeadersProgramme for Fundraisers offersversatile perspectives and transferableskills from across the non-profit,academic and corporate sectors,enabling middle and senior managersto grow and widen their knowledge ofdifferent disciplines. Participants willlearn to adapt and apply this knowledgewithin their own organisations andutilise their expanded networks ontheir upward path to securing moreresponsible positions in the future.Erika Moisl, International ProgrammesManager, The Resource AllianceFuture LeadersProgramme forFundraisersApplications to the Programme arenow open, with a strict limit of 20places available to fundraisersworking with charities or NGOs.The closing date for applications is31 March 2013. Find our more andapply now:www.resource-alliance.org/futureleaderInternational Development UEA manages theconsultancy, research and training activities of UEA’sSchool of International Development – a leading institution forteaching and research in the UK.Short Courses 2013Water Security for Policymakersand Practitioners10-14 June£1500 (including B&B accommodation)A course designed for entry and mid-level water anddevelopment policy makers and professionals in government,donor, NGO or implementing agencies.‘An excellent course, the content was extremely relevant.’2012 course participant• Gain comprehensive knowledge on the increasinglyimportant policy challenge of ‘water security’• Explore how the multiple levels of water security – human,community, state, international and global - require broadbut considered policy inputs• Examine the inter-dependencies of different sectors (climate,food, energy) that interact within a ‘web’ of water security• Consider the implications for national and human securitythrough an appreciation that water security for some canmean water insecurity for others.• Critically assess and address current water security policyImpact Evaluation for Evidence Based Policy8–19 July£3000 (including self-catering accommodation)A course for early and mid-level professionals, post-graduatestudents and academics working with organisations whichneed to understand the methods used in evidence-basedpolicy making in order to evaluate and justify continued publicspending.‘…. If you’re looking to develop the technical evaluationskills that international donors and NGOs seek in this ageof value-for-money and return on spend, then this is thecourse for you….’2012 Course participant working for an economicconsultancy firm• Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of IEapproaches and methodologies• Enable selection of appropriate methodologies andappraisal of evidence• Learn current quantitative and qualitative evaluationtechniques• Build a critical understanding of the roles they play in designand assessment of public policy and developmentinterventions• Analyse data from established IE examples drawn fromdevelopment literature and elsewhereemail devco.train@uea.ac.uk for details of our professionaldevelopment programme of bespoke courses which canbe arranged for individuals or small groups.Gender and Development22 July – 2 August£3000 (including self-catering accommodation)Designed for programme staff and managers in developmentagencies and government departments/ministries, women’srights officers, gender focal points and members of genderintervention teams‘The course was a great learning curve for me and I leave with asolid understanding of what Gender and Development is about’Course participant from an NGO in Swaziland• Build gender knowledge and practice skills for gender equity• Improve practice in gender analysis for programme delivery• Establish leadership for enabling organisational cultures• Explore the theory and practice of change and gender as anorganisational value• Consolidate your knowledge with distance learningClimate Change & Development4 – 17 September£3200 (including self-catering accommodation)Designed for professionals who want to gain a greaterunderstanding of the implications of climate change fordeveloping countries and of the processes, issues anddebates surrounding adaptation and mitigation.‘Exceptionally well-organised and well delivered course’Course participant from the Commonwealth Secretariat, London• Equip yourself, as a non-specialist, with a broad understandingof what climate change may mean for low income populations• Consider the scope and prospects for adapting to change• Discuss emissions reduction in the context of developmentand poverty reduction• Gain a deeper awareness of the ideas, opportunities andtrade-offs represented by adaptation and mitigation• Develop analytical skills in sessions on climate science, climatechange mitigation and international mechanisms/negotiationsrelating to climate change with some of the world’s leadingresearchers on climate change and development• Focus on vulnerability and adaptation in the context ofpoverty reduction• Explore what climate change implies in terms of impacts andvulnerability• Consider how to go about building resilience and adaptivecapacity at all scalesAll courses take place at the University of East Anglia,Norwich, UK. To apply and for further details pleasevisit our webpages www.uea.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/dev-co/professional-trainingor email/telephone devco.train@uea.ac.uk+44 (0)1603 592340bond.org.ukthe networker 103 | January – March 2013