Fund Raising

atiti's picture

JOIN NOW! 8th Global RCE Conference Fundraising Discussion Group

Welcome to the 2013 Global RCE Conference Fundraising Discussion Group! Please join in the pre-conference discussions today by sharing your thoughts on the topics you feel most need to be addressed in the group meeting during the Global Conference in Nairobi.

Mobilizing financial resources to implement collaborative flagship projects is a core operational function of an RCE. This online community provides you with a useful opportunity to share innovative fundraising and marketing strategies that have worked in your RCE context. Share activities and processes that may lead to future collaborative strategies on fundraising for ESD projects in your regions.

Comments

Evans Kipngeno's picture

Dear colleagues in funds raising group, am just wondering why there is no comment on this topic as at now. This is a crucial topic to discuss also and see how funds could be raised. Allow me to request the coordinator or rapporteur of this group to just highlight reasons for suggesting this item. If its about methods of how we could raise funds for a particular project, global or regional, there are several ways we could do this.
1. We could suggest someone to do a walk from somewhere to somewhere and we have sponsors of the walk who could sponsor a specific amount per km or mile walked. This is a popular way of raising funds here in Africa. Recently we had here in Kenya a young man called Zachary, he is physically challenged, he walked his wheel chair all the way South Africa and back and raised million of shillings. The amount he raised went towards spinal injury hospital unit which is to be build using the funds.
The funds raiser was christened 'BRING ZAK HOME' Zak sustained spinal injury from a road accident and he thought to raise funds to build an hospital for spinal injury patients because we don't have one here in Kenya. It was a noble cause.

2. Another way to raise funds is to use celebrities. We could use marathon celebs to raise some funds if the cause is global. What usually happens is that the institution makes contact and makes a request for funds raiser venture. If he accepts , the institution will identify a ground and pay for it. The institution will also pay the celeb. After this the institution will do a massive marathon marketing venture where it will attract many participants, and numerous sponsors and donors in support of the event. It is then the proceed of this support that will raise the required funds for the cause identified.
The same goes for any celeb in music or any industry so long as he or she is famous.

3. The other way is doing a grants request underwriting. This usually apply to professional groups and specific institutions that offer grant towards a specific project.

Having outlined the sources of funds, let me now also identify areas in Africa and especially Kenya and East Africa where funds raiser is urgently needed.
In Kenya we have marginalized societies or groups. They come from very poor background and cannot afford health services and education or even basic food requirements.
The groups are located at Northeastern region of Kenya, eastern region of Kamba land, and Masai land. The disadvantaged gender is usually girls between five and fifteen years. The parents are poor and cannot afford to offer education to them, at times famine may be a concern to the extent that education is no longer a priority at that time. There is also gender marginalization by community elders especially affecting girls,because it is a value in these communities that girls have to be married off at certain age in order to procure bride price. It would sound like that it is an administrative issue, it is true but the systems do not provide for urgent intervention program to alleviate the situation on ground.

What do other societies in Africa and world at large have to say on this?
atiti's picture

Evans, thanks for your useful suggestions. The main purpose for this discussion is to enable RCEs share fundraising strategies that have worked in their contexts. An RCE is expected to be a self-sustaining network if resources are pooled together to implement collaborative projects. RCE actors are encouraged to share their experiences, challenges and success stories on fundraising for ESD.
RCEgreaterportland's picture

Your story is very moving and important. Fundraising for specific issues like this is one core question. Given that RCE Greater Portland is just starting out, we are looking at broader operational questions around how to raise money for operations. I am curious if other RCEs receive their money from governments, colleges, non-profit organizations, or grant foundations.
atiti's picture

Kim thank you for joining this community.
RCEbuea's picture

I know a few crowd funding sites for raising small beats of money for small projects. We actually used one for our Green media Campaign. Getting government support and raising funds locally has been a huge challenge to us at RCE Buea, Cameroon. We would be delighted to hear how others are getting funded, Masango.
RCEchandigarh's picture

I am Neelima Jerath from RCE Chandigarh.
Could we not approach industrial houses who take up conservation and social development programs under Corporate Social Responsibility and match our projects with theirs? RCE network could empanel some of them and match the donors and the recepients so that useful work is done. I am sure a number of well meaning entrepreneurs are looking for useful projects/ideas.


atiti's picture

Neelima, this sounds a good idea. Do you have any fundraising experiences from your RCE?
Buliameen's picture

SUCCESS STORY OF RCE MINNA, NIGERIA.

As a result of the sheer commitment of our team and our Coordinator Dr. Abdul Husaini,RCE Minna has been able to attract funds for its event from the government by first showcasing the potential benefits of our self-sponsored flagship projects and research which is aimed at reducing pollution and pose as a sustainable way of curbing desert encroachment that is threatening our Northern region. We presented a successful self financed sustainable tree planting method that will require less effort and help clean the environment. The government was impressed and later pledge support for our event. In exchange for their sponsorship, government enjoyed publicity far more than their usual political machinations towards masses acceptance and popularity. This has further stimulates the officials to want to partner with us in the execution of our future events and programmes.
Buliameen's picture

A FUNDRAISING STRATEGY TOPIC FOR CONSIDERATION DURING THE CONFERENCE.....
.....SUSTAINABLE FUND RAISING FROM PRIVATE SECTOR BY GIVING THEM GLOBAL PUBLICITY PLATFORM ON RCE PORTAL.

This topic or suggestion implies that...
local and international RCE projects could attract funds from the private sector on a sustainable basis by giving back such firms the much needed local and international publicity and opportunity for brand awareness and goodwill.

The Mothod?
First, like RCE Minna, local and international RCE should have a website. Next, such RCE (especially the global portal) should increase the popularity of its website to generate maximum traffic by encouraging celebrity UN ambassadors (football players, singers , artist etc) and other environmental enthusiastic celebrity to favour such RCE website on their own website or like such RCE website on facebook, or create a link on their social network page/ platform with such RCE website. This will attact attention from the member of the celebrity network to want to have more information on unique projects that is being carried out by RCE stakeholder in order to improve their living. it will also make the celebrity to be seen as a supporter of mother nature and its sustainability and hence improve his / her goodwill among his / her followers.
But ultimately , this is an attempt to generate needed traffic to the RCE websites which will enable the brands of such private sponsors to be seen by millions.

All an RCE need do is to recognize such private firm on its website (at the bottom of the page) by stating for example ( with support from MOBIL, MICROSOFT etc ...a friend of RCE).

Secondly, in presenting a proposal for sponsorship to these firms, it should be included that the company could also stand the chance of executing a commercial production scale of a particular bankable project of an RCE for profit or as a tangible corporate social responsibility.

I think this method might make the companies fight over the sponsorship of our various project if they realize the huge potentials in brand awareness that this partnership could yield.

I hope this will provoke strong arguments among the stakeholders.

Thank you

Buliameen Oladayo,
RCE,MINNA
atiti's picture

Buliameen, this is a wonderful suggestion.
atiti's picture

Dear Abel and group,

I have some problems logging in, however I need to share a small practical idea that could help us fundraise.
Feel free to contribute to refine the idea..

My contribution:
RCE’s are hosted by Universities where the main function is Education.
My idea is to plan a Youth workshop in the regions over the holidays for 1 week. We can start with one e.g. RCE Western
Parents struggle with how to occupy their teenagers time over the school holidays, and this then becomes an opportunity for RCE
Plan a workshop for teenagers – Fully sponsored by troubled parents.
Venue: where the local RCES are housed, or identify an interesting local facility
Topics to cover to include:
Mentorship to the youth – fantastic opportunity as they struggle with teenage crises. This topic would include peer pressure etc
Topics on Sustainable Development, and how the youth can be involved
Projects /demonstrations on sustainable development in groups or individuals to take to their respective schools/churches/Estates or homes etc
Culture – local area
Excursions of the local area
Camping
Fun
Key outcomes:
1) A good platform to involve youth in ESD
2) Money – raised from fees
3) Follow up – through social media for example so the youth take care of each other and network within context
4) Adults within RCE make a deliberate move to be mentors to our Youth – which they badly need.
Important:
Facilitators – Lecturers/Doctors/Professors from the Universities Provide service as a Corporate Social Responsibility sponsored by relevant Universities /Neema etc.

We require publicity to talk about the workshop on the Radio, Church, County, Schools and University together with publicity material e.g. posters etc.
RCE can also advertise in interschool sports, inter university Debates etc. or in the local stadium for example for visibility in the area as publicity.
We need to walk the talk on “Sustainability”, therefore, the resources we have within ourselves… RCE’s.
On this one fundraising discussion group would partner with Youth discussion group to create the synergy needed to provide the best opportunity for success.
With kind regards
Zippy
atiti's picture

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings.
Thanks for the few but useful ideas that have been discussed here. Dr Okoro’s list would be useful, especially if it backed up with an action strategy i.e. what is the funder’s interest area at Africa level and who could follow up that interest. I would be glad to take on one or two potential or real funder interests. The online platform Abel pointed to is an oportunity for sharing what is working (or not).

An activity I therefore propose with such funding would be a two yearly African RCEs conference that provides opportunities for capacity building, regional integration, publication and youth engagement in ESD and climate action activities, where intervening periods are focussed on RCE- and sub-regional level engagements with tangible and focussed ESD activities on the ground.

I like Zippy’s idea of engaging youth and finding resources locally.

These ideas could also form part of the regional discussions for those making it to the conference.

Best regards
Tichaona

KZN RCE
atiti's picture

Dear Abel,
Let me move Zippy\s idea a little further. Please let me say I use to be overwhelmed to note that there\ll be so much social interaction,cross breed of ideas, active networking arrangements and the sort during each global meeting. We may notice that the RCEs who have attended all such global RCE conferences MUSTbe advancing faster than their counterparts. I strongly feel that we could find a way and make it mandatory that each RCE attends each time There is no other obvious and available facility comparable to this in ensuring ALL RCEs grow.
Let me suggest that the image of this organization can attract a few International Dono rs like Rockerfellers,CIDA, Ford etc to fund the total cost of Hosting a participant every year.
For image and control, I suggest you ask me to do some more shortlist of such donors whose philosophy include such funding and send to you for your action. I want to believe it will go a long way to induce all RCEs to progress. The global meeting is better seen as a training outfit than otherwise.
Long live RCE Organizers.
Dr Okorie Uka Okoro.
atiti's picture

Hi all,
Great thanks for this wonderful ideas on RCE funding. I fully agree with Zippy's, Okorie's and Tich's contributions. These are practical ideas that we can implement if a few hurdles are dealt with. For instance RCE- Kakamega Western is listed among civil societies engaging in development in Western Kenya. Recently we have had an ecomapping of all these groups by CSUDP funded by SIDA inorder to give them more visibility to enable prospective donors to locate them easily for collaboration. Our RCE was registered by UNU-IAS on 17th October, 2009 being the 2nd after RCE-Greater Nairobi to achieve that status. However, our certificate from UNU does not bear a registeration number, yet this is arequirement with most funding institutions in order to qualify for funding. How would we address this hurdle? As it is now our process for mapping's still pending awaiting this registration number. Probably our secretariat in Yokohama could address this.
Regards,
Stephen Opanga,
Associate Pastor: CEC Fountain of Life Church,
Chairman: KCPA Kisumu Kakamega Western Region,
Board Member: RCE Kakamega Western & FEP,
Adjunct Faculty: MMUST, JKUAT, SPU, MKU, GU.
Stephen Opanga,
atiti's picture

From Haron Oichoe:
Dear all,
Let me acknowledge Zippy's contributions with regards to youth's active participation in driving the RCE agenda across regions. Am really moved with the approach in which Zippy has proposed, it will revitalize youth participation hence give the opportunity for young people to get informed, network and start giving innovative ideas that will catalyze the achievement of RCE agenda as we move to the end of ESD 2014.

Regards,
Chairperson,
Kenya Youth Network for Sustainable Development, Sec General.
atiti's picture


From Dr Edward Andama
Dear Zippy,
I think what you have proposed is a very good idea. It has always been very difficult to fundraise from the local governments, schools and even some of the private sector as many do not understand that RCE initiative is of public good cause. The challenge of organizing such fundraising is that there are very many stakeholders and one has to take up the initiative and see how it will work.
Regards
atiti's picture

Hello Edward

Yes, I have been thinking about the execution and agree with you that we may have some challenges, but we could also turn this challenge into yet another opportunity.

I look forward to the physical meeting next week, where we will exchange ideas, look at possibilities, and leverage on the resources that we have within RCE’s.

Looking forward.

With kind regards

Zippy

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