Free · Certificate included

Fundraising Fundamentals

The core skills every nonprofit needs to raise money with confidence.

35 min Beginner 8 modules Pass 80%

For: Nonprofit fundraisers and development staff

What you’ll learn

Map donors onto a giving pyramid and prioritize asks
Write a clear, confident fundraising ask
Build a simple annual fundraising plan
Apply donor-centered, ethical fundraising practice (AFP Code)

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Course outline

1
What fundraising really is
Fundraising isn’t begging, and it isn’t a transaction.
5 min Quiz Interactive
2
The sources of giving
Fundraisers talk about the “four sources” of giving: individuals, foundations, corporations, and bequests.
5 min Quiz Interactive
3
The donor pyramid
The donor pyramid is the classic map of how supporters grow.
6 min Quiz Interactive
4
Annual fund, major gifts & planned giving
The pyramid maps to three “programs” every mature development shop runs.
6 min Quiz Interactive
5
The case for support
Before you ask anyone for anything, you need a case for support: a clear, compelling answer to the donor’s real question — “Why should I give to you, why now, and…
5 min Quiz Interactive
6
Donor-centered fundraising & retention
Donor-centered fundraising means designing everything — appeals, thank-yous, reports — around the donor’s experience and motivations, not your internal calendar.
5 min Quiz Interactive
7
Making the ask
Everything so far leads here: the ask. Many fundraisers love the mission but freeze at the moment of asking. The cure is a process. A good ask isn’t a sales pitch —…
5 min Quiz Interactive
8
Ethics: the AFP Code & Donor Bill of Rights
Fundraising runs entirely on trust. Donors hand over money for a promise about the future, often without ever seeing the result first-hand. That’s why the…
5 min Quiz Interactive

Sources & further reading

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