Change the Game Academy Green: building independence and sustainability for small conservation organisations
Funding for non-profit organisations is under increasing pressure. While governments and philanthropic institutions have traditionally played a central role in supporting nature conservation, many are now scaling back their involvement. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that bottom-up, locally-led conservation ensures environmental justice and is a stronger foundation for long-term conservation. Moreover, the challenges facing conservation efforts around the world remain as urgent as ever. In this shifting landscape, local fundraising and mobilising support are becoming vital strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of grassroots organisations that work for nature conservation. This way, community-based organisations (CBOs) previously supported by civil society organisations (CSOs) or NGOs become more independent, allowing the latter to attend to other CBOs and strengthening the entire organisational landscape.
The Change the Game Academy Green course on local fundraising is designed to equip participants with practical knowledge and tools to make use of diverse fundraising opportunities. Participants learn skills such as proposal writing, effective fundraising communication, how to maintain strong relations with donors, and more. In the course on mobilising support, participants learn how to get more support and commitment from stakeholders and decision makers and gain a broad understanding of all key aspects of lobby and advocacy. The course also discusses social accountability, strategic communication skills, and analysing methods to better understand your organisation’s context.
