Answering a key question: Raising friends or raising funds?

June 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Durban fundraising specialists, Downes Murray International (DMI) are to facilitate several workshop sessions at The Coalition of Anglican Children’s Homes (COACH)  three day workshop in Gauteng entitled "Survival, Strategy and Sustainability: South African NPO’s in 2012".  

The workshop which takes place from 3 – 5 July, features four keynote speakers on advocacy, governance, strategy, and sustainability, as well as experts in the field of enterprise development, fundraising, business models, and digital technology. This workshop is being billed as the one workshop which simply should not be missed for any NPO’s experiencing challenges in the current economic climate.

Focussing on the need for Non Profit Organisations to combine fundraising with ‘friendraising’ in hard economic times,  DMI, was a natural choice as workshop session speakers, having been established almost 30 years ago, and being ably represented by co directors Jenni McLeod and creative director Richard Solomon. The team bring a wealth of fundraising knowledge to the table.

Based in Durban Jenni has spent time in both Australia and the United States and is a regular presenter of fundraising workshops and seminars.  She was the only South African to be invited to present at the International Fundraising Group Workshop in Amsterdam in 1995 – a first for South Africa.  Her commitment to improving the skills of fundraisers and the success of their programmes is without question and she has taken an active role in the South African Institute of Fundraising’s activities since its inception 25 years ago.

The Not-for-Profit sector plays an immensely important role in today’s society and, in all instances, fundraising is a vital component of the NPO’s everyday lives.  Planning the fundraising strategies and equipping these organisations with the resources (human and technical) is what brings meaning to life for DMI and its staff.  “Our work indirectly helps these valuable organisations to make a difference in their communities, and this feeds our souls.  You have to have a heart for this type of business to make it a success,” comments Jenni.
.
Richard is responsible for developing creative strategies and appeal mailing concepts for a large range of local and international welfare organisations, and also leads our team of in-house and freelance copywriters and designers. Over the past 10 years he has worked with more than 100 charities in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

With a diploma in Journalism, Richard honed his writing and design skills as a newspaper reporter and layout artist. He became art director for Essentials magazine, and was an editor/publicist for the Playhouse Company.

‘It’s an ongoing challenge to find new ways to motivate donors to give, and to ensure that we use our clients’ budgets in the most cost-effective way possible,’ said Richard. ‘If what you’re telling your donors isn’t unique, relevant and meaningful, your charity won’t be noticed.’

The workshop offers NPO’s A unique opportunity to meet with leaders in various fields, to access their skills and to utilise this advice in their way forward, funded and secure that they are able to continue the vital work they undertake in South Africa today.  Registrations for the workshop are currently being accepted and more information is available from sandhira@coach,org.za or by calling Sandhira on 011 6164015/6/7 or by logging onto the COACH website http://www.coach.org.za where you can download the workshop brochure and complete an online registration document.  The fee for the three day workshop is R3450.00 per delegate