Fundraising Training Cohort

• Participants create a comprehensive fundraising strategy and implementation plan customized to their organization.

• Participants build the skills they need to lead and implement their fundraising strategy.

• Participants build their leadership capacity through one on one Executive Coaching.

• Participants expand their network by collaborating with other cohort members and engaging with guest trainers and speakers.

Cohort participants will be chosen based on a variety of attributes. The goal is to gather a group of participants that are facing similar challenges and obstacles to achieving their goals. This will create the most impactful learning environment possible. These attributes may include the following:

• Budget size

• Staff size

• Technical capacity (CRM, client database, etc)

• Board size and engagement

• Organization age

• Current stage of the Nonprofit Lifecycle

• Existing donor base

Generally, the cohort is intended for small to mid-sized organizations that have approximately one person dedicated to fundraising. Some examples of the ideal person to represent the organization and participate in the cohort are:

• The Executive Director who is primarily responsible for fundraising. They may have some support from other staff, but it’s mostly up to them.

• The Development staff member who is doing all the fundraising on their own with a little bit of help from others.

Each cohort member will be expected to fully participate in the cohort activities and community building. This will include:

• Attend every training session. Attendance at each session is vital as each module will build on previous modules. Additionally, in a group of this size, community building is important and absences are disruptive. Participants that miss more than one session may be removed from the cohort.

• Most of the hands-on work will be completed during the session. There may be occasional prep work to be completed in between sessions and participants will be expected to attend each session fully prepared.

Each monthly session will run from 9am-3pm, including lunch and breaks. Each day will blend instruction with hands-on practical application.Staff at small nonprofits have limited time so we will use our training sessions to solve real problems and create real fundraising materials. Organizations are expected to attend all sessions. The first and last sessions are mandatory and participants may miss only one session.

The curriculum is a modular format. Each month will be one module and the modules will be selected to meet the cohort participant’s needs. The order of modules can be adjusted. Modules 1 and 8 are required as the beginning and end to the cohort:

1. Fundraising Fundamentals – This session will explore how an organization’s values guide the fundraising strategy, the Executive Director’s role in fundraising, how to budget diverse streams of revenue, how to create fundraising goals, and how to align a fundraising strategy with a strategic plan/organization goals.

   Hands on activities: Fundraising strategy screen, SMART fundraising goals, create data collection process map

2. Individual Donors & Marketing – A marketing plan is critical to a successful fundraising strategy. Participants will learn how to make the most of limited marketing resources, and how to craft compelling messages that will engage their audience. This will include writing appeal letters, using photos, social media, email campaigns, and newsletters. 

*This session may be appropriate for both the primary fundraiser and the communications staff members.
Hands on activities: Marketing & Communications calendar, using AI to draft an appeal letter and social media calendar, complete appeal draft, create story & photo collection process

3. Individual Donors – We will move up the Ladder of Engagement and explore how to engage individual donors at different levels, how volunteerism impacts giving, developing major donors, how to select and use a CRM, and how to use donor data for reports and decision making. 

Hands on activities: Create a ladder of engagement, create major donor profile, choosing and using a CRM (depending on need of cohort), 

4. Special Events and Corporate Donors – Participants will use the Ladder of Engagement to guide the design of a special event strategy, how to align special events with the mission, the basics of implementing a fundraiser, and how to secure corporate sponsorships. We will explore how to initiate and foster corporate relationships in ways that align with each organization’s mission. This will include workplace giving.

*A board member who is particularly interested in special events may attend this session.

Hands on activities: Create special event workplan, draft corporate partnership (sponsor) packet, create list of potential sponsors

5. Community Engagement – We will examine the board’s role in fundraising, advocacy as a tool for furthering your mission, and volunteer engagement. 

*The Board Chair or Chair of the Development Committee is asked to attend with their staff.

Hands on activities: Create a board engagement plan, draft a development committee job description (based on cohort need) create an advocacy plan

6. Grant Writing – Participants will discuss the hidden rules of grant writing, how to develop relationships with funders, keys to successful proposals and reports, using AI to write grant narratives, grant budgets, logic models, the importance of measuring impact, and when & how to hire a contract grant writer.

*Program staff or any staff member contributing to grant writing is invited to attend.

Hands on activities: Draft intro email to Program Officer, draft a needs statement, draft a grant budget, draft a logic model, use data collection process from Session 1. 

7. Special Campaigns* – Participants will learn the fundamentals of a Capital Campaign, Planned Giving, Donor Advised Funds, and other types of special campaigns. Participants will learn when and how to launch these types of campaigns, including how to hire a fundraising consultant.

Hands on activities: Create process map for managing the recording and acknowledging of United Way and workplace gifts.

*Based on participant’s needs, this session can be changed to dig even deeper into other topics already covered.

8. Fundraising Strategy – Each participant will create an annual fundraising strategy with goals and an implementation plan. It will directly support the organization’s strategic plan/goals.

Hands on activities: Create a full set of SMART fundraising goals and a 3 year fundraising strategy.

Participants will gather following the summer break for a hands-on clinic to plan and create materials for the fall giving season. The clinic will focus on the following:

• Finalizing fundraising strategy for last quarter (Oct-Dec)

• Creating fundraising materials

• Answering any unresolved questions still lingering from the monthly trainings

• Reflecting on progress made during the summer break

Each participant will be matched with an Executive Coach and receive 9 coaching sessions. 

• The coach will meet with the participant once a month in between training sessions. 

• The coaching sessions are confidential.

• The participant may use the time with their coach in the way that most suits them. Each participant will be asked to identify specific goals they want to work on with their coach.

October - December – Registration is open

December – Participants are selected and confirmed

January - June – Monthly cohort sessions

September - Fall giving kick-off clinic

January - September - Monthly Executive Coaching sessions

Apply here

The Pittsburgh location(s) will be dependent on cohort participants and their desire to take advantage of the discount policy. All locations will be located in Allegheny County and be wheelchair accessible. Public transportation will also be considered in location selection.

$8,500 per organization/participant

A nonrefundable deposit of $2,500 will be due upon acceptance into the cohort to reserve your place. All deposits must be received by December 19,2025.

The nonrefundable balance of $6,000 will be due by January 16, 2026.

The cohort participants are carefully chosen to foster an impactful learning environment. Participants who drop out early will not be refunded as they occupied a slot that could have gone to another organization.

Payment plans may be considered on a case by case basis.

Discounts will be offered to organizations who help lower the cost of the cohort. The following discounts are available and arranged once the organization has been accepted into the cohort:

Venue - $1,000 discount will be offered to an organization that provides meeting space for one in-person session that meets the space requirements.

Food - $1,000 discount will be offered to an organization that provides food for one in-person session. This includes morning snacks, lunch, afternoon snacks, and drinks.

Printing - $500 discount will be offered to an organization that prints the handouts and materials for one in-person session.

Organizations may take advantage of multiple discounts.