The challenge
NGOs across the region do important work, but many of them depend on a narrow set of funding sources, mostly grants that are competitive, slow and often tied to rigid project cycles. Their representatives told us they needed new skills to fund their work more independently. They also faced a second, closely related problem: even strong initiatives often stay invisible to the wider public, which makes it harder to win the support they need.

The process
With the support of ERSTE Foundation, representatives of NGOs from across the region had the chance to learn about crowdfunding and other alternative ways of financing their work. Brodoto designed and delivered a workshop that took participants through the full logic of a campaign: how crowdfunding works and which models and platforms suit civil society organisations, how to set a realistic financial goal, how to tell the story behind a cause in a way that moves people to give, and how to design rewards and communication that keep supporters engaged. Participants worked on their own organisations’ ideas throughout, so every concept was immediately tested against a real project.

The solution
More than 20 participants left the workshop understanding the concept and rules of crowdfunding well enough to plan and run their own fundraising campaigns in the future. Just as importantly, they learned how to give their work greater public visibility, using a campaign not only to raise money but to tell their story, reach new audiences and build a community of supporters who stay with them long after the campaign ends.