| On Friday,
December 3, 2004, AHI played host to members of the
Networking forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and
Rights (SRHR). The meeting was designed to assist the
forum members develop skills for improving SRH programming.
The capacity building session was therefore aimed at
exploring the major sources of funding for non-profit
organizations, share information about the most useful
funding websites and how to get the most out of online
funding research time. It was also aimed at providing
some “good old common sense” tips that can
turn ordinary people into skilled fundraisers.
Mrs. Nike Esiet, the Executive Director, AHI facilitated
the session. In her presentation, she highlighted certain
misconceptions people had about fundraising and clarified
such misconceptions. Common sources of institutional
funding and support such as private foundations, donor
agencies, corporations and businesses were also highlighted.
Participants were also taken through the skills needed
for obtaining information about grants on the net. They
were shown how to search for donors and a list of relevant
websites/search engines were provided. The facilitator
also suggested tips for relevant information to search
for, including funder’s interest in the organization’s
projects, list of recently awarded grants by the funder,
application guidelines and relevant contacts.
Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of raising
support from foundations were brought to the fore. Mrs.
Esiet used the opportunity to explain why and how each
of the common sources of institutional funding supports
NGOs. Members of the Networking Forum, including Society
for Women and AIDS in Africa, Nigeria, Legal Research
and Resource Development Centre, Development Communications
Network, and IAC Nigeria participated at the forum.
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