Project Development and Fundraising Course

Lesson 1 • Stakeholder Identification and Mapping

Introduces techniques for identifying and categorising stakeholders by influence and interest. Directly informs communication and engagement strategies developed later.

Lesson 2 • The Project Lifecycle

Maps the standard phases from initiation to closure and explains phase-gate logic. Provides the structural backbone for all subsequent planning activities.

Lesson 3 • Project Roles and Governance

Clarifies accountability structures including sponsors, managers, and teams. Sets expectations for decision-making authority used in all project phases.

Lesson 4 • What Is a Project?

Defines projects versus ongoing day-to-day managerial operations and introduces core terminology. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 1 • Understanding the Problem Space

Introduces root-cause analysis and problem framing techniques. Prevents solution-first thinking that leads to misaligned projects.

Lesson 2 • Validating the Problem Statement

Teaches peer review, stakeholder feedback, and evidence triangulation to confirm findings. Produces a defensible problem statement ready for proposal organisational development.

Lesson 3 • Defining Target Population and Context

Guides segmentation of beneficiaries and analysis of environmental factors. Ensures project design is responsive to actual community conditions.

Lesson 1 • Theory of Change Fundamentals

Explains how a theory of change articulates the causal pathway from intervention to impact. Provides the conceptual foundation for logic model construction.

Lesson 2 • Building a Logic Model

Walks through each logic model component and their relationships. Produces the core planning artifact used in proposals and evaluations.

Lesson 3 • Risk Identification in Project Design

Identifies design-stage risks and introduces mitigation strategies. Prepares students to address funder concerns about project viability.

Lesson 4 • Activity Planning and Sequencing

Introduces work breakdown structures and activity sequencing tools. Ensures all planned activities are feasible, resourced, and logically ordered.

Lesson 1 • Building a Line-Item Budget

Guides construction of a detailed line-item budget with narrative justification. Produces the financial document most commonly required by funders.

Lesson 2 • Budget Monitoring and Variance Analysis

Introduces tools for tracking expenditures against budget and interpreting variances. Prepares students for financial reporting obligations during project implementation.

Lesson 3 • Indirect Cost Rates and Overhead

Demystifies indirect cost rate negotiation and allowable overhead recovery. Ensures organisations recover true project costs without violating funder policies.

Lesson 4 • Cost-Sharing and Matching Funds

Explains in-kind and cash contributions and how they satisfy funder match requirements. Strengthens proposals by demonstrating organisational commitment.

Lesson 1 • Donor Research and Prospect Identification

Teaches systematic research methods to identify funders aligned to project mission and geography. Produces a qualified prospect list for proposal targeting.

Lesson 2 • Donor Cultivation and Relationship Building

Covers the moves management cycle from identification through stewardship. Establishes relationship practices that increase donor retention and upgrade rates.

Lesson 3 • Developing a Fundraising Strategy

Guides creation of a multi-year, multi-source fundraising plan with revenue targets. Connects funding strategy to project budget and organisational capacity.

Lesson 4 • Governance compliance and Ethical Fundraising

Reviews donor rights, gift acceptance policies, and regulatory disclosure requirements. Ensures fundraising practices protect organisational reputation and donor trust.

Lesson 1 • Writing Compelling Narratives

Applies persuasive writing techniques to communicate project value to reviewers. Directly improves proposal competitiveness and reviewer scores.

Lesson 2 • Evaluation Plan Design

Guides construction of a credible evaluation plan with indicators, data sources, and timelines. Satisfies funder accountability requirements and supports learning.

Lesson 3 • Reading and Responding to RFPs

Teaches systematic analysis of requests for proposals to extract funder priorities and requirements. Prevents disqualification from non-governance compliance with submission guidelines.

Lesson 4 • Proposal Review and Submission

Covers internal review protocols, revision strategies, and submission procedures. Reduces errors and strengthens proposals before they reach funders.

Lesson 1 • Managing Subgrantees and Partners

Covers subgrant agreements, partner oversight, and collaborative accountability structures. Ensures governance compliance and quality when work is delegated to partner organisations.

Lesson 2 • Project Closure and Transition

Guides final management reporting, asset disposition, and knowledge transfer at project end. Protects organisational reputation and positions the team for future funding.

Lesson 3 • Scope, Schedule, and Resource Management

Applies scope control, scheduling tools, and resource allocation techniques to active projects. Prevents scope creep and resource conflicts during execution.

Lesson 4 • Monitoring and Progress Management reporting

Introduces organisational performance monitoring frameworks and funder progress report formats. Keeps projects on track and maintains funder confidence throughout implementation.

Lesson 1 • Organisational Learning and Adaptation

Introduces after-action reviews and adaptive management cycles to embed learning. Builds organisational capacity to improve project design over successive funding cycles.

Lesson 2 • Impact Measurement Frameworks

Surveys established frameworks for measuring social, economic, and environmental impact. Equips students to select the right measurement approach for their project type.

Lesson 3 • Communicating Results to Funders

Teaches how to package evaluation findings into compelling funder reports and presentations. Strengthens funder relationships and increases renewal funding likelihood.

Lesson 4 • Data Analysis and Interpretation

Covers quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques for project evaluation data. Transforms raw data into actionable insights for management reporting and learning.