How Fundraising Works

This course offers a high-level overview of the key terms, concepts and principles of professional fundraising in Canada today.

Learning Objectives

• Define common terms used in ‘fundraising’
• Express how LAI helps to identify the most likely donor for your cause
• Describe the stages of the fund development cycle
• Explain the readiness factors needed for fund development
• Describe the principles demonstrated by the ‘Donor Pyramid’
• Articulate the purpose of different fundraising methods and give examples
• Speak to the importance of ethical standards in fundraising practice

Course Curriculum

• Part 1: The Canadian Fundraising Landscape
• Part 2: Understanding & Engaging Donors
• Part 3: Fundraising Readiness
• Part 4: Fundraising Methods and Strategies
• Part 5: Management, Professionalism & Ethics

Links and Additional Resources

• 3 downloadable resources and course transcript
• 12 links to online resources
• 1 book recommendation

Course Access & Duration 

This course is on-demand, meaning that you can take it anytime, at your own pace. The course will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete from start to finish. You have one year (365 days) to complete the course from the date of purchase before it will automatically expire in your account. However, once you open a course for the very first time, you will have unlimited access to complete the course within 3 months. You can choose to take the course in one sitting or in smaller bites. Either way, the course is entirely flexible and up to you how fast you complete it within the 3-month time frame!

Course Level/Prerequisites/Certification Credits

Introductory level, no prerequisites.

Recommended companion course: Case for Support, Event Planning, How Boards Work, Planned Giving, Writing Effective Policies and Procedures

Final Exam –Take the optional final exam at the end of the course. If you pass with 70% or higher, please contact help@charityvillage.com with your exam score to receive your course certificate.

Participation in the course is applicable for 2 points in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

This training may be used to meet the requirements for renewing the Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credential. One Professional Development Unit (PDU) is awarded for each 50-60 minute session or contact hour in topics related to volunteer resources management. For more details about the CVA program and renewal requirements, visit www.CVAcert.org or email info@cvacert.org.

Continuing education certification may be eligible through the Professional Administrators of Volunteer Resources – Ontario (PAVRO). For more information, please email pavro@pavro.on.ca.

About the Course Author

Dr. Sharilyn Hale partners with those who want to make the world better. As President of Watermark Philanthropic Counsel, she supports philanthropists, generous families, and social purpose organizations across Canada and the Caribbean, resulting in them having greater confidence and clarity. With a passion for great governance, she works with boards of charities and nonprofits, as well as private and public foundations, to help them improve their governance performance. An experienced board director herself with a leadership career spanning the social profit sector, Sharilyn is a Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and a governance advisor and trainer with BoardSource. She holds a doctorate degree in leadership where her research focused on governance and philanthropy. Committed to the leadership development of the nonprofit sector, Sharilyn serves on the Advisory Council for the Masters in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program at Carleton University, where she teaches the Governance & Leadership graduate course.