altFUND:
the award-winning alternative certificate in:
Global Funding for Local Impact
altFUND: your pathway to “FUNDED”
We exist to help you see the world of nonprofit funding partnerships differently, to help you see all of your resourcing choices, to help you make better decisions, and most of all, help you to fund your impact.
altFUND is a teaching course and a mentoring programme. It’s an intensive, twenty week-long experience that will connect you to new ideas, new people, and new ways of doing things. We blend strategic frameworks with practical tools and tactics, so you feel equipped and confident to do this.
This programme has been designed with, and for, civil society leaders, development professionals, & fundraising practitioners in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania (during the past decade) but this approach also works elsewhere, even in places like Europe.
We’re your friendly faculty 😊 we all have decades of deep and broad regional experience of building high-value funding partnerships in the places you are, and we look forward to walking alongside you on this journey, to help you push the boundaries of your possible and to fund your impact.
We’ll encourage and equip you to get started and let the day-to-day work of partnership-building teach you. You’ll engage with 10 “Path-Projects” that will translate the theory into practice - doing these projects is doing the work of partnership-building and fundraising - they will transform the way you work and give you practical tools to do the work.
Look, we know this isn’t for everyone. We’re looking to walk alongside the few people who are ready to take the leap with us, willing to choose a different (proven and efficient) pathway to “funded”, to put in the extra work to resource the changes they want to see, to grow new income streams, start and sustain new partnerships, level-up their fundraising practice, and to lead.
One thing we talk about in the programme is “value”. This is what gives us the confidence and clarity to make smart strategic investments, and then step out of our comfort zones to fund impact. Our primary value is this consistent contribution to the global funding ecosystem, but we are also mindful of the immediate impact of the programme as demonstrated by the hundreds of testimonials from participants who have gone on to fund their impact - some of their experiences and perspectives from the programme are shared on this page.
These testimonials also offer a glimpse into what might be possible for you.
YOUR Global Faculty
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Nachula Wilson is a strategic partnerships and operations professional with extensive experience in Africa. She currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ashesi University in Ghana, where she leads efforts to cultivate relationships and secure funding from major donors, foundations, and corporate partners across Africa.
Prior to this, Nachula held leadership roles at the African Leadership University in Rwanda and Mauritius, overseeing academic operations and program development. Nachula also consults with organisations, providing advisory services on strategy development, fundraising, and education management. She has also held board roles, most recently as Treasurer for Accra's Lycee Français.
Nachula holds an MBA from IESE Business School and is an alumna of the Social Finance Programme at Oxford Said Business School. Her expertise spans participatory project planning, financial analysis, fundraising, governance, and leadership development. With a deep appreciation for Africa's development challenges from working across the continent, Nachula is passionate about turning those challenges into opportunities and uses her work for this effort.
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Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun completed his undergraduate education at Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Oxford University then received his PhD in Chemistry at Yale University. The transformative liberal arts and sciences education he received abroad challenged him to find deeper meaning behind his actions, informing his ensuing work.
He returned to Myanmar in 2014 to dedicate his life to developing his native country. As a young social entrepreneur with a dedicated mission to create the next generation of responsible and competent leaders, he believes that empowering the youth is the most rewarding investment a country can make to safeguard its sustainable future.
He believes liberal arts and sciences education has the transformative power to develop the innovative, adaptable leaders needed to address fast-changing global socio-political trends and industrial disruptions.
With this mission in mind, Kyaw Moe Tun established the Parami Institute in early 2017, providing high-quality, innovative liberal education programs to young Myanmar graduates who want to take on challenges facing their country. He raised millions of dollars from local and international philanthropists to transform the institute into a private, non-profit, residential, degree-granting university to create next-generation leaders for Myanmar – a plan curtailed by the military coup in 2021.
To meet the growing educational needs of a country in crisis, he quickly pivoted to incorporate Parami University as a private, non-profit, synchronous online university licensed by the Higher Education Licensure Commission, Washington D.C. offering Associate and Bachelor degree programs since 2022 to students in Myanmar and other areas under authoritarian control.
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Lilian Mabonga is a seasoned Development Specialist with over 15 years of diverse experience across engineering, agriculture, green energy, and currently specialising in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as part of SDG 6 and 13 . She has participated and contributed to SDGs 1 to 5 initiatives over the years. She is driven by a passion for creating sustainable impact in the communities she serves.
Lilian's expertise extends beyond program implementation; she is also a proficient fundraiser, having successfully raised millions of dollars to support vital development projects benefiting communities in Africa. Her commitment to excellence led her to pursue advanced studies, and she is currently a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the University of South Africa.
With a robust academic background, Lilian holds an MBA in Strategic Management and an MA in Monitoring and Evaluation. Her academic journey complements her practical experience, enhancing her ability to design and manage impactful development programs.
Lilian is distinguished by her project management acumen, holding certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Project Management for Development Professionals (PMD Pro). She has further honed her leadership skills through specialised coursework at Cornell University, including Project Management, Project Leadership, Women in Leadership, and Change Management.
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Steve Murigi is a trustee of The Fore, which funds exceptional small charities that are transforming lives and society. Steve is the CEO of WeSeeHope, partners with local NGOs to provide children in East Africa with access to community-led education, child rights and economic empowerment programmes.
With previous roles as CEO at Primary Care International and diverse leadership roles at Amref Health Africa, he has a deep understanding of the complex challenges surrounding charity operations and social enterprise development. With nearly two decades of directly developing strategic partnerships, Steve has facilitated effective collaborations with major partners including GSK, the Guardian, and Barclays.
His work spans multiple countries and continents, reflecting a deep commitment to decolonising and localising international development and advancing trust-based philanthropy. Steve's extensive experience in managing multi-stakeholder partnerships emphasises his dedication to ethical practices and promoting equitable healthcare access worldwide.
Respecting local knowledge and cultural contexts, Steve’s initiatives set high standards for the delivery of training and resources in challenging environments. His leadership continues to drive forward a legacy of community-centred change.
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Emily Monville Oro is the Acting Asia Regional Director and concurrent Philippines Country Director of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR). She provides strategic direction and oversees implementation of its key programs focusing on strengthening local Food Systems for food and nutrition security, Economic Empowerment, especially of women, conserving environment and Biodiversity for climate and disaster resilience, improving local Health care delivery system, Education and Global Learning.
Emily has 33 years of work experience mostly in Asia, leading conduct of development action research, managing community development programs, and designing capacity building activities and learning events in the region. She finished her Master’s in Public Health and has been co-lead investigator of various research projects including many relating to Upscaling Integrated School Nutrition Program in the Philippines, and the recently concluded regional research project on Climate Smart Villages as Platforms for Resilience Building, Women Empowerment, Equity, and Sustainable Food Systems in Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
She is actively involved in the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN) being a staunch advocate for Health and Nutrition, and is currently the Senior Regional Adviser for Asia of the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network. She believes that trust-based giving builds strong organisations and sustainable development programs.
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Jess has worked in the social Impact space for over 20 years,designing equity-centred social change programs in the UK as well as humanitarian relief programs.
She has worked with the Fundraising Radicals on several different projects. Currently, she works at Global Fund for Children, a global nonprofit dedicated to finding, funding, and coaching truly local organizations that uplift young people worldwide.
Jess is also the founder of Design for Social Impact Lab, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting organisations design equity-centred programs, policies, research and learning.
Design for Social Impact has worked with dozens of grassroots organisations as well as the British Red Cross, National Lottery Fund, Association of Charitable Foundations, the Stephen Lawerence Foundation, Plan International and Save the Children. In 2024, Design for Social Impact launched Its first global learning program, bring together participants from over 15 countries to explore equity-centred approaches to research design for social impact.
Jess lives in London, in the UK.
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Craig is the founder of Fundraising Radicals and has spent three decades helping nonprofits around the globe figure out how to fund their impact. He has worked with civil society visionaries in over 100 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and designed many strategies and pathways that have led to funding:
That enables a nonprofit owned by indigenous forest communities to collaborate and protect 250,000 more hectares of primary rainforest in Papua New Guinea.
That is transforming child and maternal health in The Gambia through West Africa’s first social enterprise hospital.
That made the UK’s landscapes more accessible through Northumberland National Park’s The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.
That bolsters critical thinking and intellectual resistance within Myanmar, by building the country’s first liberal arts and sciences university.
For a place to explore global Palestinian identity and resistance in the West Bank’s incredible and important Palestinian Museum.
That supports brilliant medical researchers in Africa and breaks down the barriers to funding, through the Africa Research Excellence Fund.
That drives better healthcare and training through the Royal College of Physicians northern hub in Liverpool’s iconic and nature-inspired The Spine building.
That protects academic freedom by supporting persecuted academics and their families, and those in conflict zones via partnerships brokered by the Council for At-Risk Academics.
For Craig it’s always about much more than raising big chunks of cash, he believes deeply that why funding is needed, and how funding is raised, matter most. Funding is powerful, it amplifies and accelerates, which means Craig is careful about the causes he works with.
So, he has spent much of the last six years using his big-white-man-elbows to create and fund the learning space that has evolved into altFUND. This challenges traditional ideas of what funding knowledge and expertise really matter and where everyone can share more relevant experiences of regional partnership-building in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
Before becoming a self-proclaimed fundraising radical (is it really radical to prioritise humanity, planet, and justice?) Craig started out teaching maths in Nigeria with VSO, then put on a suit to crunch numbers at KPMG. But the nonprofit world kept calling, and he found his sweet spot blending finance, people, organisational change, and social impact.
These days, when he's not designing strategies and organisational pathways to funding, or training people and teams around the world, you might find him paddle boarding, hiking, or surfing. Oh, and Craig's got the academic chops too - a first degree in maths, chartered accountancy credentials, and a master's in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS.
What really makes Craig tick is his belief that meaningful change happens when you get the fundamentals right and the deep work done - purpose, values, people, and culture - funding is downstream from these. It's probably why he's won awards for transforming fundraising programmes, and for innovation in fundraising, and why organisations keep asking him to guide them and to join their boards.
Emily Monville-Oro
Jessica Oddy-Atuona
Kyaw Moe Tun
Nachula Wilson
Steve Murigi
Lilian Mabonga
Craig Pollard
I have since raised $150,000, so yes, this was the best capacity-building decision I have ever made.
Programme Impact
Last year, we walked alongside 1,039 participants in 107 countries. Many delivered change, progress, and funding. They also shared how the programme contributed:
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99% of graduating participants described themselves as “highly satisfied” and would recommend the programme to others.
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Graduating participants told us that their average “fundraising confidence” grew from 58% before the programme, to a whopping 84% afterwards.
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Half of graduating participants told us the programme “contributed significantly” to them raising a combined GBP 1 million during this year’s programme.
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An additional 25% of participants told us the programme “significantly improved” the positioning, strategy, and quality of their proposals (with a combined value of more than GBP 5 million).
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“Beyond helping one define how best to approach and structure fundraising, Craig instills confidence into one's capability to fundraise - especially for those of us who sit within the African continent - where one of the key worries tends to be; 'where do I begin?”
- Tidah, African Leadership University, Kenya
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“The programme's influence was substantial. For example, one of the key takeaways was a new approach to donor segmentation and personalized communication. After implementing these strategies, I saw a 30% increase in donor engagement within three months.”
- Nichcha, Raks Thai Foundation, Thailand
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“It’s a remarkable course with practical outcomes. The program has impacted me positively, I have been able to develop three proposals and shared with potential donors and we are about to sign an agreement of $30,000.”
- Georgine, Civil Society Alliance for Nutrition, Uganda
who are we? who is this for?
You and us. We believe in better. We learn and rise together.
We are “civil society leaders”, “development professionals”, “fundraising practitioners". Our work is mainly in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania, and other places too, like Europe and North America.
We are global citizens, partnership-builders, system-seers, game-players, and rule-breakers. We are collaborative and focused, idealists and pragmatic, we are ecosystem-explorers, community-creators, ideators and innovators. We are cause-connectors, market-makers, and navigators to change.
We hold onto hope and humanity as we strive for equality and justice. We know progress is hard but possible, we see the path ahead and walk it with satisfaction.
As our journey began, so it can continue (in some form) without funding. But we also know more can be achieved together, that partnership and funding can accelerate and amplify our impact. We prefer moving deliberately towards funding, instead of waiting for others to find us and fund us.
We know our impact, the value we bring, and that our work matters. So we are careful who funds us. Because we care. Because know that those who fund us also shape us, they share in our power, in our vision, and in our impact.
Our partnerships matter. They move at the speed of trust, with shared purpose and values as guides and guardrails. They are journeys walked alongside those who share our worldview and our ambition for better. We are equal, generous, and grateful within these, and grow together.
We know that the journey of impact is difficult, so we pace ourselves, we flex, we forgive ourselves and others, we learn, we grow, we aim beyond being “Well-Funded” towards a more joyful and sustainable target of “Well & Funded”.
This is what shapes us and our work together. Continue reading to find out what we will do and how we will do it. Then join us.
altFUND has three main parts
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Teaching Webinars
We all come together once per week (for 90 minutes, via Zoom) to explore the theory, to challenge our thinking and practice, to connect with and encourage each other, and to equip ourselves with relevant tools and tactics to start and sustain the high-value funding partnerships that resource our local impact.
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Regional Group Mentoring Circles
Every two weeks we gather in smaller, Regional Group Mentoring “Circles” (for 60 minutes, via Zoom). Facilitated by our Global Faculty, these share regional expertises and examples, encourage us to connect with our peers, and support us to deliver our projects - we all become accomplices in each others’ impact.
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Path-Projects
Ten “path-projects” (one every two weeks) can be completed within a few hours. Designed to reflect the work we need to do in real-life to build funding partnerships. They provoke us to think differently, analytically, critically, creatively - they also help us overcome the barriers that prevent us from getting out there to do the work of partnership-building.
2025 Curriculum
The altFUND2025 programme:
Offers a sense-making structure that brings clarity to the complex practice of fundraising and partnership-building.
Aims at two levels. First, the systems and strategies that shape what is possible and how to progress. Second, the tools and tactics to do the work.
Practical projects help us overcome our doubts, get out, and equip us with the tools to do the work of partnership-building.
Explores the whole impact process: the strategic conditions, and frameworks for innovation and partnerships, the design of equity-centred social impact, and how we fund and resource it.
Shows what is possible and how, encourages and builds confidence and connections with others navigating the same opportunities and challenges.
Contextualises and surrounds our conversations with relevant perspectives, experiences and examples in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
Designed to translate thinking directly into practice, so you can immediately action this in your day-to-day work.
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The first part of Term 1 explores the strategy and systems space, the options and choices ahead of us, with a focus on the big things that matter most: the “Fund-amentals” of funding and resourcing impact. This is the deep and difficult work that most courses miss as they rush towards easier tools and tactics.
Only after we see the context can we move into the second part of Term 1 and dive into the theory, tools, and tactics for starting, sustaining and scaling holistic, high-value funding partnerships. We’ll also integrate equity-centred social impact design into our partnership-building practice.
Week #1: Welcome! Funding Principles, Purpose, Partnerships (and Power) - we start with the big things that matter most, the “Why?” and “How?” of building funding partnerships. What is your “Manifesto”.
Week #2: Your Funding Options, Choices, and Decisions - we explore ALL the funding options and introduce frameworks to guide your choices, and focus your decisions.
Week #3: Your Funding Platforms & Perspectives - where are you today and how did you get here? What do you have, and what do you need to grow future funding partnerships?
Week #4: Your Pathways to Funding - what are your best pathways to funding? How will you design and deliver each partnership journey?
Week #5: Introduction to Equity-Centred Impact Design & Funding - how will we design equity-centred social impact projects and secure funding by embedding inclusive practices into budgets and programme designs?
Week #6: Partnership Propositions & Promises of Impact - how will you design and deliver your authentic, compelling high-value proposition and promise of future impact? What value do you expect in return?
Week #7: People and Purposeful Conversations - who will fund your impact and why? How will you find them? What will you say to them, when and how… to make a connection or progress a journey?
Week #8: High-Impact Proposals1 - successful grantseeking starts long before you put pen to paper, so how will you prepare, how will you position yourself, who will you involve, and what is your process?
Week #9: High-Impact Proposals 2 - high-quality funding proposals are a critical element of grantseeking, so how do we craft brilliant proposals? How will we use technology and AI to support us?
Week #10: Ethical Storytelling in Fundraising - how will you craft fundraising narratives that honour the dignity and agency of communities, avoiding exploitation and sensationalism?
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Term 2 shapes, designs, and guides our own unique pathways to holistic, high-value funding partnerships - whether these originate in companies, with wealthy individuals, trusts, or governments, and whether these partners are international, regional, national, or local. This culminates in us developing on our very own plan that sets us off in the right direction, articulates the way forward, and how we will navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.
The second part of term 2 will be our exploration of innovation in high-value partnerships and alternative pathways to funded (and unfunded) impact via emerging and more established models of partnerships, sustainability, and impact. Our exploration will dive deeply into regional case studies to guide and inform options and decision-making. And once again, teaching will be translated into practice via five Regional Group Mentoring Circles, and five Path-Projects.
Week #11: Holistic Partnerships with Companies - what does global best practice in corporate fundraising look like? What are the funding mechanisms? How will you start, sustain, or scale partnerships with companies (local, national, regional, and global)?
Week #12: Holistic Partnerships with Wealthy individuals - what tools and tactics can we use to explore and unlock networks of wealthy individuals? What is trust-based philanthropy? What other values can these offer?
Week #13: Holistic Partnerships with Trusts and Foundations - how will you engage with the world of grantseeking? What are the choices, tools and tactics that will keep us focused? How is this work evolving?
Week #14: Holistic Partnerships with Governments and Institutions - how do we identify, start and evolve partnerships with global institutions and governments (at all levels from local to regional). How can we balance advocacy with support and funding?
Week #15: Beyond Numbers… Measuring and Funding Impact and Accountability - why it is important to measure impact? How will we redefine impact measurement to prioritise equity, mutual accountability, and learning? How will we move away from extractive practices?
Week #16: altFUND1 (Social Innovation, Enterprise, & Entre/Intrapreneurship) - we begin our practical exploration of alternative funding and financing for social and climate impact.
Week #17: altFUND2 (Digital Campaigns) - what are our online options, how does digital interact with funding streams, how does crowdfunding work, and what are the features of successful social media funding campaigns?
Week #18: altFUND3 (Fiscal Hosting, Microfinance, and Participatory Grantmaking) - how can we leverage global best practice to build our own financial resilience and that of the movements around us and strengthen our impact ecosystem?
Week #19: altFUND4 (Future Wealth - Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and NFTs) - how does blockchain work, how is it changing funding, how can we leverage blockchain transparency and other values? How will we explore the risks and rewards of cryptocurrency?
Week #20: altFUND5 (Future Funding - Reparative Justice, DeGrowth, and UnFunded) - what are some of the emerging ideas and models that might shape the near-future landscape for how funding flows and how it interacts with justice and equality?
“My participation has significantly broadened my perspective on resource mobilization. Beyond traditional institutional donors, I've gained the confidence to explore a diverse range of funding sources, including trusts, foundations, and institutions. The program equipped me with invaluable insights into global best practices and practical strategies for proactive engagement with these grantmakers, enabling us to shift from a reactive to a strategic fundraising approach.”
- Paule, CARE International, Lao PDR
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EXTRA Elements
Beyond the core programme, altFUND brings content via multiple channels for you to explore new perspectives and dive deeper into the parts that interest you most:
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Newsletter
The weekly window into your next week - themes, articles, resources, links - all in your inbox.
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Resources
Pre- and post-session resources shared by mentors and peers to continue and deepen your exploration.
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Faculty Articles
Regular bolts of brilliance from the beautiful brains of our global faculty.
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Audio Course
An elective audio course that explores some of the bigger questions in the global funding space.
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Festival of Funding
A two-day online global exploration and celebration of high-value funding partnerships (TBC - October 2025).
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Global Radicals
Full access to the planned ten-week Global Radicals: Fundraising Leadership Programme (TBC - from October 2025).
“This is a great programme, I have learned so much and connected with people all over the world. What I also like is the interaction and engagement across different platforms and channels, participants can learn so much from the podcast, the live webinars, the blogs, and through all the other parts. It has helped to extend my learning across the different regions - this course has built our confidence to start our own local private sector partnerships programme.”
- Keoamphone, CARE International Lao PDR
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Our Agreement
Commit & Collaborate
altFUND is a part-time commitment that has been designed to fit around our other priorities, in the way that funding and partnership-building often has to fit with and around programme delivery.
Our participants are busy people, with big jobs, families, and competing priorities - they make it work. We see your effort so we’re flexible too - for example, all webinar recordings will be be available to review (for one week, following each live session).
3-4 hours per week is the average time commitment. Weekly in-session time will be 1.5 or 2.5 hours. Most participants will invest a further 1-2 weekly hours to complete their own Path-Projects, and review others’.
To become accomplices in each others’ impact demands collaboration - faculty, mentors, and peers - we are all generous, so we all get out so much more than we put in.
We join conversations and we learn more together. We invest a little time each week reviewing the projects of others, and they ours, so we all gain more insight and broader perspectives into our projects.
Certificate & Celebrate
There are no tests on this programme. We are not measuring how much new information you can hold in your head. Income from high-value funding partnerships follows intention and investment, so are you ready to set this as your intention, invest time and effort, and show up? If you are, altFUND certificates are awarded to every participant who attends 80% of the sessions and submits 80% of the projects:
✅ 80% of live webinars (16/20 fully attended or 16/20 recordings watched)
✅ 80% of group mentoring circles (8/10 fully attended)
✅ 80% of path-project submissions (8/10 path-projects submitted)
✅ 80% of path-project reviews (these are our brief reviews of others’ path-projects)
🎉 We will celebrate and share in the success of others throughout - the big and small!
🎓 And we’ll wrap up the programme with graduations in our Mentoring Circles
altFUND2025 will be certificated and recognised by our certification partners, that include some of the world’s leading NGOs:
“We’ve been doing this for a while now, and we see a clear line between how much participants put into the programme and how much they get out (literally in terms of funding). Those who focus their energy into this, who show up every time, who are open to a new way of working, who trust the process, and who follow the guidance - these are the participants who go on to raise funding and build high-value partnerships.”
- Craig Pollard, Founder of Fundraising Radicals, Aotearoa New Zealand
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First
join the waitlist!
2025 places are very limited!
Join the waitlist and you’ll be first to hear when registration opens in early January, we’ll email you and share all the details (including pricing and offers).
Then
January 2025 - we’ll email you so you’re first to know when registration opens.
Complete the registration form and make payment (or ask your organisation for sponsorship) - places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Join an “Open Hour” live session to meet your faculty and get a taste of the programme - to check the fit, before you commit.
February 2025 begin connecting with your faculty, mentors, and peers.
March 2025 we’ll start our learning journey, which will continue for 20 weeks.
invest in your People & partners
The consistent #1 challenge facing civil society organisations and their leaders is "funding".
Get in touch with us ASAP to reserve a block for your people and partners to participate.
Join our growing community of global and regional NGOs - those who are walking the talk of shifting power, by investing in their people and partner organisations based in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
altFUND is unlike any other programme out there - it’s the latest evolution of our award-winning global training programme. We share practical strategies, tools, and tactics that equip participants to resource their impact from local, national, regional, and global sources.
We have spent the last decade learning how this works. Our global faculty is assembled, ready to generously share everything they know from direct experience of partnership-building in these regions, and to guide your participants.
Our primary focus is on our contribution to the global impact ecosystem. But we’re also mindful of the short term measurable, positive return-on-investment and the individual impact of the programme on participants’ fundraising confidence and income.
These resources and relationships build financial resilience, grow independence and power - these will also strengthen civil society networks and global nonprofits in transition.
Click on the button below, complete the form with as much detail as you can, and we’ll get back to you very soon to discuss how this can work for you and your global NGO or civil society network.