Community Philanthropy for CSOs

This free online course is designed for civil society practitioners in East Africa and beyond who are seeking to develop and implement effective community philanthropy strategies.

The course explores how community philanthropy can strengthen civil society organisation (CSO) sustainability by building trust, deepening community engagement, and mobilising resources across diverse stakeholders, including communities, government, the private sector, the media, and individual supporters. Participants will examine practical approaches to participatory engagement, trust-building, inclusive fundraising campaigns, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to support long-term local ownership and sustainable development outcomes.

The course duration is 2.5 hours. This course is available in Arabic and English.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
LO1 Explain the concept of community philanthropy and its contribution to CSO sustainability
LO2 Describe how community trust and engagement can be built through participatory and inclusive approaches
LO3 Identify the principles and steps involved in designing and implementing an effective fundraising campaign
LO4 Describe strategies for mapping and engaging key stakeholders in community philanthropy, including government, private sector, media, and the public
LO5 Explain how local asset mapping and community feedback mechanisms support sustainable engagement and resource mobilisation
LO6 Describe approaches for mobilising resources and support from diverse stakeholder groups
LO7 Explain how sustained engagement strategies contribute to long-term community ownership and organisational sustainability

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

Design and implement community philanthropy strategies that strengthen CSO sustainability
Build trust and long-term engagement with communities through participatory approaches
Map community assets, stakeholders, and priorities to inform programme and fundraising strategies
Develop and manage inclusive fundraising campaigns aligned with community needs and organisational goals
Engage effectively with government, private sector, media, and community actors to mobilise resources
Apply practical tools to strengthen feedback loops, accountability, and community ownership
Develop partnerships that create shared value across different stakeholder groups
Sustain engagement with stakeholders beyond individual campaigns to support long-term impact

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License. To view a copy of this license, go here.