It is inspiring to read in the March Alliance the account of solidarity giving to Gaza, and the impressive results from countries that are relatively new to organized public fundraising. It was especially gratifying to hear that Jordan was able to generate more than $250,000 from the Welfare Association. This very much reinforces our view that fundraising is the ‘sleeping giant’ of civil society.

The Resource Alliance’s efforts to encourage and energize fundraising in the Global South have been meet with much enthusiasm from local NGOs – especially through the International Workshop on Resource Mobilization (IWRM), which last year attracted 350 people from 53 countries and which will be held this year in Bangalore, India.

International organizations are now beginning to wake up to the importance of developing the fundraising skills of their partners and member agencies. Resource Alliance’s consultancy arm has been working with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for the past two years to train fundraisers in member societies in 13 countries, including Jordan. Our experience there was proof that, given the right tools, fundraisers can help build not just their sector but civil society as a whole.

Lyndall Stein
Interim CEO, Resource Alliance