CAFOD’s Our Common Home agenda commits us to placing local leadership, agency, and voice at the heart of our mission. One important way we live this out is by strengthening the long-term resilience and sustainability of our local partners.
CAFOD’s Fundraising Skills Exchange Programme: Strengthening Local Leadership Through Fundraising
Over the years, our Fundraising and Supporter teams have occasionally responded to requests from CAFOD’s International Programme teams to share fundraising knowledge with our global partners, particularly where:
The partnership has been strong, but CAFOD’s ability to provide core general grant funding in the long term is limited,
Partners have identified the potential for their Catholic community to support their core programme financially in the longer term, or
International institutional funding options for the partner and programme are likely to decrease in both the short and medium term.
We’ve seen the value of this approach in previous exchanges with partners in Nigeria and the Philippines, where mutual learning led to meaningful change. This model continues to shape our thinking, and we are constantly learning and refining it.
CAFOD draws on extensive fundraising expertise across several specialist teams, including Supporter Fundraising, Major Gifts and Philanthropy, Education and Community Participation, Trusts and Foundations, and Communications, who will be contributing during the workshop week. With many years of applying this knowledge within Catholic parishes and schools across England and Wales, we are eager to share the insights we have gained.
The aim is to not only share our insights and approaches but also to learn from our partners: how they engage supporters, communicate impact, and navigate their own fundraising challenges and opportunities, including outreach to diaspora communities globally. That’s why we’ve designed this as a skills exchange (not a course) where knowledge flows both ways.
This June, partners from Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Romania will travel to London to take part in a week-long skills exchange, shaped by the needs they identified through a recent survey, which partners have identified key areas of interest including:
Strategies for stewarding existing donors
Philanthropic and high-level giving
Trusts and foundations
Online fundraising platforms
Through this shared learning, we aim to support our partners in becoming more self-reliant in fundraising while also reflecting on our own practice.
Pitch Skills Workshop – Friday 20 June, 4:00pm–6:30pm
Romero House – Pavilion, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JB
A key moment in the exchange will be our Pitch Skills Workshop, where partners will practise communicating their projects to a UK audience. This is a chance for CAFOD supporters, staff, and guests to offer kind, constructive feedback that will help build our partners’ confidence and clarity in engaging donors.
Before the event, you’ll receive a short briefing document introducing the partners and the projects they’ll be pitching.
Workshop Agenda
Friday, 20 June | 4:00pm – 6:30pm
3:45 – 4:00pm – Arrival and Welcome Refreshments
Guests arrive, sign in, and enjoy tea, coffee, and light refreshments.
4:00 – 4:15pm – Introduction & Opening Remarks
Welcome from CAFOD team – overview of the Fundraising Skills Exchange Programme and what to expect from the session.
4:15 – 4:45pm – First Round of Partner Pitches
International partners from Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, and Romania give 10-minute pitches (in small groups of two). Supporters offer initial constructive feedback.
4:45 – 4:55pm – Pitch Refinement Time
Partners take time to reflect, refine, and prepare to re-present their pitches.
4:55 – 5:20pm – Second Round of Pitches
Partners re-deliver their improved pitches with adjustments based on feedback.
5:20 – 6:00pm – Group Reflection & Discussion
An open conversation with partners and guests to share insights, encouragement, and ask questions.
6:00 – 6:30pm – Closing Remarks & Networking
Final thanks and informal networking over drinks and canapés.
6:30 – 7:30pm – Extended Time to Connect with Partners and Guests.
This exchange is an opportunity to deepen solidarity, strengthen local leadership, and share learning across borders. It represents CAFOD’s commitment to long-term partnership, building a global Church that is spiritually and financially empowered to serve those most in need.
We look forward to sharing our key reflections and outcomes following the programme.
RSVP
RSVP at asaavedra@cafod.org.uk or register on Eventbrite.