At Fundwell Academy, we are proud to offer university graduate-level courses to students enrolled in our classes. Our courses reflect the best practices of fundraising development and hone students’ skills for professional success at fundraising. Together our three classes provide a complete toolkit for a successful career in fundraising:

• Grant Proposal Writing
• The Annual Fund
• Major Gifts

The online curriculum is complemented by a hands-on mentoring project with a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

At Fundwell Academy, you learn at your own pace because the digital curriculum is available to you 24/7. The online classes allow both traditional students and full-time professionals to learn and participate in the full, virtual classroom experience with faculty and other students. The courses may be taken one-at-a-time or simultaneously as you choose. Faculty and students use the web-based tools to communicate and discuss course concepts. There are no textbooks to purchase because all reading materials are available in our courseware and may be easily viewed or downloaded. Each student receives a letter grade for their classwork and Fundwell Academy Certification.

We accept avid learners residing anywhere in the world. Since ours are graduate-level courses, please contact us to discuss your educational status and get your questions answered.

Courses cost $950US each. You may register for one or more classes using a valid credit card. Discounts are available to students who enroll in all three classes simultaneously or sequentially.

Read more about our courses and program: Grant Proposal Writing; The Annual Fund; Major Gifts; and the Fundwell Academy Mentor Program.

Certification
Fundwell Academy is an approved certifier of continuing education points for Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) International, the professional certification association for fundraising professionals. When you complete the Fundwell suite of courses, you will receive a Fundwell Academy certificate which serves as an impartial, third-party endorsement of your knowledge and experience against international standards in philanthropy. It adds to your credibility as a fundraiser and sets you apart from other professionals. If you are a fundraising professional and are pursuing professional development, our courses are designed to enhance your career advancement. At the conclusion of any one of our classes, you will receive a letter grade on your coursework and paperwork toward your CFRE certification.

Grant Proposal Writing
This course presents the basics strategies and techniques of grant proposal writing. Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

• identify, research and cultivate different types of grant funding sources and those most likely to fund their organization
• excite active board involvement in proposal writing
• write winning grant proposals
• tailor proposals to meet the needs of specific funders and the organization’s goals
• insist on ethics in proposal writing
• prepare a proposal budget

The Annual Fund
This course prepares a student to undertake an annual fund campaign. Upon completion of this course, a student will have:

• designed and written their own annual fund plan supporting the organization’s mission and goals
• understand the social context of philanthropy and key fundraising concepts
• develop an organization's case for support
• set monetary goals and objectives
• determine the forms of cultivation that are the most appropriate for an organization’s current and prospective donors
• determine the methods of solicitation that are the most appropriate for an organization’s current and prospective donors
• prepare a budget for fundraising expenses
• write an effective fundraising letter and e-campaign based on your organization's case statement
• evaluate the qualitative and quantitative results of an annual fund campaign

Major Gifts
This course emphasizes the benefits of major gifts. Upon completion of this course, a student will:

• know how fundraising and the nonprofit sector have evolved and changed, including the role of volunteerism in philanthropic fundraising
• understand major gifts campaigns, the major gift cycle, the benefits and uses of various major gift vehicles, and what major gift vehicle is the most appropriate for what given situation
• discern the styles and characteristics of relationships with philanthropic partners
• inculcate the standards of practice for the charitable gift planner
• create a major gifts plan, complete with case statements, gift tables, prospect lists, philanthropic partner profiles, calendars, and budgets
• prepare communications with philanthropic partners
• measure the effectiveness of major gifts programs

The Mentor Program
The Mentor Program is the hallmark of Fundwell Academy and what sets our program apart from all other CFRE approved courses.
Students experience fundraising by selecting and working with a 50l(c)3 nonprofit organization to complete all exercises, discussions and assignments. The selected nonprofit is the laboratory and the student's contact in the organization is the student's mentor.
Students use best practices learned in their Fundwell Academy courses and immediately apply them to a working nonprofit.At the same time, students contribute to the organization: upon completion of each course, the mentoring organization will have a working set of immediately usable fundraising documents.
In many cases, students are already working or volunteering at the nonprofit where they undertake the mentoring program. Students work closely with their Fundwell Academy faculty advisor at the same time they are working with their nonprofit organization.
Over the last decade, students have worked with over 150 nonprofits, benefiting both the student and the organization in this rich learning relationship. Read a partial list of the organizations here.