Our Program & Certificate
The Online Certificate in Fund Raising is designed for nonprofit executives, board members, and volunteers, and those seeking careers in nonprofit arts, education, and social service organizations. The program consists of three courses: Grant Proposal Writing, The Annual Fund, and Major Gifts. Each of the modules is built around the fund development basics of cultivation, solicitation, and acknowledgment/accountability and draws upon the vast knowledge base of respected professionals in the fund raising community. To receive a Certificate in Fund Raising, participants must complete all three courses.
Tell me and I will forget.
Teach me and I may remember.
Involve me and I will understand.
The cornerstone of the program is the experiential learning component of each course. All students are required to work with a 501(c)(3) organization to complete their assignments. The mentoring organization works with the student as they experience fundraising first hand. Through the courses, students create a portfolio of working fundraising documents - grant proposal, annual fund plan & major gifts plan - that benefits both the student and their mentor organization.
CFRE Affiliation
FundWell.com is proud to be an approved provider of continuing education credits for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification, which is an internationally recognized credential. The certification is based on completion of continuing education, work in the fundraising industry and an exam. Upon completion of our program, students will have earned 120 continuing education points towards the certification.
The Grant Proposal Writing course presents the ABCs of grant proposal writing. Emphasizing the importance of matching your organization's mission to the mission of the grantor, the course teaches how to conduct research for proposals, and how to evaluate the readiness of an organization to solicit funders through proposals with a focus on the writing. Upon completion of the course, students will have written two grant proposals.
In the Annual Fund Course, students will learn how to prepare their organization for the annual fund. Students will learn how to match donors and prospects with an organization's mission and values, set realistic fund raising goals, and plan a successful annual fund campaign that reaches fund raising objectives. Upon completion of the class, students will have designed and written their own annual fund plan.
The Major Gifts Course will acquaint participants with the major gifts process. Emphasizing the benefits of major gifts and major gift vehicles, the class teaches the importance of matching an organization's mission with the interests of potential major donors as well as involving the major donor in the organization. Participants will learn how to identify the characteristics of prospects, conduct successful prospect research, plan for personal solicitation, and cultivate and retain major donors. Upon completion of the course, students will have prepared a Major Gifts plan.