Funding Diversification: Building a Sustainable Portfolio Bootcamp

Aoife Ryle, Development Manager, Ivanhoe Development

Track: Fundraising and Sustainability

Audience: Nonprofit Organizations, Executive Directors, Board Members, Volunteers, Marketing/Communications
Skill Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives

• Apply principles of protfolio diversification to an organizational budget and build a 1-2 year diversification work plan for funding.
• Develop a partnership index rubric and identify partnership infrastructure for future projects.
• Build an organizational funding toolkit.

Brief Summary

It is now more important than ever to diversify funding sources, but how do you begin? What types of funds are best utilized for a specific project or intention? This session is a highly interactive boot camp designed to develop a preliminary funding diversification work plan, focusing on MRI, PRIs, Investments, Social Impact, Bonds, sub-applicant, grants, and more. Participants will leave with a workbook with next steps to ensure the financial sustainability of their organizations. All financial information presented is designed to empower individuals and organizations to make the best funding decisions for their communities.

Detailed Summary

This session will explicitly focus on the creation and implementation of financial diversification in funding for organizations. Each participant will leave with a workbook containing tools and resources to support them in their future work.

The first portion of the session will focus on understanding when to use and why to use different sources of funding. Funding sources will encompass both traditional sources (grants, individual giving, corporate, etc.) and emerging financing options (MRIs, PRIs, and Impact Investing). Participants will identify 1) their current portfolio composition, and 2) areas for growth and diversification. Topics related to financial diversification.

The session will then move into partnerships for financial success. Participants will 1) Identify how partnerships have been used in the past, 2) How partnerships can and should be used in the future, and 3) Build a custom partnership index rubric that will evaluate partners in the best position for future projects.

Participants will leave with completed workbooks and idea formation. This session is designed as a collaborative and hands-on opportunity, featuring activities that facilitate learning and engagement. Participants should be ready to engage with financial concepts and possess a basic understanding of how their group or organization is financed.

This workshop and keynote are being presented this year at the North Dakota Nonprofit Association.