Course: “COMMUNICATION AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR NGO’S”

Are you ready to amplify your NGO’s voice and secure the funding your mission deserves?

Communication and Financial Sustainability for NGOs is a practical, hands-on 5-day program designed specifically for NGO leaders, project managers, and communication officers who want to master the art of impactful storytelling while building a resilient, multi-stream funding strategy. Set in the inspiring city of Lisbon, this course provides insider knowledge on Erasmus+ grants, European funding lines, and crowdfunding, combined with modern marketing tools. Learn how to turn your social impact into a sustainable future.

 

Duration: 5 days (25 hours)

 

Target:

• teachers working with all types of learners in both formal and non- formal context
• staff in educational institutions
• trainers

 

Objectives:

• Build a Strategic Communication Plan that effectively showcases their NGO’s social impact to donors, partners, and the public.
• Navigate the Erasmus+ ecosystem and successfully understand the requirements for KA1, KA2, and other European funding lines.
• Diversify NGO income streams by exploring corporate partnerships, crowdfunding, and social entrepreneurship models.
• Write compelling grant proposals that stand out to evaluators and align perfectly with funding priorities.
• Network and collaborate with international NGOs, opening doors for future cross-border partnerships and consortiums.

 

Learning Outcomes:

 

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Develop a strategic communication plan that clearly communicates their NGO’s mission, activities and social impact to donors, partners, stakeholders and the wider public.

 

• Navigate the Erasmus+ funding ecosystem by identifying relevant funding opportunities, distinguishing between Key Action 1 (KA1), Key Action 2 (KA2) and other European funding programmes, and understanding their main eligibility criteria and application requirements.

 

• Identify and assess alternative funding opportunities by exploring corporate partnerships, crowdfunding, social entrepreneurship and other income-generation models to strengthen their NGO’s financial sustainability.

 

• Design and write compelling grant proposals that respond to funding priorities, address application requirements, define clear objectives and expected outcomes, and demonstrate the relevance and impact of proposed activities.

 

• Apply practical strategies for communicating social impact by selecting appropriate messages, communication channels and impact indicators to strengthen donor engagement, build stakeholder trust and increase organisational visibility.

 

• Build international networks and explore cross-border cooperation opportunities by exchanging good practices with representatives of other NGOs, identifying potential partners and developing initial ideas for future European project consortia.

 

• Develop an actionable organisational development plan identifying priority steps to improve fundraising, communication and international cooperation within their NGO.

 

Course details:

 

Course Fee: €400 per participant (5 training days × €80/day)

 

Includes:

• Course preparation and delivery by qualified trainers.
• Five days of structured training, including workshops, practical activities and group discussions
• Training materials and educational resources

 

• Administrative and organisational costs
• Certificate of participation
• Europass Mobility
• Pre-course coordination and participant support.

 

Not included: Travel, accommodation, meals and local transportation. These expenses are the responsibility of the participants or their sending organisations.

 

Keywords

 

NGO Management, Erasmus+, EU Funding, Grant Writing, Fundraising, Strategic Communication, Financial Sustainability, Social Impact, Crowdfunding, Corporate Partnerships, Social Entrepreneurship, Project Management, International Cooperation, Partnership Development, European Projects, Non-profit Organisations, Proposal Writing, Organisational Development

 

Programme:

 

Day 1 – Does the World Know Your Impact? 

 

09:00 – 10:30 Level 1: Presentation of training institutions, trainers and participants

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15 Introduction to the programme, warmers and icebreakers

12:15 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00 Level 2: Presentation of communication tools and channels participants already use (branding and storytelling related)

14:00 Free afternoon

 

Day 2 – Amplifying Your NGO’s Voice 

 

09:00 – 10:30 Level 3: Strategic communication – Digital storytelling, branding, and content creation for social impact

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15 Level 4: Social Media Mastery – Free tools for NGOs

12:15 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00 Level 5: Public relations & media outreach

14:00 – 18:00 Free afternoon

18:00 – 19:00 Tour Guide around Lisbon’s best-kept secrets

19:00 – 21:00 Dinner in a Typical Restaurant

 

Day 3 – Learning How to Diversifying Income  

 

09:00 – 10:30 Level 6: Introduction to the Erasmus+ Programme and European funding lines

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15 Practical examples

12:15 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00 Level 7: Alternative fundings and self-sustaining

14:00 Free afternoon

 

Day 4 – How Can We Communicate to Win?

 

09:00 – 10:30 Level 8: Writing to win – How to design the narrative, project logic, and budget for an Erasmus+ grant proposal and to disseminate it on social media

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15 Pitching your project

12:15 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00 Practical tasks

14:00 Free afternoon

 

Dia 5 – I’m ready for Long-Term Impact! 

 

09:00 – 10:30 Level 9: Knowledge into action

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15 Level 10: It all comes together

12:15 – 12:30 Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00 Closing and evaluation of the course

14:00 Free afternoon