If your work depends on resources you don't yet have, this school is for you.
The African School of Philanthropy And Fundraising equips leaders across civil society, NGOs, Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions, churches, schools, foundations, and endowment managers with the skills to mobilise the resources their missions demand.
11
Course modules
7
Learner profiles
$49
Entry — one module
Kampala
Observership base
Who this is for
Every leader who needs to mobilise resources
Whether you lead an NGO, a Kingdoms & Cultural Institution , a parish, a school, a foundation, or a community initiative if your mission depends on funding you have to go out and raise, this programme was built for you.
Civil society leaders & resource mobilisers
Executive directors, programme managers, and fundraising officers in NGOs who need to diversify income and reduce donor dependency.
Kingdom & cultural institution leaders
Development office staff and senior advisors of Buganda, Acholi, Lango, Toro, and other kingdoms building sustainable funding for cultural preservation and community development.
Individuals & aspiring fundraisers
Anyone building a career in resource mobilisation, philanthropy, or nonprofit management across Africa. No prior fundraising experience required
For Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions
Your Kingdoms & Cultural Institution has a mission. It needs the resources to fulfil it.
Africa's Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions carry centuries of authority, community trust, and cultural purpose. Yet most lack the formal fundraising and development infrastructure to translate that trust into sustainable income. The African School of Philanthropy And Fundraising offers a dedicated track for kingdoms establishing or strengthening their development offices.
Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions
Buganda
Kabaka's Kingdom
Largest Kingdoms & Cultural Institution in Uganda cultural preservation, community development, and heritage funding.
Acholi
Paramount Chiefdom
Post-conflict reconstruction, cultural revival, and mobilising diaspora giving from communities abroad.
Lango
Paramount Chiefdom
Paramount Chiefdom
Community development, cultural education programmes, and engaging corporate partners in the Lango region.
Toro
Kingdom of Toro
Heritage conservation, education endowments, and building sustainable income for the palace and community institutions.
The challenges Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions face in fundraising
No dedicated development office
Most Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions have no professional fundraising staff, no prospect database, and no systematic approach to donor cultivation.
Untapped diaspora giving
Large diaspora communities in the UK, USA, and the Gulf are deeply connected to their kingdoms but no structured channel exists to engage them as donors.
Dependence on government or one patron
Many Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions rely on a single source of income a government allocation, a royal patron, or an annual event with no diversified income strategy.
No endowment or reserve fund
Without an endowment, income shocks directly threaten core programmes. Building a permanent fund requires fundraising skills and investment governance knowledge.
What the Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions track offers
A tailored learning pathway through the 11 modules, sequenced for leaders establishing a development office from the ground up
Deep focus on Module 11 (African Gifting & Philanthropy) covering how ubuntu, harambee, and traditional giving frameworks apply to kingdom fundraising
Module 10 (Endowment Fund Management) building the permanent financial foundation that kingdoms need for long-term independence
Module 4 (Major Gift Fundraising) how to cultivate and solicit significant gifts from kingdom patrons, diaspora leaders, and corporate partners
Observership placement timed to the Kabaka Marathon experiencing one of Africa's most distinctive kingdom-linked fundraising events from the inside
Group enrolment option: bring your development office team together for a shared learning cohort
Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions pricing
Starter
3-module kingdom starter pack
Modules 1, 10 & 11 · Self-paced online
$149 / person
Recommended first step for development office staff
Full programme
Full certificate kingdom track
All 11 modules · 12 months access
$599 / person
Save ~$270 vs. individual modules
Team
Kingdoms & Cultural Institution development office team (8 staff)
Group cohort · Online + optional observership
Custom / group
Up to 30% group discount · Shared cohort
Immersive
Certificate + Kabaka Marathon observership
Online + 2 weeks in Kampala · Flagship
$1,099 / person
Timed to Uganda’s largest road race
Interested in a Kingdoms & Cultural Institution partnership?
We are actively seeking formal partnerships with development offices of Ugandan and East African Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions.
If your Kingdoms & Cultural Institution is establishing a development office and would like to explore a structured partnership including co-branded programming, in Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions workshops, and cohort enrolment. Contact us at info@asfp.africa
Full curriculum
11 modules. One certificate.
The Certificate in Fundraising Practice covers the complete development professional's toolkit. Study one module at a time or commit to the full programme your path, your pace.
1
Foundations of Fundraising & Introduction to Philanthropy
History, philosophy, and the role of fundraising in civil society. Types of giving, core principles, and the philanthropic ecosystem. Recommended starting point for all learners, including Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions and faith leaders.
2
Understanding & Segmenting Donors
Prospect research, donor personas, RFM analysis, CRM systems, and responsible data practices. Build a segmented donor database from the ground up.
3
Annual Giving & Direct Appeals
Direct mail, email campaigns, telefundus, and sustainer programmes. Build the broad donor base that funds day to day operations and develops the major gift pipeline.
4
Major Gift Fundraising
Cultivation ladder, moves management, the four specifics solicitation framework, objection handling, gift agreements, naming rights, and ethics. Essential for anyone cultivating large gifts from patrons, diaspora leaders, or corporate partners.
5
Capital Campaigns & Special Projects
Designing and running time limited campaigns to raise a large, specific sum buildings, infrastructure, cultural restoration, or strategic reserves. Feasibility studies, gift tables, and campaign leadership.
6
Digital Fundraising & Emerging Channels
Online giving, social media, crowdfunding, and AI assisted donor cultivation. Build a digital programme suited to Africa's mobile-first donor base and to diaspora communities abroad.
7
Strategy, Leadership & Organisational Health
Multi-year fundraising strategy, income diversification, board engagement, team management, legacy giving, and crisis resilience. For executive directors, Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions advisors, and development office heads.
8
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Designing, launching, and optimising campaigns that mobilise your community to raise money on your behalf. Particularly powerful for Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions, churches, and schools with large, loyal supporter bases.
9
Events Fundraising
Planning, executing, and evaluating fundraising events that inspire donors, build community, and generate sustainable income. Directly applicable to Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions celebrations, cultural festivals, galas, and runs.
10
Endowment Fund Management for NGOs
Building, managing, and sustaining endowment funds that secure your organisation's long-term financial independence. Investment policy, spending rules, governance, and donor stewardship. Critical for Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions, cathedrals, schools, and foundations seeking perpetual funding.
11
African Gifting & Philanthropy
The distinctly African dimensions of giving harambee, ubuntu, zakat, tontines, stokvel, diaspora philanthropy, faith-based generosity, royal patronage traditions, and community foundations. How to mobilise resources in an African context, on African terms. This module is our signature offering and is found nowhere else. Covers the unique fundraising opportunities and cultural protocols relevant to Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions.
Pricing
Your path, your pace, your budget
Short course
Single module
Self-paced online · 3–6 hrs
$49–$79 / module
- Certificate of completion
- Credited if you upgrade later
Certificate
Full 11-module certificate
Self-paced online · 12 months access
$599 / person
Save ~$270 vs. individual modules
- All 11 modules + capstone
- Certificate in Fundraising Practice
Kingdoms
3-module kingdom starter
Modules 1, 10 & 11 · Online
$149 / person
- Ideal first step for Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions staff
- Credited toward full certificate
Bundle
Certificate + 2-week observership
Online + Kampala · Kabaka Marathon
$1,099 / person
- All 11 modules
- Kabaka Marathon flagship cohort
Observership
1-week observership only
In-person · Kampala · 4 dates/yr
$350 / person
- Max 12 participants per cohort
- Certificate of Observership
Group rate
Team or organisational enrolment
5+ staff · churches, schools, Kingdoms & Cultural Institutions, NGOs
Custom / group
- Up to 30% group discount
- Shared learning cohort
East African NGO bursary
Organisations registered in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, or Ethiopia may apply for a 40% reduction on all online programmes. Kingdom institutions and traditional cultural bodies are eligible for group rates — contact us to discuss.
In-person learning · Kampala
The observership programme
Four cohorts per year, timed to Uganda's major fundraising events. Each cohort is capped at 12 participants to ensure quality placements with UCCF and UCI practitioners.
What the observership includes
- Shadowing gift officers in real cultivation meetings
- Facilitated debriefs with UCCF and UCI leadership
- UCI grants and resource mobilisation office access
- Live event fundraising, start to finish
- Peer cohort from across Africa
- Certificate of Observership on completion
Rotary Cancer Run
1 week cohort · Kampala
Event fundraising, peer solicitation, and corporate sponsor activation. Relevant to Modules 4, 9, and 11.
Childhood Cancer Colour Run
1 week cohort · Kampala
Community fundraising and converting event participants into long-term supporters. Linked to Modules 8 and 9.
Makerere University Marathon
1 week cohort · Kampala
Peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate sponsorship, and post-event donor conversion. Linked to Modules 6, 8, and 9.
Kabaka Marathon
2 week cohort · Kampala
Our flagship programme event and institutional fundraising, a practitioner panel, a donor stewardship review, and a closing dinner. The recommended cohort for kingdom development office staff.
Advisory services
Fundraising audits & organisational assessments
Beyond training, ASFP works directly with organisations as an independent assessor. We audit your entire fundraising and philanthropy system, score it against a structured maturity framework, and hand your leadership a prioritised roadmap — so you know exactly where you stand and what to fix first.
Strategy & case for support
Is your fundraising strategy a living document — costed, board-approved, and actually followed?
Income & diversification
3–5 years of income data: donor concentration, restricted vs unrestricted mix, cost of fundraising.
Donor pipeline & relationships
Pipeline health, CRM use, stewardship practice, and lapsed-donor re-engagement.
Governance & board engagement
Board giving and door-opening, gift acceptance and ethical fundraising policies.
People & culture of philanthropy
Staffing versus targets, skills gaps, and whether fundraising is everyone's business.
Systems, processes & compliance
Grant management, donor-compliant reporting, data protection, and regulatory standing.
Communications & visibility
Can you demonstrate impact with credible data and stories, consistently, across channels?
Sustainability & forward risk
Reserves, pipeline coverage, succession risk, and progress toward domestic resource mobilisation.
Each domain scored:
Nascent
Developing
Established
Advanced
Phase 1
Scoping & document request
Scoping call, engagement plan, and a structured document and data request.
Phase 2
Document & data review
Strategies, budgets, board minutes, donor reports, and income data analysed.
Phase 3
Stakeholder interviews
Leadership, board, fundraising and programme staff — and your funders, who tell us what staff won’t.
Phase 4
Scoring & triangulation
Every finding verified across at least two evidence sources before it is scored.
Phase 5
Report & debrief
Maturity scorecard, gap analysis, and no more than 10–12 prioritised, sequenced recommendations. A roadmap — not a wish list.
Rapid diagnostic
Fundraising Health Check
1–2 weeks · remote
Custom / engagement
- Document & income data review
- Leadership interview
- Scored snapshot across all 8 domains
- Short findings memo
Full audit
Full Fundraising & Philanthropy Audit
4–6 weeks · on-site + remote
Custom / engagement
- Full 45-indicator maturity rubric
- Board, staff & funder interviews
- Quantitative diagnostics — concentration, retention, pipeline coverage, cost of fundraising
- Written report & board debrief
Audit + capacity building
Assess, then build
Audit + tailored ASFP training
Custom / package
- Full audit as above
- Training plan drawn from our 11 modules, matched to your gaps
- Group enrolment rates applied
- 6-month follow-up review
Anchor partner
Uganda Child Cancer Foundation
UCCF is the school's founding civil society partner providing observership placements, real world case study content, and institutional credibility rooted in over a decade of frontline resource mobilisation in Uganda
Why UCCF?
The Uganda Child Cancer Foundation has pioneered community fundraising for paediatric oncology in Uganda from the Childhood Cancer Colour Run to major donor cultivation, the Guardian Angel Programme, and corporate partnerships. Learning inside UCCF gives participants exposure to the full fundraising cycle as it operates in an African context: constrained resources, high stakes, deep community roots, and genuine mission. The UCI Grants Office adds an institutional grants management dimension that most fundraising schools cannot offer anywhere on the continent.
Community fundraising
Events fundraising
Major gifts
Guardian Angel Programme
Uganda Cancer Institute
Kampala