Conservation Career-Booster
FUNDRAISING FOR CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Turn your ideas into reality and have more impact in your career by learning valuable skills in conservation fundraising.
What are Conservation Career-Boosters?
Conservation Career-Boosters are a growing range of online training programmes designed to start, switch or speed up your career as a professional wildlife conservationist. To date, we’ve shared more than 45,000 conservation jobs, and identified the top skills that are sought after by conservation employers across the globe.
The goal of each Conservation Career-Booster is to learn highly applicable knowledge which can be applied to a broad range of conservation jobs. Each programme focuses on a key skill, proven to make you more employable, competitive and effective in your career.
The content is produced following a detailed analysis of exactly what employers are looking for, and following international best-practice. Covering the essential ‘need-to-know’ knowledge, they are designed to be quick and easy to follow, including examples and tasks to reinforce your learning.
Finally, each Conservation Career-Booster is taught by a hand-picked industry expert, who explains clearly and simply how things are done in practice within the conservation industry. They don’t teach idealistic theory, but focus on practical and actionable skills which you can readily apply in your work and showcase to employers.
Why Is Fundraising Important In Your Career?
To have an impact as a conservationist, you need fundraising skills in order to turn your ideas into reality.
In a sector dominated by charities, the majority of conservation projects are funded by donors. These can include large grants secured from governments and foundations to smaller donations via public campaigns, appeals, events and membership drives.
The more skilled you are as a fundraiser, the more money you’ll secure, and the more conservation you’ll get done. But few professional and aspiring conservationists have any formal training in fundraising.
If you want to succeed as a professional conservationist, you need fundraising skills.
Introducing | Fundraising for Conservation Projects
This is an online training programme brought to you by the team at Conservation Careers and is taught by multi-award-winning conservationist, and CEO of Elephants for Africa, Dr Kate Evans (more below). The course will guide you through the process of searching for, applying for, and securing funds for conservation work.
During the training you’ll learn how to:
- Match your project to the right funder.
- Write a funding application for a medium-sized conservation grant.
- Use Logical Frameworks in grant writing.
- Budget and report on finances secured.
- Diversify your income streams.
- Build and maintain good donor relationships.
- Develop a fundraising strategy.
After completing this training you’ll understand how to secure more funding for your conservation projects. Making you more employable and impactful as an aspiring or professional conservationist.
Inside | Fundraising for Conservation Projects
Step-by-Step Modules to attack at your own pace. You’ll learn how to secure funding for conservation projects, as part of your duties as a wildlife professional.
Support from the experts. You’ll have support from us via email, Zoom, and in our private CC Pro community. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
Go at your own pace. With our self-paced flexibility, you’ll have access to the course for a full year. You can work entirely at your own pace and around your busy life and work commitments. You don’t need to stick to a schedule.
CC Pro community. You’ll be welcomed into our new private online community for three months. Get answers to burning questions, enjoy regular live events, participate in growth challenges, share your coursework, celebrate your successes and more.
Certificate. Everyone who completes the course receives a certificate.
Rock-solid guarantee. Try it for 14 days. Not happy for whatever reason? We will refund 100% of your money.
Your Trainer | Dr Kate Evans
“I have learnt how vital it is to secure funding if a conservationist is going to see their dreams become a reality”.
Dr Kate Evans is Founder and Director of Elephants for Africa. She is an award-winning behavioural ecologist and conservation biologist, with over 25 years of experience in running wildlife research and conservation projects and leading a team of international staff.
To date, she’s raised over £1,500,000 from trusts, foundations, corporate sponsorships (including Hugo Boss), private donors, online campaigns and events. She has deep desire to share her experience and learnings with you.
Since establishing the charity Elephants for Africa in 2007, Kate has been responsible for funding their applied research, education, and community development projects throughout southern Africa. More recently, she has become a guest lecturer teaching fundraising for conservation at the University of Lincoln, UK.
Training Outline
Module 1: Funding Avenues
Understand the funding avenues available and how to identify and approach donors that match your projects.
This module will cover:
- What types of donors are there?
- How to match donors to your project(s)?
- How best to approach identified donors?
Module 2: Preparing for a Funding Proposal
Understand how to prepare for developing a successful funding proposal.
This module will cover:
- How to identify who will need to be involved?
- What information needs to be collated for the proposal?
- How to use a Logical Frameworks (Log Frames)?
- How to plan your writing timeline?
Module 3: Writing a Funding Proposal
Learn how to develop a quality funding proposal, including structure, key sections and storytelling.
This module will cover:
- What’s the typical funding proposal structure?
- How to tackle the key sections of a fundraising proposal?
- How to hook a donor through storytelling?
- How to ensure your proposal is complete?
Module 4: Budgeting
Learn how to create a well-aligned budget for a donor, matching your budget to the donor objectives.
This module will cover:
- Why is a clear budget important?
- How to ensure you ask for budget items that they will fund?
- How to avoid underbudgeting?
- How to match your budget to the donor objectives?
- How to record expenses and bookkeep your accounts?
Module 5: Diversifying Funding
Understand how to secure funds from corporations and private donors.
This module will cover:
- How to evaluate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding opportunities?
- How to engage private donors?
- How to fundraise online using social media, crowd-funding and campaigning?
- How to raise funds using events and membership schemes?
Module outcome: an understanding of how to secure funds from corporations and private donors.
Module 6: Donor Stewardship
Understand how to nurture and deepen relationships with donors, building relationships for continued funding.
This module will cover:
- How to meet your donor requirements?
- How to build relationships for continued funding?
- How to take donors on the project journey using clear communications?
- How to revise or amend budgets?
Module 7: Funding Strategy
Learn how to create a fundraising plan with confidence, and turn your strategy into an actionable plan.
This module will cover:
- What is a fundraising strategy?
- How to develop a fundraising strategy?
- How to identify your priorities and donor mix?
- How to turn a fundraising strategy into an actionable plan?
Certificate of Completion
Included in the training is a Certificate in Fundraising for Conservation Projects (Foundation).
Throughout the training, your knowledge will be tested using quizzes, to allow you to move from one module to another.
At the end of the training, you’ll have the opportunity to test your knowledge and gain a certificate to showcase to employers on your CV or Resume.
Who is the programme for?
Career Switchers
Have you always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in conservation, but don’t know where to start? You might be working in a totally unrelated field right now, and want to gain skills to increase your employability and impact. You’ll learn key fundraising skills sought after by conservation employers.
Students
Are you currently at university or college, and planning to try and find work in the conservation sector when you finish? There’s no better time to start building the key skills which employers are looking for in the sector, so you can hit the ground running on your graduation day.
Professional Conservationists
Are you working as a professional conservationist, and wanting to improve your fundraising skills, be better in your role and improve your career prospects? Through the programme, you'll learn how to secure more funds for your conservation projects.
Job Seekers
Are you currently hunting for a conservation job but struggling? The programme will help you to stand out from the crowd better, by learning key fundraising skills sought after by conservation employers.
Support | CC Pro Private Community
The training is a work-at-your-own pace programme. You can go as fast as you want, or you can take your time. But what happens when you have a question?
You’ll be welcomed into our private CC Pro community for a full year. Get answers to burning questions, enjoy regular live events, participate in growth challenges, share your coursework, celebrate your successes, chat with your coursemates and more.
You’re not alone in this.
Private Community
Monthly challenges that encourage, support, and reward member growth. Private channels for focused discussions among member cohorts. Private 1:1 messaging between community members. It’s a safe space.
Regular Events
You’ll get access to our growing list of recorded webinars and workshops, plus an events calendar which you can subscribe to and come along to, such as Q&As, Ask us Anything, hotseats & more. Hang out with us.
Coursework Feedback
Submit your tasks directly into CC Pro for feedback from your course guides, ask questions, and ensure you’re getting the most out of the course. Stay on track.
Direct Access to CC Team
We’re here to help, guide, encourage and support you all the way to career success in the sector. You’re not alone.
We’ve helped some of the biggest names in conservation
We work with hundreds of conservation employers from across the globe to find new staff. We are also teaching career-planning and employability skills at over 40 universities and higher-education institutions.
“I found Kate’s teaching to be highly engaging and accessible, both in terms of the materials used and the delivery. Students praised her sessions highly!”
Dr Iain Stott | Senior Lecturer in Ecology, University of Lincoln.
FAQs
If you want to have an impact as a conservationist, you need fundraising skills in order to turn your ideas into reality.
In a sector dominated by charities, the majority of conservation projects are funded by donors. These can include large grants secured from governments and foundations to smaller donations via public campaigns, appeals, events and membership drives. The more skilled you are as a fundraiser, the more money you’ll secure, and the more conservation you’ll get done. But few professional and aspiring conservationists have any formal training in fundraising.
- 88% of conservationists are reliant on donor funding for their work (Conservation Careers 2020).
- Nine philanthropic foundations recently made the largest ever donation to nature conservation, pledging $5bn to help protect 30% of land and sea (Guardian 2021).
- Global conservation funding is estimated between USD 78-91 billion per year (OECD 2020).
If you want to succeed as a professional conservationist, you need fundraising skills.
This is an online training programme brought to you by the team at Conservation Careers. After completing this training you’ll understand how to secure funds for a conservation project. Making you more employable and impactful as an aspiring or professional conservationist.
This is a foundation-level programme. Our programmes are categorised as:
- Introduction – Learn what’s important to know, in terms of the theory behind the course content, to get a good overview of the subject.
- Foundation – Learn how to implement the theory in the real world, using easy-to-follow methods and techniques. For 80% of aspiring and professional conservationists, this level of knowledge is ideal to get going quickly and create more impact.
- Advanced – Learn a detailed understanding of how to implement all the steps involved as a practitioner, trainer or coach.
The total commitment is around 12-15 hours and you can choose to work entirely at your own pace over the course of a year. It’s totally flexible. We’ve worked hard to fast-track your learnings and condense everything into just what you need to know. You can go entirely at your own pace, and have a year’s access to the units.
You have access to the programme videos for the full year of your membership to the site, so you don’t have to do a module a week if it doesn’t suit your schedule for any reason. However, we’ve found it best to try and work through the modules at a similar pace to your course-mates, so you can share your learnings and support one another.
Career Switchers | Have you always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in conservation, but don’t know where to start? You might be working in a totally unrelated field right now, and want to gain skills to increase your employability and impact. You’ll learn key fundraising skills sought after by conservation employers.
Students | Are you currently at university or college, and planning to try and find work in the conservation sector when you finish? There’s no better time to start building the key skills which employers are looking for in the sector, so you can hit the ground running on your graduation day.
Professional Conservationists | Are you working as a professional conservationist, and wanting to improve your fundraising skills, be better in your role and improve your career prospects? Through the programme, you’ll learn how to secure more funds for your conservation projects.
Job Seekers | Are you currently hunting for a conservation job but struggling? The programme will help you to stand out from the crowd better, by learning key fundraising skills sought after by conservation employers.
Included in the training is a Certificate in Fundraising for Conservation Projects (Foundation).
Throughout the training, your knowledge will be tested using quizzes, to allow you to move from one module to another.
At the end of the training, you’ll have the opportunity to test your knowledge and gain a certificate to showcase to employers on your CV or Resume.
The regular investment in the training programme is $495 / £375 / €450, including the training and support community for a full year.
The programme comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.
Once you sign up for the course you’ll get a confirmation email with all the details you’ll need in order to get going.
If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund.
You can email us directly at mail@conservation-careers.com
Happy Customers
How much does it cost?
The regular investment in the training programme is $495 / £375 / €450, including the training and support community for a full year.
The programme comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.
Are you ready?
To sign up before the programme closes, please choose your currency below.
Contact Us
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch by mail@conservation-careers.com.