The Funding-Ready Workshop
4 Deep‑Dive Sessions to get you to more Yes-es from Funders!
No more fuzzy proposals. No more fuzzy budgets. In one playful, highly structured cohort, you’ll turn a strong program into a fundable package: clear case, measurable outcomes, and a full‑cost budget funders can trust.
Workshop Details
Facilitator
Janine Ayoub
Cohort & Time
Each session: 2 Organizations max • Small cohort (2–3 people per org) • Dates set with cohort
Duration
4 Sessions
3 hours each
Type
Play‑based • Hands‑on • Structural • Fundraiser‑led
The purpose of this tool is to give you:
1. A snapshot of where you are right now, highlighting both strengths and areas to develop.
2. A framework for reflection, so you and your team can talk openly about what feels confident and what needs more clarity.
3. Actionable next steps and resources, so you can move toward being fully “funding ready”.
Test Your Programs Funding Readiness
This tool is designed to help your organization assess its funding readiness for a single program. It is not meant to evaluate your entire organization or all of your work. Rather, it focuses on one program that you want to strengthen or grow through external funding.
Your Trainer & Facilitator
Janine Ayoub
A program designer and M&E practitioner turned working fundraiser, with a track record of winning grants and funding with mission alignment. She brings:
- Program design: has built countless of logic models, uses outcome mapping, comfortable navigating data systems.
- Fundraising wins: has practical experience crafting fundable cases and budgets.
- Funder‑side perspective: has advised and worked alongside donor funds and program assessors.
- Community-centric fundraising: infuses community-centric principles in all aspects of the work.
15 years of experience in non-profit management including programs and fundraising.
Previous wins (anonymized):
- Streamlined a youth program: secured multi‑year funding after clarifying outcomes and adding impact data – 1million euro secured
- Rebuilt a community engagement budget: salaries and admin accepted via clear cost rationale and narrative – allowed 70% of admin coverage through programs
- Converted a “passion project” into a fundable pilot with donor buy-in and a clear plan – pilot funding of $20,000 for organization to launch
The problems we fix
- We keep getting grant rejections.
- We can’t explain our impact clearly.
- Our budgets don’t cover admin or salaries.
- The program keeps changing per donor.
- We don’t have clear metrics or a data plan.
- Our board is asking for a more compelling case for support.
- We have passion; but not enough evidence.
If 2+ of these expressions resonate, this workshop is for you.
Workshop Content
Best fit: small to medium nonprofits with a new or evolving program. Bring 2–3 team members for cross‑functional clarity (program, comms/fundraising, finance/ops).
- Attend all 4 sessions (live, camera optional; recordings for review).
- Bring a live program (not hypothetical).
- Commit to light homework between sessions (1–2 hours/week).
- Share feedback so we can keep improving.
- Clarity: Funders see exactly what you do, for whom, and why it matters.
- Impact: Outcomes and KPIs make your case tangible.
- Trust: A full‑cost budget + steady plan show feasibility and stewardship.
- Four 3‑hour sessions (virtual, cohort‑based)
- Small‑group coaching, templates, and examples
- Light homework: 3 hours/week
- Tools: You’ll need a few simple materials for the games; we’ll email a list (and mail a printable pack).
- Dates: Set with the cohort to maximize attendance
The 4 Sessions (curriculum)
Session 1 — Program clarity & outcomes
Key learning: Articulate purpose and direction; connect activities to outcomes in a simple logic model.
Deliverables: Draft problem statement + project logic.
Session 2 — Impact metrics & storytelling
Key learning: Move beyond counting activities; choose indicators and design simple ways to track and share evidence.
Deliverables: Storytelling templates + impact measurement plan.
Session 3 — Full‑cost, flexible budgets
Key learning: Link budgets to outcomes; allocate true costs (including salaries/admin) and build funder confidence.
Deliverables: Flexible budget with highlighted allocations + budget narrative.
Session 4 — Team readiness and relationships
Key learning: Strengthen internal management capacity, ensuring continuous impact measurement, donor relationships building and grant management.
Deliverables: Donor identification & relationship plan + team management TOR.
What You’ll Leave With
1 Page Program Brief (case‑for‑support ready)
Logic model / outcomes map + KPI set
Full‑cost, flexible budget (with notes on eligible costs and a budget narrative)
Team Readiness Plan (for donor engagement and grant management)
Impact story outline (evidence + narrative)
Everything is built for your actual program, not a hypothetical.
Pricing & Scholarship
The Program
$ 2,400
Per organization (covers 2–3 participants from the same org)
- If 2 organizations team up on one collaborative program, they can spit the costs! This is to encourage partnerships and collectivism!
- Included: templates, all session materials, cohort board, recording access for review, and your completed deliverables (brief, logic model, KPI set, budget + narrative, donor plan, story outline).
- You’ll be ready to justify typical lines: salaries, rent, admin/overhead, program supplies, and evaluation.
- Satisfaction promise: If you complete all sessions and still don’t leave with the listed deliverables, we’ll provide one‑on‑one time to help you finalize versions that work for you.
Scholarship
Free
2 full scholarships available this cohort
Conditions:
- Attend all four sessions live.
- Provide feedback when requested (short survey/interview).
Simple application: org name, 150‑word program summary, current roadblock, commitment checkbox, and the initial readiness checklist.
Selection timeline: We review applications on a rolling basis and notify recipients.
The Method:
Play & Learn
We combine structural frameworks with experiential activities. You’ll learn by doing: building real artifacts you’ll use with funders the next day.
Send us a message
Ask us any questions, and we will be happy to reply.
Tools we use:
-
-
- Logic models & Theory of Change
- Evidence‑light measurement plans
- Full‑cost budgeting & budget narratives
- Donor communication & storytelling
- Team Management TOR
-
You’ll also get a short readiness checklist to track progress from Session 1 to Session 4
Before → After
Before
- Fuzzy problem & broad audience
- Outputs & Activities only
- Restricted expense mindset
- Stories only
- Donor‑by‑donor tweaks
After
- Specific problem, clear beneficiary profile
- Outcomes mapped with indicators
- Flexible, full‑cost budgeting (incl. salaries/admin)
- Stories + evidence
- Consistent case with tailored emphasis
FAQs
Is this right for early‑stage programs?
Yes. We meet you where you are and scope to what’s feasible now.
Do we need data already?
No. We’ll help you start with practical KPIs and evidence you can collect.
What if we miss a session?
Scholarship participants must attend live. Recordings are shared later (with org identifiers removed). Non‑scholarship participants also benefit most from live attendance. This workshop is tailored to you with sessions building on each other. It would be a bummer to miss the full benefits!
How much homework?
About 1–2 hours/week—focused, with templates.
Will this help with restricted vs. flexible funding?
Yes. Your budget narrative and donor fit plan make the case for full‑cost funding.
How many team members can join per organization?
Recommended 2–3 per organization to align program, fundraising, and finance.
How many organizations will participate in each workshop?
We will keep each workshop small, to give you most of the benefits. There will be a maximum of 2-3 organizations per series. We will make sure to create groups that are homogeneous so you can learn from each other.
Ready to get Funding‑ready?
Workshop
Funding Readiness Checklist
Your Trainer & Facilitator
The problems we fix
Workshop Content
Pricing & Scholarship
The Method
FAQs