On March 21, 2022, we launched a capacity-building project for our long-time partner in Kenya, the Salesian development organization Don Bosco Development Outreach Network. The project will create a salesforce database for the partner organization, train local staff in fundraising and a pilot fundraising campaign will be organised.
A Slovak expert with extensive experience in database management and programming will travel to Kenya in March 2022, where he will be present for 4 months. In the first month, he will analyze the partner’s requirements, collect existing data, develop a data model and ensure the registration of the partner organization in Salesforce, which provides free database licenses to non-profit organizations. He will program the basic database structure and implement the consolidation of existing databases. At this stage, the conditions for the first training of the partner organisation’s staff will be prepared.
The fundraising training will take place in two parts. The first part will be carried out in the second month of the Slovak expert’s presence in Kenya. It will last one week and will include an introduction to fundraising, the importance of the CRM database for fundraising activities, a presentation of the new database, an introduction to the Salesforce environment, and an assignment of basic tasks for practical experience with working in the database. After a month, the second part of the training will be carried out, also lasting one week, and will cover the topics of lead generation (prospecting and collecting new contacts for potential donors), adding contacts to the database, reaching contacts via direct mail and Mailchimp, working with Mailchimp, categorizing donors, cultivating a relationship with donors, assigning a practical task for working with Mailchimp using the database, preparing a fundraising campaign, donating in the online environment and via direct mail, managing the campaign to maximize the return. The fundraising training will be completed by 10 employees of the project partner. In addition to the training itself, the Slovak expert will, thanks to his presence in Kenya, continuously work on the training of staff, especially one employee who will cover the fundraising agenda in the organization.
From the third month onwards, the Slovak expert will start working on the preparation of the background for the implementation of the pilot fundraising campaign in Kenya. He will ensure the linking of the partner’s bank account for donation with Salesforce, incorporate payment gateways into the partner’s website and build the foundations for online donation through a database linking with Mailchimp. He will create the donation landing page, oversee the selection of the campaign intent, prepare campaign materials for both online and direct mail, and provide the technical setup for the campaign. In the last month, the mailing campaign will be launched, direct mail will be implemented and the campaign will also be promoted through social media and media advertising. After the campaign, the Slovak expert will ensure the import of donations, analysis of donations, gratitude to donors, automation of processes and support of other lead generation activities.
The Project valued at € 23,720 will end on 21 July 2022. Thanks to the intervention, the Don Bosco Development Outreach Network project partner will be able to independently create online campaigns, use effective fundraising tools and thus increase the organisation’s financial capacity for projects aimed at supporting poor youth in Kenya.