About this programme

The Internet Society Foundation has partnered with Nonprofit Builder (NPB) to offer a dedicated capacity strengthening programme for ISOC Foundation grantees. The programme is free to all grantees and has been designed around the needs your organisations shared in the baseline survey.

It runs from April to October 2026 and includes two multi-session training series and four expert-led masterclasses, all delivered online with live interpretation in French and Spanish.

Session logistics

• All sessions are delivered online via Zoom. Calendar invitations with the link are shared for those registered for the session.

• All sessions are 2 hours each. Sessions start at 14:00 UTC

• Live interpretation is provided in French and Spanish for all sessions.

• All sessions are recorded and recordings will be shared after each workshop

• All tools, templates, slides etc used during the sessions are uploaded in this shared Google Drive folder.

Contact us

For any questions about the programme, sessions, or your participation, please reach out to Natasha Umuhoza: natasha@nonprofitbuilder.org or Support team: support@nonprofitbuilder.org

PAST SESSIONS

Masterclass #1  —  Proposal Writing

Winning a grant starts long before you write a word. This masterclass will give you a clear, practical roadmap for the entire grants process — from finding the right funders to writing proposals that actually get funded.

In this session, you will learn a five-step approach to securing grants, including how to craft funder-friendly messaging, identify right-fit funders using current tools, understand what reviewers are looking for, and apply AI to strengthen your proposals. Interactive, practical, and immediately applicable — you will leave with tools and confidence for your very next funding application.

What you will cover

• How funders think and what they look for in proposals

• A five-step approach to securing institutional grants

• How to find the right funders for your work — and avoid wasting time on the wrong ones

• Writing clear, compelling problem statements and objectives

• Using AI tools to sharpen your grant applications

Facilitator  Shoshana Grossman-Crist  ·  Founder & CEO, Social Impact Compass Shoshana has worked on both sides of the funding process — as a grant writer and as a grantmaker at the Inter-American Development Bank and Danone. Over 15 years she has helped organisations grow their grant income from $15,000 to over $300,000 per year, and has trained grantee portfolios including Omidyar Network, GlobalGiving, and The Resource Foundation. She works in both English and Spanish. View full profile →

Training Series 1  —  Fundraising & Resource Mobilisation

This four-session series builds your organisation's fundraising capacity from the ground up — covering the principles, the strategy, the storytelling, and the planning. Whether you are diversifying away from a single funder or looking to grow your income mix, every session gives you practical frameworks and tools you can use immediately.

Sessions are interactive and practical, with peer exchange built in. You will leave each session with something to take back to your team.

Session schedule

What you will cover across the series

• The three sources of funding and six funding models — where you are now and where you want to be

• How to raise your profile and become findable by funders

• Your personal story and how to build a compelling pitch

• How to manage key funder relationships and convert connections into funding

• How to generate income from your community and develop earned income models

• A practical fundraising plan you can use immediately

Facilitator  Bill Bruty  ·  Director, Fundraising Training Ltd Bill is a specialist fundraising trainer and consultant with decades of experience supporting nonprofits globally. He is the author of The Fundraiser's Companion and has designed this series specifically for organisations navigating a more competitive and changing donor landscape. His sessions are interactive and tool-rich, with every participant leaving with practical frameworks for their own organisation. View full profile →

Masterclass #2  —  Financial Management

Strong financial management is one of the most practical things an organisation can strengthen — and one of the clearest signals of credibility to funders. This masterclass covers the essentials that every organisational leader needs to understand, regardless of whether they have a finance background.

You will leave with practical tools for cash flow forecasting and financial monitoring, a clearer understanding of what donor compliance requires, and confidence in the conversations your finance and programme teams need to have with each other.

What you will cover

• Financial management essentials and emerging issues affecting NGOs

• Cash flow forecasting and management — how it affects your operations

• Donor reporting, compliance, and financial accountability systems

• Internal controls: minimising risk and protecting your organisation's resources

• Financial sustainability beyond donor funding

Facilitator  Hilda Hakiza  FCCA, CPA  ·  Financial Management Specialist Hilda is a Chartered Accountant with 18 years of experience working with NGOs, INGOs, foundations, and social enterprises across East and West Africa — including in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. She is passionate about helping nonprofit organisations strengthen their financial systems and build the confidence to become financially resilient. No finance background required to attend. View full profile →

Training Series 2  —  MEL & Communications

Most organisations collect more data than they use. This series bridges the gap between measurement and influence — helping you design MEL systems that are practical, use your data for real decisions, and translate your evidence into stories and communications that reach funders, partners, and communities.

By the end of the series you will have built an Evidence-to-Influence toolkit: a Theory of Change, a set of indicators, an impact story, and a communications plan — all grounded in your own programme work.

Session schedule

What you will cover across the series

• How to design a simple, practical MEL system linked to your outcomes — including Theory of Change and indicators

• How to analyse and use data for decision-making, not just reporting

• Simple dashboards and learning loops to track what matters

• How to turn MEL data into compelling impact stories and case studies

• Strategic communications — audience mapping, content planning, and building a storytelling culture

Facilitator  Victoria Brown  ·  Director, Ichuli Institute Victoria is a MEL specialist and facilitator with over 20 years of experience supporting development organisations across Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. Based in Uganda, she has partnered with governments, NGOs, and international donors in more than 20 countries. With a background in both MEL and journalism — including with ABC News and National Geographic — she is particularly skilled at helping organisations bridge technical measurement systems with strategic communications. View full profile →

Masterclass #3  —  Impact Measurement

Measuring and communicating impact is a particular challenge for organisations working in digital development and internet access — where the connections between technical outputs and social outcomes can be hard to capture. This masterclass gives you practical tools to close that gap.

Grounded in the ISOC Foundation's 2030 Strategic Goals — Universal Connectivity and Safe and Secure Internet — this session will help you define what meaningful impact looks like for your programme, design indicators that capture both technical and social outcomes, and communicate your results clearly to funders, policymakers, and communities.

What you will cover

• Moving from activity counts to meaningful outcomes — what impact really looks like for internet programmes

• Designing outcome indicators: what changed, for whom, and how do we know

• Practical data collection in low-resource or decentralised contexts

• The 3-sentence impact statement framework — turning data into compelling narratives

• Aligning your reporting with ISOC Foundation expectations

Facilitator  Crystal Kiseka  ·  Founder, Impact Reports LLP Crystal is an MEL consultant with 8 years of experience supporting nonprofits and social enterprises across East Africa, working across WASH, health, and youth entrepreneurship sectors with organisations including Action Against Hunger, EarthEnable, and WoMena Uganda. She brings a participant-centred facilitation approach grounded in real-world examples, and has specifically designed this session for the ISOC grantee context. View full profile →