“Don’t think too big at the beginning but take time to think through everything as a project develops”, a leader in the longstanding charity SOS Malta has told a writing and fundraising workshop.
Mrs Graziella Schiavone, Head of Finance and Operations in SOS Malta, facilitated the event organised by the Anna Lindh Foundation Network Malta, chaired by Alec Bvumburah. SOS Malta was founded in the early 1990s to give aid to Albanian migrants arriving in Malta by boat and now has a wide range of operations at home and abroad.
Mrs Schiavone explained that applicants should not wait until the last minute to apply for funding. Before applying, it is best to participate in an information session and read carefully the guidelines. Obviously, "we cannot work alone. We aren’t experts at everything, that’s why we need to find and look after partners”.
Mr Alec Bvumburah from the anti-trafficking charity Cross Culture International Foundation shares insights about the workshop: for him, "having the skills to write good projects is fundamental".
Both the organiser and the facilitator are engaged in supporting NGOs for successful capacity building activities:
For a successful project; the objectives should be clear and easy to understand: “you can create a mind map to describe the outputs, indicators and outcomes of the project. In this way, it is easy to list everything needed for every step”.
Mrs Schiavone advised participants to have a good communication plan. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions and send emails to be sure not to make mistakes and, if in doubt, ask for the annexes”.
A take away from the workshop: “Don’t forget that a project is not static and that we need time to think about everything. We need to do research, to find partners, to think about employment, the budget, the sponsoring. We need to have the opinions of every partner to build a strong relationship and be sure that everybody knows the application and has active roles”.
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