RightsCon Tunis 2019

The main goal of this session is to enable an open discussion around best practices in fundraising when nonprofit organizations are directly impacted by external events (ex. politics, natural disasters, viral funding campaigns). The initial conversation will discuss how the 2016 U.S. presidential election affected the fundraising landscape for nonprofit organizations. We will cover: 1) the funding surge in new areas of giving; 2) the wave of support for journalism & media (e.x. "Fake News"); and 3) the increase in new advocacy platforms. We will continue the conversation with storytelling examples of different nonprofit organizations that have experienced unexpected surges in revenue (ALS Association, American Red Cross, ACLU, and Planned Parenthood), how the organizations dealt with them, and how we can learn from their mistakes. Participants will take away best practices for sustainable fundraising in unpredictable circumstances.

A reverse-engineered design sprint in which the "users" at the core of "user-centered design" principles define how a foreign assistance program would be designed and implemented if their needs and interests took top priority rather than the needs or interests of an INGO or donor.

As the Internet freedom space has evolved, so too have the donors supporting this work. This “speed dating” session is an opportunity for current and potential grantees to meet with a variety of donors to ask questions, raise concerns, and learn more about their funding priorities and processes.

During this interactive session, we will be discussing different real-life situations that take place between government officials, other funders and human rights defenders. With input from the audience, we will discuss the potential threats that surface in this donor-grantee relationship and that need further guidance on how to mitigate risks.