A four-month structured programme for fundraisers and resource mobilisation practitioners. Designed for the new reality: shrinking pools, slower decisions, and a sector that needs sharper cases for support — and smarter tools to build them.
Reserve Your PlaceUSAID withdrawals. European bilateral cuts. Donor paralysis around politically sensitive work. Backlash against feminist and rights-based programming. The proposals that worked two years ago are not winning today.
Bilateral funding to African civil society has contracted significantly across multiple country contexts since 2024, and the trajectory has not reversed.
What used to be a three-month decision cycle is now closer to nine or twelve months. Pipelines need to stretch further and start earlier.
Communities still need the programmes. The case for support hasn't gone away — it just needs rebuilding for the room funders are sitting in now.
The Fundraising Lab is a four-month, small-group programme that takes you and your organisation from where you are now to a sharper case for support, a working AI-powered toolkit, and one live submitted proposal — by the end of September 2026.
It is led by Shireen Motara, drawing on twenty-five years of African fundraising experience, with a rotating roster of expert guests across the four months — donors, MEL specialists, AI practitioners, sector leaders — chosen to match each cohort's focus. It is built around your real work, not generic theory. And it is rooted in feminist organisational practice — open to all fundraisers, with a working environment that takes seriously how this sector treats women, and what it takes to do this work well anyway.
You will leave with deliverables you can use, a peer network you can call on, and a way of working that uses AI to compress the parts of fundraising that drain you, so you can spend your energy on the parts that need a human.
Each month builds on the one before, ending with a deliverable you can use the next day in your work.
We start with what funders are actually saying right now — across African philanthropy, global foundations, and bilateral channels. You'll map your real donor universe, identify where you fit (and where you don't), and rebuild your case for support around the upstream drivers that funders fund: theory of change, programme coherence, and organisational credibility.
The structural moves that separate fundable proposals from the rest. How to architect logic, evidence, budget narrative and risk framing so that funders can say yes. Then we go practical with AI — building the custom GPT workflows that compress drafting time without sacrificing voice. You'll leave with prompts and templates you'll keep using.
Why most fundraisers lose donors at the report stage. Building stewardship rhythms that protect the relationship and unlock renewal. We'll work through MEL frameworks that funders actually want, and use AI to shift reporting from a quarterly emergency to a continuous practice.
You will identify a real, live opportunity — and submit a proposal for it during the programme, with full peer and lead-facilitator support. We close the cycle by building your 12-month pipeline so you leave with a system, not a one-off.
Roughly five hours of live time a month, plus your own work between sessions. Designed for working practitioners, not for people with empty calendars.
90 minutes each. One teaching session, one clinic — every month.
Curated practitioners join sessions throughout the four months — donors, MEL specialists, AI practitioners.
60 minutes monthly. Drop-in, recorded, ask anything.
A working group of peers. Active between sessions, hosted by Shireen.
Every framework, prompt, and template — yours to keep.
Tailored to your three highest-probability donor segments — ready to put in front of funders.
Custom GPT, prompts, and workflows for proposals, reporting, and donor research — calibrated to your voice.
A real submission to a real funder, supported through every stage by Shireen and your peer cohort.
A working plan for the year ahead, plus a peer network of fundraisers you can call on.
Shireen anchors every session and stewards the cohort across the four months. Specialist guests are brought in to deepen specific topics — chosen to match the focus and questions emerging from each cohort.
Strategic advisor, facilitator, and executive coach with over 25 years of experience across South Africa, SADC, and internationally. Holds a Master's in Law focused on human rights and women's rights. Has partnered with NGOs, philanthropic intermediaries, and global funders on fundraising strategy, positioning, and fundable cases for support — including the African Women's Development Fund, Hlanganisa Community Fund, Southern African Trust, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre, the Graça Machel Trust, Soul City, and Frontline AIDS. Founder of The Next Chapter Studio.
Across the cohort, Shireen brings in skilled associates and sector specialists relevant to each month's focus. Past and partner contributors include donor representatives from African philanthropy, MEL specialists, AI-for-fundraising practitioners, and senior fundraising leaders from organisations like AWDF, Hlanganisa and the Southern African Trust ecosystem. The guest line-up is shaped to each cohort — so the room stays dynamic, responsive, and rich with perspective.
Cycle 1 launches in June 2026. Founding members lock in a price below standard pricing for future cycles.
Pay in full, or in two instalments of R 3,500.
Reserve My PlaceSecure payment via Yoco
International participants: The fee is in South African rands. Most international cards work directly through the payment link above (your bank will handle the conversion). For invoicing, alternative payment arrangements, or any questions, email shireen@thenextchapter.co.za.
Cycle 1 of the Fundraising Lab opens enrolment after our launch webinar. Founding cohort places will fill — they always do. If this is the year you stop reacting to the funding cliff and start building for what comes next, this is your room.
Reserve My Place