2025 Fundraising & Development Certificate Program
Intensive Online Training
February 13 - July 10, 2025
Are you looking to gain the confidence, knowledge, and skills necessary to strengthen your organization’s development program?
This intensive online program will demystify fundraising and give you the knowledge and tools needed to fundraise successfully for your organization.
During the program, you will:
✔ Create (or update) a strategic Fundraising and Development Plan for your organization.
✔ Receive hands-on training and activities to learn the nuts and bolts of raising funds for a small, mid-sized or large nonprofit.
✔ Get personalized feedback from our expert trainer and coaches.
✔ Establish a network with nonprofit professionals.
Who Should Apply?
The Fundraising & Development Certificate Program is designed for nonprofit leaders, development staff members, and key volunteers who are working to raise funds for organizations in VT or New England.
Questions? Email [email protected].
Program Details
You will learn in a collaborative and hands-on learning environment consisting of interactive trainings, cohort learning groups, & facilitated conversations.
This program includes...
6 Live Interactive Trainings - full days including hands-on activities and guest speakers. One Thursday a month, usually from 9 am - 2 pm or 2:30 pm. Interactive Virtual Training Sessions will take place on February 13th, March 13th, April 10th, May 8th, June 12th - and the final training day will be in-person on July 10th.
6 peer-learning sessions as part of each training day that will foster reflection and application of new knowledge (as part of your training day).
6 Conversation Circles - Optional customized facilitated deeper dive discussions with our trainers on significant development topics to help you gear into “how-to” put your lessons into action.
Independent reading/videos and assignments, which will take you approximately 5-6 hours per month.
What will you learn?
The course will be conducted over five months of online instruction. The training sessions (usually from 9 am - 2 pm) will cover the following topics:
Fundraising Appeals & Communications: How can you use storytelling in your print and e-appeals? We will learn best practices for personalization of your appeals that speak directly to your donors.
Donor Relations/Stewardship & Giving Societies: How can you include your donors in the important work of your organization? We will work together to learn to communicate effectively to engage your donors and will explore multiple points of engagement, including the creation of leadership giving societies and planned giving.
Proposal Writing and Grant Writing: What makes a good proposal? We will learn time tested tools of the trade to learn to write proposals that get funded.
Databases/Managing/Reporting: How can you manage your database so it is efficient and provides what you need? We will review best practices in managing your data and reporting to meet your organization and donor needs.
Solicitation/Asking & Campaigns: How to engage with your donors as partners in your organization’s work. What is the process involved in asking face-to-face for contributions and how do board members fit into this practice? Together we will go over the format of an asking conversation and practice an intentional gift conversation using the Connecting Conversations model. We will also dive into what makes an effective campaign.
During May and June... Work on your development plan and share with our expert trainer for her feedback.
And on the last day... Join together in-person with the cohort team to share your development plan.
What you leave with...
✔ Your own customized development plan
✔ A peer network of nonprofit professionals
✔ Your Strategic Development Planning Guidebook - an interactive tool to help you build your own personalized development plan.
✔ Templates, checklists, samples to guide your continued work
✔ And the tools, skills and confidence to put your plan into action!
✔ Plus, 19 points towards Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) International certification and/or recertification.
About the Lead Trainer: Jenn Hayslett
Jenn Hayslett brings 25 years of leadership experience as a successful fundraiser, manager, facilitator and trainer to her work as a coach and nonprofit consultant. Her engaging presentation style makes her a highly-rated trainer and presenter.
Jenn has direct experience in all areas of fundraising and marketing for small to mid-sized nonprofits including annual funds, major gift solicitation and stewardship, capital campaigns, grant writing, community organizing, and volunteer management. Her specialty is in building and improving relationship-based fundraising programs.
Jenn Hayslett is a certified trainer and facilitator and received her coach training through Coaches Training Institute (CTI). She has a consulting certificate in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging from the Institute of Nonprofit Practice.
You are welcome to visit Jenn Hayslett Coaching & Consulting for more information about Jenn and her work.
Tuition & Funding Opportunities
The program fee is $2,900 and is due January 24th. If you are applying for financial assistance, please apply as soon as possible and no later than December 13th. There is an early bird discount of $200 for applicants applying, returning signed paperwork, and processing payment by EOD November 1st.
Past participants have found funding opportunities to cover the program fee through:
- TD Bank Nonprofit Resources Grant
- VSAC Advancement Grant
- Additional grants from local foundations
The program fee is due in full by January 24, 2025.
Program Testimonials:
"Common Good’s Development Certificate Program is a must do, whether you are just starting out or have been in the Development world for years. Through this program I built my confidence, developed a cohort of trusted colleagues, and walked away with a plan to help move Lund’s fundraising forward. Ultimately, this course provided me the gift of time and space to focus on the “why” behind Lund’s work, which has informed our entire Development strategy. As I actualize our new plan, I feel prepared, supported, and have a new found belief in myself. I have already seen how this course has impacted my work and has helped increase Lund’s fundraising capacity."
Sharon Lifschutz
Director of Development
Lund
"I am not a development professional but someone who recently undertook fundraising in addition to my programmatic duties. This course was a life-saver! I began with very little knowledge of or experience with strategic development planning. Six months later, I leave with a wealth of resources and samples, a strong working draft development plan, a network of similarly motivated colleagues, and the knowledge I need to run my program with confidence (or, at least, to feign confidence!). I’m meeting with two of my classmates later this month to carry forward our collaboration, with more opportunities to come, I’m sure. Huge thanks to Jenn and Common Good Vermont for welcoming a development newbie and helping me jumpstart this next stage of my career!"
Jill Martin Diaz
Lead Attorney and Assistant Professor
Vermont Immigrant Assistance at Vermont Law and Graduate School
"I graduated from the program a few months ago. Since then, I've been communicating with a large family fund office. I met near weekly with their grants team, and we drafted a proposal for a two-year computer science pilot curriculum that includes engagement with major partners in our network. I just found out that the foundation met with the family and have awarded us a significant grant to move forward with the project! Thank you again for shepherding us through the certificate course. The frameworks Jenn shared with us have been invaluable."
Chris Maggiolo
Deputy Director
Black River Innovation Campus
