Givealittle has launched a free, self-paced, online short course that teaches the fundamentals of crowdfunding, designed primarily for Kiwi charities, but schools and community groups can benefit too.

The Generosity Generator Masterclass enables charities to grow their crowdfunding skills, so they can fundraise more effectively and develop a new income stream to increase their financial sustainability.

These building blocks of crowdfunding knowledge may be helpful to many Kiwi charities when considering the current economic climate where many have experienced funding cuts.

"Our mission has always been helping Kiwi's fundraise for what matters to them, therefore, we're excited to introduce this new comprehensive free resource to help them crowdfund successfully; using fundamentals and knowledge that can be applied for every campaign going forward too," said Givealittle General Manager Mel Steel.

The Masterclass is taught through professionally filmed video tutorials, short quizzes, downloadable resources and time-saving templates.

It is recommended the course is completed in full before running a crowdfunding campaign, to make the most of the knowledge and skills

The course is a legacy project created by a partnership between Givealittle and The Funding Network NZ (TFN NZ) which closed in December 2023 after 10 years of growing the crowdfunding capacity of small Kiwi grassroots charities.

Surplus TFN NZ funds were put toward this project, and Givealittle matched this grant.

Additional funding was provided by Chorus New Zealand (TFN NZ key partner) and The Funding Network International (of which TFN NZ was an affiliate).

The Masterclass is based on the award-winning Generosity Generator training programme which was developed and run by TFN NZ in 2022 and 2023.

It taught small Kiwi charities how to plan, create and promote a successful crowdfunding campaign and provided an opportunity to to practice these skills in a 12 day nationwide crowdfunding event on Givealittle.

The programme supported 123 charities to collectively raise $895,164 and the pilot won the Excellence in Innovation award at the Fundraising Institute of NZ (FINZ) 2022 Awards.

"We could see from the Generosity Generator programmes that these fundamentals really worked when implemented, so the legacy project was an obvious YES from us when we were approached with the idea.

"A resource like this has been something we've dreamed of creating for a long time, and the end-result is better than we could have hoped for."

All of the Masterclass content has been written by Anusha Bhana, in consultation with Tim Pare, the co-facilitators of the Generosity Generator programme.

The course also draws on feedback from charities who participated in the original programme, to improve the Masterclass’ practicality.

Credible professional development in fundraising, that is also financially accessible for Kiwi charities, is rare in New Zealand.

The Generosity Generator Masterclass is free to use indefinitely, with no hidden costs.

It takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete in one sitting and is self-paced, so people can learn at their own pace. Other than a reliable internet connection, no other materials are required.

A private launch event for key stakeholders and charity leaders was held on September 4, at GridAKL. Sponsorship for the event was generously provided by GridAKL, Admin House, Postage Stamp Wines, Obsidian Wines, Manaia Craft Brewers, 10x10 Philanthropy Auckland and Corporate Bunny Diners.

Start learning today. Visit ggm.givealittle.co.nz to enrol for free.