An overview of the fundraising challenges faced by me

As an individual, I have always wanted to be financially independent because I am a woman, and financial independence gives us the courage and makes us fearless.

When I ventured into becoming a full-time activist, I knew I would be paid in peanuts, yet I had the zeal to continue as that was my passion. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. Eight years of hard work and being a first responder to all kinds of violence moduled me into a person who decided to start a not-for-profit in 2020. It was peak covid, so I had a callous time getting my organization registered, yet it did get noted after much effort. I had to run pillar to post to get a bank account created as in 2021, there was a covid crisis in India, traveling was not allowed, in-person meetings were not allowed, going to public places was banned, I had to face a lot of trouble to get it done,  but eventually, it was done in 2022 March. Post which I realized the rut I am in as most people wanted to do work for free, and it was complicated. I had to request people to pay for my travel at the minimum, which upset them. As a new organization, I had no funding; I was bootstrapping. I used to feel lost every single day.

The continuous struggle with funding has exhausted me; I start questioning my skills and abilities when I cannot get through one. Since the day I started, it's always been a bootstrapping thing where I work with multiple organizations and get paid through which I run the organization. With time it has become challenging as I am scaling up my work and need a lot of support. An organization needs a workforce to keep it functional, and I am doing it by myself, which is an arduous task to hire people, and I have to keep getting funding.

The changemakers lab has been a blessing in disguise. I have learned many things that need to be implemented in my work to progress. The art of saying 'no' to a task where our honorariums are less than what we deserve was a critical self-realization. Despite being good at what my organization delivers in terms of training, most agencies ensure the amount is less. The reasons are bizarre as they say we are new in the field when I have been working for a decade.

I have realized certain things which I need to follow to get funding which I am going to put below:

1) Reaching out to every agency and donor who gives funding in my area of work

2) Posting on social media frequently about the work we do as that would arouse the attention

3) Find out about the list of agencies that funds other organizations similar to our work and contact them.

4) Keep the pitch ready whenever I attend meetings or events.

5) Start reaching out to individual donors.

6) Create a fundraising campaign and tell my friends and relatives to donate 

7) Apply for seed funding 

8) Any meeting can become an opportunity to meet potential donors; I have to be ready.

And most importantly, to have patience, learn the skills, see videos and keep attending events to understand how it works—the pros and cons of it, keep trying and see what works and what doesn't. It can happen that what works for someone else might not work for me. But not to lose hope.

 Fundraising is a marathon, not a 500 m race that we will be able to crack easily. It's a long process and would take a lot of time.