The University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association (UIMSA) Financial Committee held the second Fundraising Workshop of its administration on Google Meet today, 8th of August. The Workshop, which featured three well-seasoned speakers in the art of fundraising, was themed “The Art of Fundraising: Turning No into Yes”.
The event, though originally slated for 4pm, started at 4:10pm with a welcoming address by the moderator, Abdulazeez Mariam; following it was a short introduction by the UIMSA Financial Secretary, Mary-Judith Ezeigbo.
The first topic, delivered by Covenant Odedele, the Erstwhile President of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (UISU), was titled “Crafting Winning Proposals and Understanding Donor Expectations”. There, he talked about how Fundraising for events or projects is the “biggest headache” for those in leadership positions and whole organisations alike. Using his stories as anecdotes, he emphasised how telling a good story to both potential corporate and non-corporate sponsors can help secure funds for projects.
Shortly after the end of his speech, Dr. Olaoluwa Olorunfemi, the Erstwhile President of UIMSA, came on to talk about “Turning ‘No’ into Opportunity: Handling objections and Exploring alternatives”. In his speech, he talked about telling stories that interest potential sponsors and partners. “You can’t afford to take a no and give up”, he enjoined while further urging attendees to always treat silence as a close and explore other alternatives.
The last topic of the day — Beyond the Cheque: Building lasting sponsorship and partnership — was delivered by Engr Damilola Alimi, a Developer Support Engineer at Codemagic and an advocate for mentoring young professionals. “The person who gets the biggest bulk of the money is the one who tells the best story,” emphasizing the need to ask what can be offered to the sponsors and what they are interested in gaining, then crafting the best story around it. She also talked about fostering a relationship with potential and existing sponsors or partners to ensure long-lasting cooperation.
The event ended by 5:56pm after an appreciation speech by Folusho Olu-Adegbola, the UIMSA president.
Omoyemi Adeoye Abdulgafar