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School of Management and Law

CAS Fundraising Leadership

Fundraising is becoming increasingly important for society’s intermediary sector and the demands placed on fundraising managers are increasing exponentially. The CAS Fundraising Leadership provides the necessary strategies and tools to successfully reflect and master current challenges. Current fundraising know-how is combined with management and leadership knowledge as well as analytical and strategic methods.


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At a glance

Qualification:

Certificate of Advanced Studies ZHAW in Fundraising Leadership (12 ECTS)

Start:

12.03.2025

Duration:

Costs:

CHF 6'600.00

Comment on costs: 

  • The course costs include all course materials as well as course supervision and coaching.
  • Swissfundraising members receive a one-time discount of CHF 500.-. The total discount of CHF 500.- can be claimed once (for MAS Fundraising Management or DAS Fundraising Management) or divided among the CAS courses (CAS Fundraising Operations, CAS Fundraising Strategies, CAS Fundraising Leadership) with a maximum of CHF 250.- per course. Membership can be indicated in the "Message" field during registration.
  • The CAS course price will be invoiced 30 days before the start of the course and must be paid within 30 days.

Location: 

ZHAW School of Management and Law / Campus St.-Georgen-Platz, 8401 Winterthur

Language of instruction:

German, English

"The CAS Fundraising Leadership is a must for anyone serious about developing a career in fundraising or development. It features a blend of the latest learning from professional practice and academic insights emerging from research. You will learn from both the science and the practice of philanthropy to become a stronger, more reflective leader, with all the skills necessary to succeed in a modern 21st century nonprofit."

Prof. Dr. Adrian Sargeant, lecturer CAS Fundraising Leadership as well as Director of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy

Objectives and content

Target audience

The concept of fundraising is expanding within the international fundraising scene, particularly in the English-speaking world. The term now extends to areas such as strategy philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, social investing, and venture philanthropy. At the same time, fundraising managers are increasingly confronted with more complex management and leadership tasks, especially in the new and more multifaceted areas combining fundraising and philanthropy.

As the market leader in fundraising training in Switzerland, the Center for Arts Management reflects these new developments within the CAS Fundraising Leadership. By doing so, the course provides the possibility to complete the related master’s program “MAS Fundraising Management”. The MAS Fundraising Management maintains high international standards and attracts interested professionals from surrounding European countries.

The CAS in Fundraising Leadership can be booked individually from the master’s program if the prerequisites in training and fundraising practice are fulfilled. Due to the international nature of this CAS, classes are held in English in order to be suitable for potential participants from all regions of Switzerland as well as world-wide.

The CAS in Fundraising Leadership is designed for:

  • Professionals in NPO and NGO, public institutions, and corporate foundations with extensive fundraising experience who want to further professionalize their fundraising activities.
  • Persons who have completed comprehensive fundraising training, have been working in the field for some time, and would like to acquire an integrated philanthropy approach.
  • Fundraising managers who aspire to leadership roles in departments and projects of non-profit organisations and/or who want to expand their fundraising skills to the philanthropy sector and bring them to an expert level.

Are you a graduate of the DAS Fundraising Management?

The master’s program in Fundraising Management offers the optimal follow-up opportunity for DAS Fundraising Management graduates. Following the completion of the DAS courses, graduates find themselves at an ideal starting point to continue with the CAS Fundraising Leadership directly in the fall. Upon completion of the CAS Fundraising Leadership, participants must further complete an additional elective CAS to be admitted for the master's thesis. The CAS Fundraising Leadership can also be completed individually from the master’s program.

Objectives

Knowledge and Understanding:

  • Know the foundations, principles, and tools of philanthropy management.
  • Know the foundations, principles, and approaches of leadership tasks of fundraising and philanthropy.

Application of Knowledge and Understanding:

  • Are able to act effectively both in civil society and in organizations and institutions to promote philanthropy.
  • Are able to run fundraising organizations and develop them further.

Making Judgments:

  • Are able act strategically and tactically even in challenging situations and in ways that benefit both their organization and society.

Communication Skills:

  • Are able to negotiate and argue professionally in ways that benefit stakeholders.

Self-Learning Skills:

  • Are able to reflect critically on their position and on their leadership role in civil society.
“The CAS Fundraising Leadership combines theory and practice in a convincing way. The lecturers’ high level of expertise and wealth of experience strengthen existing knowledge, broaden horizons and inspire new ideas.”

Claudia Lehnherr Mosimann, Managing Director UniBE Foundation

Content

This continuing education program has a modular structure. It consists of two modular block weeks and one transfer week on the topics of philanthropy management and leadership management. The two modules can be booked as part of the CAS program or separately.

Block 1 - Philanthropy Management

  • Understanding NPO-Sector and Philanthropy Impact
  • Governance and Responsible Giving
  • Social Investment and Ventrue Philanthropy
  • Working with Philanthropists & Individual Patrons
  • Donor Motivation & Philanthropy Engagement
  • Developing a Philanthropic Culture Inside Organisations
  • Ethical Leadership
  • Corporate Philanthropy

Transfer - Philanthropy and Leadership Management

Block 2 - Leadership Management

  • Leadership
  • Ethical Leadership
  • Developing fundraising talent
  • Managing people (volunteers and staff)
  • Strategy Mapping
  • Behavioral Economics
  • Representing fundraising to the board
  • Advocacy & Campaigning
  • Change & Crisis Management

As part of the CAS in Fundraising Leadership program, we offer two Fundraising Bootcamps. These one- to two-day compact courses can be booked separately:

The CAS in Fundraising Leadership is one of the elements of the MAS in Fundraising Management program. However, it can also be booked individually.

Our fundraisings bootcamps for experienced fundraisers at a glance:

Methodology

Combination of online and face-to-face teaching with input presentations, teaching discussions, seminar discussions, papers, exercises, case studies, work on case studies, and individual coaching sessions.

More details about the implementation

Classes are usually held from 9.00 am to 16:00 pm. The exact teaching days and times can be found in the key figures below in the Downloads.

Thomas Kurmann
"The Fundraising Master at ZHAW offers the first opportunity for current and future generations of Swiss fundraisers to be equipped for taking over Fundraising in Leadership roles."

Thomas Kurmann, lecturer CAS Fundraising Leadership as well as Vice President of Resource Development at Oxfam America

Enquiries and contact

Provider

Center for Arts Management

Instructors

For an overview of current instructors, please refer to our Partners page.

Application

Admission requirements

The detailed information on the admission requirements for persons with and without a university degree can be found directly in the current study regulations below in the Downloads.

Would you like a personal and non-binding consultation via telephone? We will be happy to advise you and support you in your individual study planning. Contact us via the consultation form and we will be happy to get back to you.

Information for applicants

Registrations are accepted on an ongoing basis and are considered in the order in which they are received. The number of participants is limited. 

Start Application deadline Registration link
12.03.2025 06.02.2025 Application

Downloads and brochure

Downloads

Links