Pure Trust Foundation, a non-profit organisation, has held a two-day workshop to strengthen the capacity of leaders of some community-based foundations to be able to carry out developmental initiatives within their communities.
The workshop also aimed at helping put systems in place to be able to diversify means of securing funding to embark on developmental agenda to improve the living conditions of people within their communities.
The event brought together experts to train them on annual working plans and budgeting, preparation of annual audit of financial statements, and increasing visibility of community foundations in Ghana through digital marketing, among others.
In attendance were six different community foundation leaders across Northern Ghana, including Bole, Kadina Nankana, Saboba, Tamale and North Gonja. All participants were taken through various significant fundamentals, including fund-raising which is very essential for community foundations to be able to achieve their set targets.
Others were from the Kassena-Nankana District of Navrongo in the Upper East Region and the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.
Business Development Officer at Consult Associate and Digital Marketing, Ellen Abugri, noted that the inability of leadership to make good use of the digital platforms to solicit funding hampers their development agenda.
Send Ghana Representative, Amatulai Issah, stressed the need for the community foundation leaders to prepare an annual budget, a good auditing account, and develop good business planning to be able to secure some funding for their respective communities.
“Any donor organisation would look out for good business planning and proposals, accurate auditing account, and your budget for the year before attempting to extend support,” she said.
Board Chairperson of Saboba Community Foundation, Grace Wumbidin, expressed her excitement with the workshop, stating the training would help to understand how to solicit for funding to embark on the development agenda.
Chief Executive Officer of Pure Trust, Habib Haruna, mentioned that the workshop was to empower community foundations to be able to achieve their various purposes for their communities.
“Community Foundations have, over the years, been a vehicle for philanthropies in driving developmental agenda that complement government’s commitment in ensuring the welfare of citizens,” he said.
He accentuated the relevance of giving back to the community and said: “People are going to be known in their communities because they didn’t live for themselves only, but also for others in their community. They touched lives in their community, and we say that you’re buying power. One day you will also come back and the community will remember you and say that this man contributed to making us a better place, and they will also reciprocate that,” he added.
According to Mr. Haruna, there is a need for community members who have risen through the ranks to look back to their communities and lend a helping hand to assuage their plights through donations and funds.
