KAFP Coffee Talks
Coffee Talks are KAFP's mini series designed to reach resource mobilisation teams, CBOs, and fundraisers who aren't always able to attend our full workshops. Each session curates a specific, timely topic and brings in speakers KAFP has already hosted in past workshops, giving them a platform to share their thought leadership more widely, so no one misses out on what's being discussed in the room.
Coffee Talks exist to help members and the wider fundraising community stay close to the fundraising landscape that shifts constantly, both locally and globally, without needing to set aside a full day for a workshop. Through these sessions, fundraisers and members are able to:
Format
Coffee Talks exist to help members and the wider fundraising community stay close to the fundraising landscape that shifts constantly, both locally and globally, without needing to set aside a full day for a workshop. Through these sessions, fundraisers and members are able to:
- Stay up to date on resource mobilisation trends at the regional, local, and global level
- Access thought leadership from experienced practitioners in a shorter, more accessible format
- Engage with specific, practical topics relevant to their day-to-day work
- Stay connected to KAFP's wider community, even without attending in-person workshops
Format
Coffee Talks are held both Virtually and In-Person.
Who Should Attend
Who Should Attend
- Resource Mobilisation Teams
- Community-Based Organisations (CBOs)
- Fundraisers and Development Practitioners
- KAFP Members who want to stay current on RM trends
JULY COFFEE TALK 2026: When Your Budget Is the Problem
Many fundraisers know that feeling when you have built a brilliant program, your donor loves the concept, and the conversations are warm, then the proposal stalls at the final hurdle, because the budget feels "too high," "too heavy on overhead," or just confusingly structured.
This session is aimed to tackle that friction head-on. We want to pull back the curtain on underpriced impact, defensive budgeting, and the tension between keeping the lights on and keeping donors happy. We want to reframe budgeting as an active growth tool that drives your mission forward, rather than a scary spreadsheet added onto the back of a proposal.
Session Take Away:
- The Full-Cost Confidence Framework: strategies to calculate and present the true cost of delivering an impact, without diluting operational realities.
- The "Overhead as a Value-Driver" Pitch: Simple, relatable language to explain administrative and institutional costs as necessary fuel for the mission, not as wasteful burdens.
- An Indirect-Rate Negotiation Guide: How to defend and negotiate your indirect cost rates using solid organizational evidence and confident positioning, rather than backing down and making concessions.
- Funder-Friendly, Honest Budget Blueprints: A look at how to structure a budget sheet so it is instantly clear and attractive to a donor, while remaining honest to your actual operational costs.
- The Finance - Fundraising Alignment Tool: Actionable steps to get your finance and fundraising teams on the same page before the proposal deadline, ending the classic last minute panic and friction.
Join a vibrant community of active participating professionals from across Kenya and the wider Eastern African region.
The audience is a mix of NGO Executive Directors, Finance Directors, Program Managers, and Resource Mobilisation professionals who are directly responsible for keeping their organizations sustainable.
Up-Coming Coffee Talks 2026
September Coffee Talk (Virtual):
Climate & Clean Energy: New Frontiers
This Coffee Talk is designed to engage organizational leadership in the conversation around board-driven fundraising. It addresses a common challenge: boards that are hesitant, disengaged, or uncertain about their role in resource mobilisation. The session reframes board participation from obligation to strategic leadership, fostering a culture where giving and fundraising are integral to governance.
November Coffee Talk (Virtual):
Building Sustainable Infrastructure: The Power of Benchmarking
This Coffee Talk addresses that gap by showing how data-driven insights from both global and local best practices can transform resource mobilisation. Participants will explore how the most successful organizations structure systems, allocate resources, and measure efficiency, providing actionable lessons for sustainable growth.
October Coffee Talk (In-Person):
Managing Rejection & Proposal Failure; (Urban Woods Nairobi)
This Coffee Talk addresses the emotional and strategic challenges of proposal failure, helping individuals and teams turn setbacks into actionable insights. Beyond coping, the session focuses on building a culture that treats failure as a learning opportunity, driving smarter, more resilient fundraising in 2026 in Q4 and beyond.