Who I work with
Mission-driven organisations that have either hit a funder concentration problem or are proactive about avoiding one.
NGOs, think tanks, climate organisations and development bodies. Sector-agnostic and geography-agnostic, but internationally focused, with the strongest networks in Brussels and the EU institutions, Germany, London and the US.
What I do
- Funder landscape navigationMapping the realistic field and triaging it, so effort goes where it can actually land.
- Foundation diversification strategyMoving away from dominant funders into multiple, durable relationships.
- Geographic expansionOpening new funding markets across the EU institutions, Germany, the UK and the US.
- Fundraising operations and systemsCRM, donor mapping, pipeline and engagement tracking, stewardship protocols, AI-assisted proposal development.
- Direct donor engagementRelationship cultivation with named funders, not outsourced list-building.
- Proposal strength and win ratesSharpening institutional bids and the team habits behind them.
Track record
- Led the diversification of a €30M+ institutional portfolio away from two dominant donors (GFFO, BMZ) into EU funding mechanisms (ECHO, INTPA) and major foundations, including two ECHO wins in three years after a decade of rejections.
- Two ECHO and two INTPA grants won on the back of team training, sustained donor engagement and consortium partnership.
- Foundation funding secured from Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung and Merck Family Foundation, with relationships built at Hilton, CIFF and PATRIP.
- Brightwild Ventures (climate-finance fund, 2026): tiered UK and EU foundation landscape, warm-intro mapping and engagement tracker, a rewritten concept note and funder-archetype positioning guide, and a three to six month outreach roadmap.
Why me
I started out working directly with refugees and displaced communities in fragile contexts, then spent a decade in institutional fundraising strategy, so I bridge frontline programme reality and funder language.
My Executive MBA, with a Business Mastery Project on ESG benchmarking in the NGO sector, added the private-capital side. Strategic and pragmatic: I execute, not just advise. I understand both public and private donors, and I work globally and remotely.
Engagement model
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I
Strategic Advisory
Advisory input on strategy, funder selection and positioning, at an agreed cadence. Your team runs the work.
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II
Embedded Partner
Working inside the team on the live pipeline: funder mapping, proposals, systems and stewardship.
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III
Full Engagement
End to end ownership of the diversification effort, including direct donor relationships and bid leadership.
Levels differ by intensity and scope. Day rate is discussed directly and scoped to the engagement. Either way you get direct involvement in strategy, execution and relationship-building, not outsourced analysis.
What colleagues say
“Sacha is both a great strategist and pragmatic doer when it comes to resource mobilisation. She has a unique blend of a system-and-process supported mind & way of working combined with a good human touch and instinct.”
Organisations I have worked with
