Sacha Christianson

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

14 yrs

In the sector, 10 of them in business development and institutional fundraising globally

€30M+

Institutional portfolio diversified away from two traditional donors, on fundraising systems built from scratch

$40M+

Secured across eight organisations

20%

Annual revenue growth, with win rates rising as engagement matured

Led the diversification of a €30M+ institutional portfolio away from two traditional donors (GFFO, BMZ) into EU funding mechanisms (ECHO, INTPA), US foundations and a wider set of government funders including Norad and DFAT, with 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.

Selected engagements

Independent consulting work, 2020 to 2022 and from 2026.

Brightwild Ventures 2026

European climate philanthropy strategy for a UK climate innovation fund. A 40+ funder pipeline including Shell Foundation, Porticus, Laudes Foundation, CIFF, Oak Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn, a rewritten concept note and investment case, and a funder engagement dashboard tracking pipeline stage, relationship warmth and sequenced outreach.
International Rescue Committee, Central African Republic 2020–21

AFD feasibility proposal (€200K, six months) that led to a five-year €5M local governance programme in eastern CAR, and a three-year €4M BMZ community-driven socio-economic recovery programme covering child protection, livelihoods and youth and women's empowerment.
Catholic Relief Services 2020–21

Lead writer on the $19M USAID/Rwanda THRIVE WASH proposal: context analysis, executive summary, team and partner sections, with WASH strategies aligned to climate adaptation priorities.
CARE 2020–21

Prepositioning for the USAID-funded $19.5M Burkina Faso Governance Activity and the Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Support Activity in Bangladesh, covering recruitment, Statement of Qualifications, CVs and team sections.
WaterAid 2020–21

Climate-resilient WASH strategy across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, integrating AFD and Alliance Sahel engagement.
Near East Foundation 2020–21

Sahel landscape analysis mapping nature-based livelihoods and climate finance mechanisms.
Norwegian Refugee Council 2020–21

Coordination and quality assurance of NRC Venezuela's $2.5M Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance proposal for WASH and humanitarian coordination.
Save the Children, DRC 2020–21

ECHO HIP proposal for the COVID-19 response, with Save the Children Norway, plus inputs to the regional DEVCO/NEAR adolescent sexual and reproductive health proposal.

Also: the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, and Urban Refugees.

Engagement model

I

Strategic Advisory

2 to 3 days a month

Monthly strategy calls, funder triage, light review of your materials and a quarterly strategic note. For organisations that want outside counsel on channel strategy while the team runs the work.
II

Embedded Partner

6 to 8 days a month

Strategy diagnostic, tiered donor mapping, case for support and donor materials, warm-intro outreach through my own network, a stewardship and pipeline system, and attendance at one flagship event.
III

Full Engagement

10 to 12 days a month

Institutional funder positioning, deeper Brussels and network activation, consortium building, attendance at two or three events, and direct negotiation support with priority funders.

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.”

Holger D. Wagner, Head of Programmes, Johanniter International Assistance

“Sacha has played a pivotal role in broadening donor engagement, leveraging strong understanding of public and private donors, compliance frameworks, and partnership strategies. Highly recommend her for grants acquisition, fundraising, donor relations, or funding strategy development.”

Yesani Kapanda, Programme and Business Development Specialist, Johanniter International Assistance

About me

My career did not start in fundraising. It started in an ESL classroom in New York, teaching English to new arrivals, and the direction I took from there was deliberate.

New York, Haiti, Paris, London, Niamey, Brussels and now Berlin. Fourteen years of learning what makes a funder say yes, from both sides of the proposal.