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S.O.S – Strategic Opportunities Series for Managers in the UN: Resource Mobilisation and Stakeholder Engagement
The Strategic Opportunities Series (S.O.S.) offers UN personnel a clinic-style intervention that addresses the most acute needs of the UN system and its people. It provides curated learning experiences that respond to the pressing “how-to” questions managers face in the most fragile moments of their work, when priorities shift, budgets are restricted, or programmes are suspended.
In periods when managers are asked to do more with less, leading stretched teams, managing dispersed colleagues, and adapting to reshaped structures and expectations, the S.O.S. series helps leaders refocus on what truly matters: their people, the resources that sustain their work, and the organisation’s visibility and credibility in a constantly evolving environment.
It also offers managers a space to pause, reflect, and realign, supported by peers who share similar challenges and experiences, helping to strengthen leadership resilience and foster collective learning across the UN system.
Through curated and tailored learning interventions, explore how to:
- Lead teams with empathy, clarity, and purpose;
- Sustain motivation and performance amid shifting demands;
- Mobilise resources through partnerships, private donors, and philanthropy;
- Strengthen the organisation’s recognition and trust through strategic communication, advocacy, and positioning.
S.O.S. Resource Mobilisation and Stakeholder Engagement helps UN personnel build the partnerships and donor relationships that bring important work to life. At its core, resource mobilisation is about people — understanding what matters to them, finding shared purpose, and creating connections that can support meaningful and lasting impact. Through five modules, the programme helps participants identify partners who align with their goals, understand what motivates donors and philanthropists, and express their organisation’s mission in ways that feel authentic and compelling. The aim is to strengthen trust, deepen alignment, and lay the groundwork for long-term collaboration that supports organisational priorities and delivers real results for the communities we serve.
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Identify and prioritise strategic partners and donors whose goals and motivations align with their organisational objectives.
- Build trust and shared value with diverse stakeholders and sustain long-term partnerships through mutual accountability and continuous engagement.
- Understand key trends in philanthropy and the values that drive donor interest and long-term commitment.
- Engage confidently and authentically with donors and partners through informed, empathetic, and purposeful communication.
- Translate organisational mission, data, and results into clear and compelling value propositions tailored to different audiences to inspire engagement and collaboration
Online (or in person on demand)
Block 1: Reposition in a Changing Landscape
- Understand the broader political, economic, social, and organizational forces shaping the present UN context and map the actors and forces across this landscape.
- Examine your team’s current positioning within the UN system and among external stakeholders and identify opportunities to enhance relevance and influence.
- Use analytical tools such as PESTLE and perceptual mapping to reflect on how your work is positioned and perceived.
- Align your team’s purpose with evolving organizational priorities.
Block 2: Build Meaningful Relationships with Strategic Partners
- Identify and map stakeholders based on their relevance, influence, interests, and potential contribution to your organization’s goals.
- Prioritize relationships where there is potential for mutual value and strategic alignment.
- Explore the principles and behaviours that build trust, credibility, and shared purpose, recognizing what makes partnerships meaningful and sustainable beyond transactional engagement.
- Strengthen your ability to initiate, develop, and sustain strategic relationships and identify practical approaches for engaging different stakeholders and moving relationships forward.
Block 3: Understand the Donor's Mind
- Explore the different motivations, priorities, values, and expectations that influence donor decision-making.
- Understand how different types of donors assess opportunities and decide where to invest.
- Identify areas of alignment between donor priorities and your organization’s mandate, programmes, and expertise and translate donor interests into potential areas for collaboration and resource mobilization.
- Develop a donor-centred approach to engagement and tailor your communication, proposition, and engagement strategy to different donor profiles.
Block 4: Craft Value Propositions that Connect
- Craft value propositions that speak to the interests and priorities of different partners.
- Use storytelling to communicate value, relevance, and impact to different audiences.
- Structure a clear proposition around the problem, proposed action, and intended impact and articulate it with a concept note.
Block 5: Develop a Compelling Grant Narrative
- Translate your concept note into a compelling written proposal.
- Explore the elements of strong proposals, including annexes, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation.
- Strengthen your understanding of how proposals demonstrate results and impact and explore essential concepts such as metrics, KPIs, indicators, outputs, and outcomes.
- Apply these concepts to develop a coherent resource mobilization proposal.
- Use practical tools, such as a mini logframe, to connect activities, outputs, outcomes, and intended impact.
The programme targets UN staff members who are involved in Resource Mobilisation in their teams and organisation.
$ 1,500