This year’s NAYDO Academy gave me, more than anything, a clearer vision for what I want to build in fundraising in Peru. More than a training experience, these days gave me the chance to reflect on the path we need to build to strengthen our organizations’ sustainability — and, above all, to understand that fundraising can be a genuine tool for social transformation.

From August 24 to 27, NAYDO Academy gave us the chance to share experiences, knowledge, and different perspectives on philanthropy, resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, communication, and opportunity-building. But what mattered most to me wasn’t only the content itself — it was the questions this experience raised, and the vision I now hold for what we can develop in Peru.

One of the central lessons was understanding that fundraising doesn’t simply mean bringing in money. It means building relationships, earning trust, communicating a cause, and helping others see that they can be part of the solution.

We often think fundraising begins when we need resources. NAYDO Academy reaffirmed for me that it should start much earlier — with a relationship, a conversation, an understanding of our surroundings, the identification of potential allies, and the ability to clearly communicate the impact we want to create.

This is a significant challenge for Peru. Institutions, social organizations, and communities are carrying out valuable projects and generating real change. Even so, we need to strengthen our ability to showcase that impact and turn it into a proposal that resonates with individuals, companies, foundations, and other actors willing to contribute.

Having a good cause isn’t enough — we have to know how to communicate it, demonstrate its impact, and build trust around it.

Another important lesson was recognizing that fundraising can’t operate as an isolated function within an organization. It must connect to communications, marketing, strategic planning, volunteer engagement, leadership, and institutional management.

An organization that wants to build sustainable fundraising needs to know its audiences, identify opportunities, set goals, measure results, and, above all, cultivate long-term relationships. A donor shouldn’t be seen merely as someone who provides resources, but as a partner who shares a concern and wants to help drive change. That shift in perspective completely transforms how we understand philanthropy.

I also left with reflections on partnerships. Peru holds enormous potential to build bridges between social organizations, companies, educational institutions, communities, and people committed to development. The challenge lies in identifying shared interests and building proposals where everyone can find a common purpose.

For that reason, I believe we need to begin cultivating a culture of fundraising in Peru — one where responsibility doesn’t rest only with specialists, but where leaders, volunteers, professionals, and members of our organizations all understand that each of them can help build relationships and open new opportunities.

NAYDO Academy also led me to think about the importance of professionalizing this work. Fundraising demands planning, ethics, knowledge, creativity, follow-through, and perseverance. It isn’t about asking for support on an improvised basis, but about developing strategies that create sustainability and expand the impact of our programs.

I come back from this experience with a broader vision and, at the same time, a deeper commitment. I want to bring these lessons home to Peru and help make fundraising a strategic discipline for the development of our institutions and communities.

My purpose is to help build a fundraising practice that is professional, ethical, sustainable, and people-centered — one that doesn’t just raise resources, but mobilizes goodwill, strengthens partnerships, and turns good causes into real opportunities for transformation.

NAYDO Academy gave me knowledge, but above all, it left me with direction. It confirms that we have much work ahead of us, and that Peru holds enormous potential to build a stronger philanthropic culture.

Because, in the end, fundraising isn’t about asking for resources — it’s about connecting people, organizations, and companies to purposes capable of creating lasting impact.

And that is the vision I want to carry with me and begin building in Peru.