Keynotes am SwissFundraisingDay 2026

From Crisis of Solidarity to People Power in Fundraising

09:15-10:15h

In this keynote, I want to explore with you what it really means to fundraise in a moment that feels less like a simple funding challenge and more like a wider question of solidarity under pressure. I want to invite you to look with me at how fundraising is changing shape — moving beyond the familiar funnel towards something far more dynamic, interconnected, and complex: new funding – or even – financing ecosystems.

The global funding landscape is shifting — from grants to (catalytic) capital, from Western-led aid to multipolar financing, from outputs and outcomes to systems — bringing both opportunity and complexity, and a growing concentration of power among capital holders.

What does this mean for NGOs? What does this mean for us as fundraisers? What will be funded by what? What does this require for organisational structures and expertise? What do we do if the power even more shifts to where the money is? What about localisation of aid and community-led?

Does it mean fundraising is finished? Far from! In this new reality though, we have to be aware whom funds what. How do we use new tech and AI? Individual giving becomes even more important, not less: it is a source of trust, legitimacy, and independence, and a reminder that at the heart of all our work is people power. Whether that is via raising funds, giving your time, your voice, sharing your expertise or all of the above.

What does this require from us as a sector? What does it require for our organisation? What does it require from me as an individual?

For all of us in this room, this is ultimately an invitation to reflect on what kind of solidarity we are helping to shape through our work — and how, together, we can build funding models, relationships, and cultures that are not only more resilient, but also more connected, more collaborative, and more rooted in people.

Willeke Van Rijn

Willeke joined the Resource Alliance as CEO in March 2022. An experienced leader in the nonprofit sector, with strategic, international, financial, and people skills, Willeke previously led the Strategy and Analysis team at SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest charity focused on providing a loving home for children everywhere. She supported the initiation of an innovative online capacity-building platform for micro and small enterprises in emerging markets. Prior to that, she spent 13 years at OXFAM as a global fundraising strategy advisor for affiliates around the world including Mexico, India, South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and Belgium, where she provided strategic fundraising oversight; R&D of new fundraising markets and channels including entry, set-up, and market development. She lived and worked in Mexico, Nepal and India and now lives in London.

Umdenken – wann und wie wir unsere bisherigen Annahmen und unser Vorgehen überprüfen müssen

15:30–16:15h

Mikael Krogerus / Roman Tschäppeler

Der gebürtige Finne Mikael Krogerus ist Journalist beim «Das Magazin» und unter anderem Träger des Grimme-Preises. Der Bieler Roman Tschäppeler ist Entrepreneur und Kreativproduzent. Beide sind Absolventen der dänischen Hochschule «The Kaospilots». Seit 2008 schreiben und zeichnen sie Kolumnen und Bücher. Ihre Werke wurden in 25 Sprachen übersetzt und sind unverzichtbare Werkzeuge für alle, die mit Menschen zu tun haben.