Foundations need more than good intentions.

On a mandate basis, I take on fundraising, governance and leadership tasks for foundations and non-profit organisations: as an advisor, but just as much as the person who delivers the work, too.

Services

Fundraising

For organisations without their own fundraising position: I run the ongoing fundraising work myself: research and assessment of potential funding foundations and other donors, pipeline, grant applications, outreach to funding foundations, deadline tracking and reporting.

Board & executive mandates

For foundations seeking leadership on a temporary or part-time basis: board membership, as well as interim or smaller mandates as managing director.

Board secretariat & delegate role

For boards and committees: acting as secretary or delegate. Among other things, I take on meeting preparation, minutes, follow-ups, and coordination between the board and operational level.

Application & project review

For funding foundations: professional assessment and preparation of incoming funding applications and projects as a basis for board decisions.

Grant application support

For specific funding applications: structuring, drafting or revising foundation applications, including project logic, sustainability, budget and supporting documents.

Setup, structure & legal matters

For existing foundations or those being established: advice on structure, statutes, governance, corporate housekeeping and legal questions relating to the foundation.

About me

Andrea Widmer

My professional starting point is a classic legal education: studies in Fribourg (lic. iur.) and Berlin, a Zurich bar qualification, and an LL.M. from the University of Chicago. Professional experience as an attorney at a leading Swiss business law firm and in the banking world.

For several years now, my focus has been on the non-profit sector: in the environment of the Mercator Switzerland and Mercator Germany foundations, as Head of Fundraising at Stiftung Elternsein / the Swiss parenting magazine Fritz+Fränzi, and as a board member responsible for fundraising at Stiftung Circolino Pipistrello. This has given me a practical view of both sides of the foundation world: funding organisations as well as the projects they fund.

Educationlic. iur. Fribourg · LL.M. University of Chicago · Zurich bar qualification
FocusFundraising, foundation management, governance, non-profit projects
LanguagesGerman · English · French

Contact

Email
kontakt@widmer-stiftungsberatung.ch
Phone
+41 78 768 77 31