Capacity Building

As the largest network of NGOs and foundations in the Philippines, with capacity building as a core strength, AF champions the continuing professional development of civil society talents within and beyond its membership.

Through competency-based and specialized learning sessions, AF strengthens the knowledge, skills, and leadership capacities of current and emerging NGO professionals. These efforts aim to enhance organizational effectiveness, promote good governance, and sustain a pool of competent and committed leaders equipped to respond to evolving development challenges.

LEAD to Serve

Leaders Empowered and Dedicated to Serve (LEAD to Serve) is the flagship program of the Association of Foundations, aimed at strengthening the NGO sector by supporting individuals, organizations, and the sector as a whole. To build individual and organizational capacity, LEAD to Serve offers competency-based courses anchored on the Philippine NGO Leadership Competency Framework.

  1. LEAD to Serve Flagship Course – A year-long program focused on leadership development and organizational strengthening. It includes leadership and organizational assessments, results-focused planning, mentoring, and blended learning sessions.
  2. LEAD to Serve Course Local Governance Engagement Course – Similar in structure to the Flagship Course, but with an added module on local governance to equip civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage effectively in local governance processes. 
  3. LEAD to Serve: Basic Program Management Course – A two-month course designed to enhance the effectiveness of NGO programs and projects by improving functional competencies of NGO program and project officers.
Learn more about LEAD to Serve

Learning Sessions

AF offers standalone learning sessions and learning series on timely and relevant topics for NGOs and foundations — from governance and leadership, to proposal writing, communications, artificial intelligence, and sector trends.

Sessions are delivered in flexible formats — online (via Zoom), face-to-face, or hybrid — to make learning accessible and practical. Some sessions are exclusive to AF members, while others are open to the broader NGO community, creating spaces for shared learning and collaboration across the sector.

Interested in partnering with AF to deliver capacity building sessions for NGOs? Email us at afsecretariat@afonline.org

Collab Hub

AF serves as a platform for members and partners to initiate, strengthen or scale up joint action and collaboration around a shared development agenda. We continue to seek and create effective and efficient mechanisms to achieve collective impact.
KNOW MORE ABOUT THE COLLAB HUB