Session 2: Improving financial sustainability of ECED centres

Improving the financial sustainability of ECED centres

About the learning series

This learning series supports ECED organisations operating in emergency and low-income settings, leveraging our toolkit, to strengthen financial sustainability through practical revenue generation, financial planning, and management.

The series combines:

Guided expert sessions on revenue generation, financial planning, forecasting, and core financial management
Peer learning circles to exchange solutions with organisations working in similar contexts
1–1 expert office hours for tailored, organisation-specific support

Focus of session 2:

The second session will focus on testing the feasibility of potential revenue streams, building on Session 1 where participants mapped revenue opportunities for their organisations.

If you missed the earlier session, you’re still welcome to join. We recommend coming prepared with initial ideas using this template from our financial sustainability toolkit.

Who should join:

This series is designed for practitioners running or supporting ECED centres in emergency or low-income settings. We strongly encourage two participants per organisation:

One team member responsible for finance or budgeting, and
One programme lead, as programme design and financial planning are closely linked.

Key dates:

14 January 2026 – Guided Session 1: Exploring diverse revenue opportunities
28 January 2026 – Guided Session 2: Designing and refining revenue models
11 February 2026 – Peer Learning Circle 1: Sharing and strengthening draft revenue plans
18 February 2026 – Office Hours 1: Reviewing and refining revenue models
25 February 2026 – Guided Session 3: Financial planning and forecasting
11 March 2026 – Guided Session 4: Embedding good financial management practices
18 March 2026 – Peer Learning Circle 2: Exchanging learnings on income projections and financial management systems
25 March 2026 – Office Hours 2: Refining projections, budgets, and financial management practices

Session timings:

All guided and peer sessions will start at:
7:30 am EST | 12:30 pm UK | 3:30 pm EAT | 6:00 pm IST
Office hours will have flexible timing.

Our expert:

Sane Mdlalose is a dynamic Pan-African Strategist with 25+ years of experience igniting business expansion across diverse industries and continents. Her expertise spans FMCG, Education, Healthcare/Pharma (public and private sectors), Finance, and Petroleum, with successful ventures throughout Asia, the Americas, and Africa. Having worked in both social impact and for-profit sectors, she excels at building winning growth plans across business pillars, seamlessly bridging strategy to operationalisation, and generating substantial revenue growth. As a passionate Growth Enablement leader, she thrives on tackling complex challenges with clear, actionable solutions. Her deep commitment to fostering sustainable economic change in vulnerable and under-resourced communities has made her particularly effective in social franchising and developing small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs), creating lasting impact and driving economic growth in these areas. She has also served as Chief Growth Officer at SmartStart, an early learning social franchise that aims to expand access to quality early childhood development in South Africa.

Event details

Date: