CASE and Inyathelo are committed to professionalising Advancement in Higher Education

Cape Town, 30 July 2026 — Following the successful execution of its inaugural cohort, the Council for Advancement and Support in Education (CASE), in partnership with the South African Institute for Advancement (Inyathelo), has officially entered the second year of its pioneering Advancement Internship Programme. The landmark initiative continues to address critical youth employment needs while building vital fundraising, stewardship, sustainability and communication capacity across South African universities.

Building on its pilot foundation, the programme equips recent graduates with immersive, practical training designed to bolster institutional resilience, donor engagement, and financial sustainability across the higher education landscape.

As participating universities continuously navigate intense competition for capital, changing donor priorities and a stark funding divide, where historically advantaged institutions continue to capture the vast majority of philanthropic income, the programme's focus on professionalising resource mobilisation has never been more vital.

For the young professionals who completed the inaugural eight-week course, this Internship programme proved to be a transformative career catalyst, turning academic backgrounds into high-value professional skill sets.

"I entered the internship at the University of Cape Town (UCT) with no prior knowledge of Advancement while completing my Master’s degree," says Thuto Kgosiemang, a 2025 cohort alumnus. "The analytical demands of prospect research aligned closely with my research background. The structured combination of formal training and hands-on placement provided the exact context and confidence I needed, directly enabling me to land a permanent higher education career at UCT in under a year."

For Tshireletso Tshupo, an alumnus placed in the Office of Development and Fundraising at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the experience demystified the interdisciplinary nature of institutional growth.

"The programme taught me the true language of the sector," reflects Tshireletso. "Coming from a marketing background, it allowed me to see how strategic communication, data research, and donor stewardship integrate seamlessly to fuel impactful campaigns. Facing challenges like international prospecting taught me to leverage global networks and collaborate. Most importantly, seeing how donor-centric work directly secures funding for students who cannot afford tuition, gives incredible purpose to what we do."

The success of the inaugural cohort was celebrated alongside the launch of the second-year intake at the CASE-Inyathelo Advancement Internship Programme Conference, recently held at the University of Cape Town. Featuring key leaders including Inyathelo Acting Executive Director Feryal Domingo, CASE Vice President of People, Culture & Talent Rob Henry, and sector specialist Prof. Anesh Maniraj Singh, the event highlighted the urgent need to expand the pipeline of qualified Advancement talent across Africa.

“Entering the second year of our partnership with Inyathelo is a testament to the shared vision and exceptional talent we have seen emerge from the South African Advancement sector. Last year, we laid a foundation. This year, we are building momentum. By scaling this programme, we are not just creating entry-level roles. We are cultivating a diverse, resilient community of professionals who understand the unique socio-economic landscape of education and philanthropy across the country. We remain committed to investing in this talent pipeline, ensuring that the next generation of Advancement leaders is equipped with the global best practices and local insights necessary to drive long-term institutional sustainability,” said Rob Henry.

The programme will embed capacity into key institutions, including the UCT, UJ, Durban University of Technology (DUT), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), North-West University (NWU), and Nelson Mandela University (NMU).

However, with South African higher education institutions collectively securing over R2.3 billion in philanthropic support in 2024, expanding this talent pool to more campuses remains an urgent priority. CASE and Inyathelo are actively encouraging more universities across South Africa and the broader continent to join the initiative as host institutions.

"Advancement professionals are the unsung heroes of institutional growth," notes Feryal Domingo. "By introducing structured entryways into fundraising, alumni engagement and strategic communications, we are empowering a new generation of leaders equipped with resilience, empathy, and agility. We urge higher education institutions to partner with us in expanding this ecosystem, ensuring that every university has the institutional capacity required to secure its own sustainable future."