The University of Helsinki launched a new international fundraising and alumni project in 2020, amid the COVID pandemic. Whilst the quantitative success of the project in terms of donations is not staggering, we have gained a vast amount of knowledge concerning foundations, events, tools and reaching out to private individuals. During this session we will unpack the lessons learned from the project. We will discuss our overarching strategy, shed light on the diverse initiatives trialed, and share our progress. We hope to encourage an active and open dialogue with session attendees about the best practices for international fundraising.