Thirty years of work have taken me through Engineering, Major Capital Projects, Military Service, and Specialised Operations. I built my foundation as a chartered Mechanical Engineer and Project Leader, delivering complex Oil & Gas Assets, Infrastructure, Petro-Chemical Complexes, Water Systems, and Asset Management Programs across Australia, Middle East, and Asia. Along the way, I worked with some of the world's largest oil and gas operators, including Shell, Chevron, Woodside, OilSearch, ENI, and IGC Petrochem, leading teams through Commissioning, Reliability Improvements, Shutdowns, and long-term Integrity planning and management.

In parallel to my engineering career, I served in Tier-1 Special Operations, providing discreet support to government entities through Special Services Global and Beta Epsilon. That work demanded precision, judgement, and the ability to operate in environments where there was no margin for error.

Today, I bring both paths together as Global Operations Director at Covert Kinetics. The company extends years of experience in sensitive missions and high-stakes project environments, now focused on Investigative Intelligence, OSINT, HUMINT, and Specialised Operational Support for organisations and leadership teams across borders.My skill set is a blend of Technical Depth and Operational Awareness. Asset Integrity, Cyber Exposure, Project Delivery, Data analytics, Risk Identification, Behavioural Assessment, and Strategic Decision Spport all sit at the centre of the work I do. 

The goal is always the same, whether for a national project or a confidential investigation: uncover risks before they surface and strengthen the systems that protect people, assets, and investments.I connect with those who value insight, clarity, and confidentiality, especially in environments where informed decisions matter most.

Waseem Rehman

BELL Consultants

Independent public health consultant offering design, planning, monitoring and evaluation of health programs; development and revision of health policy and other national strategic documents; systematic evidence reviews; and overall health systems strengthening.

Principal Consultant

LVCT HEALTH

Technical lead for a large scale HIV prevention program for key populations and adolescent girls and young women.

Senior Technical Advisor, HIV and SRH Prevention

ICAP at Columbia University

Regional coordinator providing technical and administrative leadership to the team supporting an HIV care and treatment program that reached 50,000 people living with HIV

REGIONAL CORDINATOR

WHAT I DO: I show leaders of nonprofit organizations how to identify prospective funders; confidently approach & engage donors; build strong trust-based relationships with donors; ☎️🤝🏽; write outstanding winning grant proposals & increase grant funding📈💰by providing training & tailor-made consultancy services
WHO I WORK WITH: I partner with executive directors, fund raising professionals & other leaders in non-profit organizations 

WHY IT WORKS: When you partner with me you get the most efficient, effective & affordable grant fund raising solutions that non-profits are looking for right now   
 
WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT: My signature RISERS method of grant fund raising is not based on theory but on approaches that I have used to raise millions of dollars for nonprofits 

SERVICES THAT I PROVIDE:
•Writing grant proposals that stand out & win grants
•Group and organization-focused training on grant fundraising
•Tailored grant fundraising consultancy & coaching services
•Donor & grant research
•Fundraising strategy development
 
WHAT OTHERS SAY: 
“Within the 2 years that I have worked with Kiragu, we have received approximately USD 100,000 in funding. Most importantly to us, Kiragu always indicates the practical applications his work has for our organization and future grant funding. He is a perceptive professional as he knows how to deliver what is needed at the right time. He is diligent with strong communication skills, attributes that are very useful in his grant writing career.” Samuel Munyuwiny, Executive Director, African Institute for Children Studies

“The Stoke Association of Kenya is pleased to have been working with Michael for the last 7 months. Over this period, he has provided our team with astute technical support for grant writing. With his support, we have clarified our organizational strategy and strengthened our financial and technical capacity, that now clearly demonstrate investment-worthiness. We are now well on our way to being a well-funded non-governmental organization with strong systems..I recommend Dr Kiragu without reservation. I wish you all the best in your grant application.” Dr Evans Nyambega, Executive Director, Stroke Association of Kenya

HOW IT WORKS: We first meet virtually or in-person to discuss your needs. We then develop a plan to build capacity for grant fundraising through training or tailored consultancy services.  

READY TO TALK? Reach out to me directly here on LinkedIn or contact me by email at info@bellconsultants.co.ke.

Michael Kiragu

This newsletter challenges the traditional "sales pitch" approach to fundraising and reveals why nonprofit leaders should stop worrying about asking for money. Instead, focus on inviting funders into your mission and shared purpose—when you get this right, funding conversations unfold naturally.

Grant Fundraising for Nonprofits - I show nonprofit organizations how to win grants using a simple approach called the R.I.S.E.R.S. Framework

View newsletter: Grant Fundraising Strategy 

He was paralyzed by fear. A nonprofit founder I met had received grants through his network. Yet he couldn't expand beyond them. Why? He believed fund

Open article: Forget About Asking for Money by Michael Kiragu • 2 min read

Some seasons test your patience more than your skill.

Growing my business has not been easy. 

I have had many of those moments—times when it would have been easier to stop, pivot prematurely, or assume that persistence was naïve.

There are moments when the work feels invisible, progress feels slow, and effort seems disconnected from results. 

This quote by Jack Canfield has stayed with me during those stretches:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

This reminds me that momentum is often quiet before it becomes visible. 

✔️Trust compounds over time. 
✔️Relationships deepen slowly. 
✔️Clarity comes after repetition, not before.

Staying at it is not about stubbornness. 

It is about faith in the process, discipline in action, and patience with outcomes you cannot yet see.

If you are in a season where results are delayed, keep going. 

The work you are doing is not wasted—it is preparing the ground.

Donors don't care about you or your NGO.

Harsh? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

Here's what most nonprofits get wrong:

"We're amazing—fund us!" 
"Our programs are incredible—support us!" 
"We need new equipment—help us!" 
"Our team might lose jobs—save us!"

Notice the pattern? Me. Me. Me.

But donors didn't wake up thinking about YOUR operational challenges. 

They woke up thinking about the issue that keeps them up at night—clean water, education equity, climate change, youth empowerment.

Donors fund causes first, organizations second.

The shift is simple but powerful:

Start by proving you're obsessed with the same problem they are. Show them you lose sleep over the same injustice. Demonstrate your approach creates measurable change.

Then—and only then—will they care about your sustainability. 

Because once they see you're vital to the impact they want, your organizational health becomes their concern too.

Strong organizations serve causes better. But you have to earn the right to make that case.

Lead with the cause. Let organizational needs follow naturally.

Agree? Disagree? Drop a comment below

Pic: hanging out with the amazing David Ault

Grant seeking is simple...

....but not easy.

➡️Find funders who care about what you care about. 
➡️Earn their trust that your passion is genuine. 
➡️Prove you can execute. 
➡️Deliver results. 
➡️Share your impact. 

Repeat.

Simple, right?

If it's simple, why do so many nonprofits struggle to secure funding?

Because it's not easy.

Each step demands deep work: researching alignment, building authentic relationships, demonstrating capacity, producing measurable outcomes, and communicating widely and compellingly.

The complexity isn't in understanding the process—it's in the discipline, stamina, resources, patience, and consistency required to do it well.

Agree? Disagree? Drop a comment below.

taplio

The Battle

Waseem Rehman

Michael Kiragu

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The Battle

Waseem Rehman

Michael Kiragu

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Michael Kiragu's LinkedIn Performance

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