Publikasi menjelaskan penggalangan dana.

Indonesian basic word order is usually Subject + Verb + Object, just like English.

So in Publikasi menjelaskan penggalangan dana:

• Publikasi = the subject
• menjelaskan = the verb
• penggalangan dana = the object

So the structure is:

• The publication
  • explains
    • the fundraising

That is why publikasi comes first.

Menjelaskan means to explain or explains.

It comes from the base jelas, which means clear.
When Indonesian adds the prefix meN- and the suffix -kan, it forms menjelaskan, which has the sense of making something clear or explaining something.

So:

• jelas = clear
• menjelaskan = to explain / to make clear

This is a very common verb pattern in Indonesian.

Because jelas is mainly an adjective, meaning clear.
To express the action to explain, Indonesian uses the verb menjelaskan.

Compare:

• Penjelasannya jelas. = The explanation is clear.
• Dia menjelaskan masalah itu. = He/She explains that problem.

So in your sentence, you need a verb, not just an adjective. That is why menjelaskan is used.

Penggalangan dana means fundraising.

Literally, it is built from:

• galang = to rally / gather / mobilize
• penggalangan = the act or process of mobilizing / collecting
• dana = funds

So penggalangan dana is literally something like the collecting or mobilizing of funds, which in natural English is fundraising.

Indonesian usually does not require articles like the, a, or an.

So:

• publikasi can mean publication, a publication, or the publication
• penggalangan dana can mean fundraising, a fundraising effort, or the fundraising

The exact meaning depends on context.

In English, you must usually choose a or the, but Indonesian often leaves that unstated.

Yes, depending on context, publikasi can refer to:

• a publication as a published item, document, or release
• the act of publication or publishing

In this sentence, Publikasi menjelaskan penggalangan dana, it most naturally sounds like:

• The publication explains the fundraising, or
• The published material explains the fundraising

If the speaker meant publishing as an abstract process, the sentence would usually need more context to make that clear.

Yes. Since Indonesian does not mark a/an/the the way English does, several translations may be possible:

• A publication explains fundraising
• The publication explains the fundraising
• The publication explains fundraising

Which one is best depends on context.

If the sentence appears in isolation, English learners should know that Indonesian often leaves this kind of definiteness unspecified.

Yes. Menjelaskan is a transitive verb, which means it normally takes a direct object.

Here, the direct object is penggalangan dana.

So:

• Publikasi = subject
• menjelaskan = transitive verb
• penggalangan dana = object

This is a very normal sentence pattern in Indonesian.

Yes. Adding itu makes the noun more specific:

• Publikasi = publication / a publication / the publication
• Publikasi itu = that publication / the publication

So:

• Publikasi menjelaskan penggalangan dana = more general or context-dependent
• Publikasi itu menjelaskan penggalangan dana = more clearly refers to a specific publication

This is often useful when English would definitely require the or that.

Because menjelaskan directly takes an object in Indonesian, much like explain can in English.

So Indonesian says:

• menjelaskan sesuatu = to explain something

That means:

• menjelaskan penggalangan dana = explain the fundraising

You do not need a preposition such as tentang here.

If you used tentang, you would usually restructure the sentence, for example:

• Publikasi memberi penjelasan tentang penggalangan dana.
  = The publication gives an explanation about fundraising.

But with menjelaskan, a direct object is the normal pattern.