NGO Soul + Strategy 062. Nonprofit operations CAN be a driver of transformation: Kim Kucinskas @ Humentum
Summary
How should we think about the ‘collective journey to equitable development’ of Northern-founded NGOs, national NGOs and their funders?
What obstacles stand in the way of continuing on that journey?
Why does Humentum argue that NGO operating models need to enable ERA (Equitable, Resilient, and Accountable) development, and how does that need to come about?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Kim Kucinskas, Director for Community Strategy at Humentum, on nonprofit operations as a driver of transformation.
Kim’s Bio:
- Director, Community Strategy, Humentum
- Director, Member Engagement and Services, Huentum
- Several other roles in Humentum since 2012
- Worked in Namibia on issues related to local epidemics
- Fundraising role at the International Institute for Cooperation and Development
We discuss:
- The pressure is building for significant change in the northern INGO sector; it’s coming from all frontiers
- There is actual strategic power in the operations model; if we change it in a significant way, big change happens in the power distribution between northern INGOs, funders, and national NGOs
- Humentum argues this in their new 3-part series of reports on ERA: how to move to an Equitable (E), Resilient (R) and Accountable (A) development sector
- But this will only happen if northern INGOs, funders, and national NGOs make significant changes in their institutional architecture, people and culture, funding, and risk frameworks
- Institutional Architecture is one of Humentum's main building blocks towards ERA: within this, organizations have to have sufficient autonomy for the sector to be able to be equitable, resilient, and accountable
- People and Culture: who is recruited, and works where; a shift in the ‘headquarters’ concept from one that is location-based to role-based; where staff receive fair and equitable compensation, etc.
- Funding: the islands of innovation that are happening in various places need to become ‘mainland’
- Accountability, with a focus on risk management: within this, a shift from risk transfer to risk sharing is required
- Be mindful: the way in which the process of #shiftthepower is happening is actually reflective of the very ways in which power is still being held right now.
Quotes:
“There is strategic value and potential in operations; not as “back-office functions” but as drivers of transformation”
“We are at a tipping point in terms of significant NGO sector change”
Resources:
Kim’s Email
Humentum's ERA reports
YouTube video of this podcast
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