NGO Soul + Strategy

SummaryWhat are the key principles of African leadership that nonprofit leaders globally could benefit from adopting?How does the African concept of Ubuntu translate into practical leadership strategies for nonprofit organizations?How does African leadership balance individual and collective success, and how might nonprofit teams benefit from seeking the same balance?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Albert Anoubon Momo, axecutive, author, and board member, about leadership lessons we can all learn from African cultures. Albert's Bio:Co-founder of a brand new company offering geospatial consulting services to emerging economiesFormer Vice President and Executive Director, Emerging Markets and Funded Projects at the Trimble companyFormer Director of Institutional Business Development at TrimbleManagement and Program Analyst at USAIDAlbert played multiple other roles as senior geo-scientist and GIS and software engineer, including at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) inside the US Government. We discuss: Albert has been a student of leadership from early adult life onwards, and he runs a large Facebook group on leadership. His experience has been primarily in the private sector , though he also plays governance roles in the nonprofit sphere, such as his role Board Chair of Cadasta (where Tosca is also on the board)Albert urges listeners to focus on what the African continent can bring to the rest of the world, and not to assume Africa just consumes from the rest of the world (especially when it comes to West-influenced leadership models)Subregions within the huge continent of Africa have had different influences on leadership approaches and practices: in Northern Africa and the Sahel, Islamic influences have prevailed while French colonizers brought more hierarchically oriented thinking to leadership; in coastal Africa, colonizers introduced Christianity which persists till today; and in Southern and Eastern Africa, Zulu-inspired Ubuntu philosophy has dominatedUbuntu as the most well known African philosophy emphasizes interdependence, solidarity, shared community, and communalism (also within organizational leadership and management) – different from the individualism more prevalent in Western societiesWhat Western leadership practices can learn from African leadership approaches regarding employee engagement, shared value, shared futures, solidarity, and humanismIn African cultures, traditionally councils of elders have played an important conflict resolution role; it is beneficial for global North/Western nonprofits to take account of these Councils' approach to seeking win-win resolutions rather than zero-sum litigation, their focus on the common good, common ground and shared goals. Resources:Albert’s LinkedIn ProfileAlbert's Facebook group on LeadershipBook YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportun

SummaryIs it that people resist change? That they fear change? Or rather that people fear loss?As a change management consultant, what is the most difficult or frustrating while supporting clients with change management efforts?What is one word most alive right now in the world of change management support?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Michael Randel, Founder of Randel Consulting Associates, on mastering the ever-complex world of organizational change management.Michael's BioOwner of Randel Consulting Associates, a boutique consulting firm that supports change processes across sectorsFormer Change Consultant in the World Bank's Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness departmentWorked for a Danish development agency in South-East AsiaStarted as an  Organizational Development practitioner in South Africa, at the YMCA during the anti-apartheid struggle. We discuss Michael worked as a young professional in the South African YMCA youth organization during South Africa’s apartheid struggles, which was a formative experience for him. It launched his career in change managementHe consults on change management across the private, public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. His clients all have in common: a social purpose.Early in his career, he discovered that we overestimate rationality in change management; instead, emotion is a significant factor. We also are simply unable to foresee all factors that will be at play in our change-planning effortsMichael uses a Gestalt approach in his work: in this approach, the forces that energize change are faced with forces that resist change – and Lewin’s forcefield analysis tends to apply. Put simply: people tolerate the current state of affairs till it is no longer tolerable. The Gestalt approach stipulates that we may need to intervene at the individual, team, unit organization, or sector level (or a combination)Michael appreciates Rick Maurer’s framework on resisting change, which emphasizes 3 factors, embodied in ‘I don’t get it’; ‘I don’t like it’; and ‘I don’t like you’. Each requires its response – and the three should not be confused. Quotes:Eisenhower’s quote (paraphrased here) is relevant in change management: “Plans are useless, but the process of planning is useful” Resources:Michael’s LinkedIn ProfileRandel Consulting Associates WebsiteBlog post: Resistance to change is often misunderstood YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook 

SummaryWhat does it Busara's tagline mean: 'transformational leadership, from the inside out'?To what extent are there truly different global south-normed leadership models?Does personality still play an important role as well, in addition to national or regional cultural differences in leadership approaches?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Taaka Awori, Founder & CEO of Busara Africa, a leadership development services company, on redefining leadership in Africa. Taaka's Bio:Founder and CEO of Busara Africa, a pan-African leadership development firm based in Accra, GhanaAuthor of the book Leadership Redefined: Untold StoriesAssociate Certified Coach with International Coaching Federation (ICF)Podcast host of Leadership Redefined: Untold StoriesMember of the editorial board of Coaching PerspectivesChair of the board of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)Former Country Director of AAIAssistant Social Development Adviser, DFID (now called FCDO)Degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities We discuss: Taaka started specializing in leadership development and organizational development, after discovering as a Country Director at ActionAid that what was most needed from her was good leadership – not any technical specializationBusara’s tagline is - transformational leadership from the inside out – signals that leadership starts with self-awareness and self-regulationEqually, good leadership is a combination of not just intellect or analytical capabilities, but also innate and learned wisdom, and the heartOther premises of Busara: let’s build on the examples of excellent leadership in Africa (not the negative examples); and feminist leadership70% of Busara’s clients are NGOs; the rest are private sector and government agenciesHow are African leadership models distinct, if in any way, from global North-formed models? Another distinct element is the explicit inclusion of politization and thus the need for leaders to be aware of this, and to navigate it in a mission focused manner Busara is also interested to learn more about what’s to be learned from leaders of informal, non-registered organizations: informal worker associations, social movements and networksInteresting sub-continental dimensions of leadership within the African continent Resources:Taaka’s LinkedIn ProfileTaaka’s WebsiteTaaka’s book: Leadership Redefined: Untold StoriesLeadership in Africa Redefined PodcastBusara Africa Website  YouTube video Click here to subscribe or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.orgTwitter LinkedIn Facebook Youtube

SummaryHow should INGOs discern what roles are still relevant, legitimate, and needed, at this moment in civil society history?­­ And which roles they therefore  should *stop* playing?Is there more here, over and beyond stopping service delivery? (Which on its own is quite the shift)In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive Officer at Peace Direct. Peace Direct has been quite vocal, and has acted as a thought leader on this role question -- which I consider fundamental, and which I don't see INGOs facing head-on sufficiently yet. Dylan's Bio:Chief Executive Officer of Peace Direct Director of International Programs at Y Care InternationalProgram Manager at CAREWorked on conflict countries and issues with Landmine Action, Oxford Research Group, and the British Red Cross We discuss: While the sector is changing, once again, on several fronts (in terms of programming approaches, shifting authority/decision rights to the place of program impact representation, biz models, operating models etc.), what seems to get less attention is whether the organization should go through a fundamental role shiftCommon sense would say role and function, as well as strategy, should come before the other types of changes mentioned aboveOne organization that is advocating that NGOs need to tackle the fundamental question of role shift is PeaceDirect, with Dylan Mathews as its leader. So what roles are still appropriate, especially for global North-founded INGOs?Dylan explains the nine roles that Peace Direct thinks are still appropriate for INGOs What are, importantly, the implications of a change in role and function for, for instance, board competencies and mindsets, organizational size, staff competency profiles, and culture?Dylan shares what gives him hope as INGOs traverse this journey, but also what makes him skeptical that the role shifts Peace Direct points to will actually take hold among INGOs, Resources:Peace Direct WebsiteDylan’s LinkedIn ProfilePeace Direct reading resources: Link1, Link2, Link3  YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Youtube

SummaryConflict management and mediation are skills that come up frequently as a weak area in many of our social sector organizations. And these days, more than ever conflict is on the rise within our organizations. So how can we work through our conflicts more skillfully and effectively?Nathalie has answers for us. She's a trainer conflict mediator (as well as a Corentus, Inc. team coach) who helps teams and organizations develop better conflict management capabilities. And she's a valued colleague in a broader team I am a part of. Which means I get to learn from her!In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Nathalie Thompson, Owner of 5 Fold Consulting, on conflict mediation. Erica's Bio:Owner of ‘5 Fold Consulting’, a consulting and coaching firm focused on conflict management skill building and mediationCore Practitioner and Faculty at the Corentus team coaching companyIn short: mediator, facilitator, and coach We discuss: It is often useful to work on task-related conflicts as a precursor to working on relationship-based conflicts.There are cross-national cultural differences in how humans deal with conflict. As a mediator, it is important to first build relationship, to inquire what makes for a good conversation for the person, and how to structure the conflict mediation processThere are also gendered dimensions to conflict expression and management. Society tends to ascribe the term ‘aggressive’ to women (negative framing), for instance, when they engage in conflict, while men tend to be labeled as ‘assertive’ in the same context (positive or neutral framing)One way of minimizing interpersonal conflicts within organizations is to clarify expectations, styles, and preferences. Similarly, to clarify goals and parameters, and how to do the work. Also, to agree to tackle breakdowns in relationships by agreeing upfront how difficulties will be raised, and to work through the Corentus ‘6 question framework’ for dealing with breakdowns.Nathalie is among others an ombuds. This is an originally Swedish term that literally means: ‘representative of the people’, and is an independent, neutral person to whom staff in an organization can go for confidential advice, feedback on policy, procedure, or when they seek accommodation. Ombuds are independent from HR and can offer mediation, and raise sensitive issues such as harassment and performance issues with those in authority.The apparent rise in intra-organizational strife in civil society organisations is an extension of the external polarization in society: a tendency to think in terms of ‘one true way’ instead of accepting there are many different ways Quotes:“In the nonprofit sphere, people tend to be expected to be ‘so nice’; this makes it harder to exert accountability, and to say what needs to be said” Resources:Nathalie’s LinkedIn ProfileNathalie’s Email5 Fold Consulting Website  YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.

SummaryWhat constitutes a culture of philanthropy within nonprofits and NGOs? It's a term easily bandied around, but how do I see when it's in place?How has the field of direct giving by small donors, and monthly giving as one donor practice in particular changed in the last 10-20 years?Are there hurdles to be overcome in persuading donors to adopt monthly giving? Finally, there is a lot of discussion about the need for a shift towards ethical storytelling, with local program participants in the driver's seat, and while focusing on the local person's agency. The raison d'etre for this is clear; however, is this aligned with what motivates donors (at least in traditional fundraising 'markets') to give? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Erica Waasdorp, President of A Direct Solution, a consulting agency with expertise in direct giving and monthly giving, on trends in direct fundraising.Erica's Bio:Author and Speaker, and a Master Trainer affiliated with the Association for Fundraising ProfessionalsExpertise in Direct Marketing, Monthly Giving, International FundraisingUS Ambassador for the International Fundraising Congress (IFC)Before launching A Direct Solution, she held several consulting, coaching and direct marketing roles in various consulting agencies, nonprofits, and in the publishing industry. We discuss - particularly with regard to the US donor arena: Online donations have blossomed since 2011, to the point where people now have access to many online payment platforms, donation-by-text, etc.Religious people are more generous than non-religious people; and so are low to mid-income people (in relative terms, as a proportion of their income), as compared to wealthy peopleMonthly giving is an important strategy to underpin financial sustainability since it guarantees nonprofits potentially significant levels of dependable unrestricted revenue; this in turn allows the agency to do long-term planning.In the short term, when setting up monthly giving as one avenue, it is more capacity and resource-intensive for an agencyMonthly giving as one donation strategy has been around for decades, but many nonprofits have only started focusing on it in a serious way in the last 10 or so yearsThere is some tension between the NGO sector’s aspired direction of ethical, authentic storytelling – what Erica calls ‘the complete story’ --, that starts from a program participant’s strengths and assets and the opportunities they have rather than from a deficit perspective, and the need of donors to feel that they contribute to a clear need. This tension is not yet fully acknowledged.Intermediary nonprofit ranking and rating sites (e.g. Guidestar, Charity Navigator, Give Well, etc in a US context) fulfill a donor’s felt need for transparency and the ability to trust an agency, but such data is unlikely to shape  donation behavior of new donors in a major way. Child sponsorships are likely to continue as a vehicle for fundraising, but at a lower level than before. Many nonprofits’ donor pools are aging (a lot), and this will remain the case till current day Millenials and subsequent generations age themselves. Resources:Erica’s LinkedIn ProfileA Direct Solution consulting agency, founded by Erica (the site provides lots of free resources on direct fundraising) YouTube vid

Dr. Umar Abubakar & Justin Graham discuss Taimaka Project, an NGO in Nigeria focused on evidence-based decision-making. They talk about challenges, nurturing an evidence-based culture, and effective philanthropy. The podcast explores their start-up journey, empowering communities, clinical excellence focus, and navigating challenges in implementing evidence-based strategies.

SummaryQuite a few smaller size social sector organizations assume that program evaluation is too complex or demanding an undertaking for them. Is that the case, though?If we want to introduce program evaluation to staff, leadership, and boards who have not yet been inducted into the importance of program evaluation: what are the most effective questions to generate genuine interest in and motivation to engage in such program evaluation?How can we build a more evaluation-friendly culture all around?Chari Smith, President and Founder of the consulting company Evaluation into Action has written a book that gives clear answers to these questions: Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple (2021). She explains her core argument in this podcast episode. Chari's Bio:Program Evaluation enthusiast: Author, Speaker, Consultant, and TrainerPresident/Founder of Evaluation into Action, a consulting companyProgram Evaluation Associate at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory We discuss: Chari’s book is meant for small to midsize nonprofits who have not yet taken up program evaluation, to make it achievable to them. The book is also meant for entry-stage evaluatorsChari values Beth Kanter's and Aliza Sherman’s definition of organizational culture  – “Organizational culture is a complex tapestry made up of attitudes, values, behaviors, and artifacts of the people who work for your nonprofit.”If you apply a collaborative, inclusive, participatory, and non-siloed approach to introducing program evaluation, your chances of increasing buy-in grow considerablyOnly collect data that you will actually analyze and synthesize into actionable data and that is likely to influence decision-makingA program evaluation-friendly culture cannot be ‘mandated’, on the one handOn the other hand, the role of culture ambassadors – people who already are in favor of program evaluation – is important in instilling an evaluation-friendly cultureWhat's also important is the role of organizational ‘heroes’, and the use of stories, images, and narratives, while organizational artifacts (tangible objects that can be seen around the organization) can be used to signal a desired culture. Quote: “By gathering data, nonprofits can pivot from a reactive stance to a proactive one, by acting on the data gathered” Resources:Chari’s LinkedIn ProfileWebsite of ‘Evaluation into Action’Book ‘Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple’

SummaryWhat are the main benefits of a network structure, where power, authority, and leadership are dispersed and shared across regions, from an effectiveness perspective? What are the most important enabling habits, practices and behaviors that go with that, as a change leader?And what are the most valuable network-related frameworks, concepts, resources, and tools at work in moving towards this structure?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Anu Kumar, President and CEO at Ipas, on the why, the what, and the how of changing an organization from a hub and spoke to a horizontal NGO model. Anu's Bio:President and CEO at IpasFormer Chief Strategy and Development Officer as well as Executive Vice President at IpasSenior Program Officer, Program on Global Security and Sustainability, Population and Reproductive Rights, MacArthur FoundationProgram Officer, MacArthur FoundationSocial Scientist in Human Reproduction, WHO We discuss: Ipas is the leading technical org that advocates for access to contraception and abortion services, globallyTraditionally, Ipas has had a hub-and-spoke organizational model, like many traditional NGOsA strategy change – for Ipas to contribute to a sustainable global contraception and abortion access ecosystem – demanded that countries would take over much of the lead in Ipas. So form followed functionIpas started its change towards a network model by defining what decentralization meant for itselfIt then defined shared leadership as its management model, and articulated change behaviors, practices, and management set-up as required next stepsSubsequently, it changed its structure to that of a network in which the US no longer was the primary member, and a Network Leadership Group, a Staff Community Council, and a NetCare group were formed -- the latter nurtures the networkIpas explicitly chose not to become a (con)federated organization and to remain a corporate hierarchical structureAs a next step, it adopted horizontal decision-making for some of its decision-making on budget aspects and recruitmentAdopting a horizontal management approach does *not* mean there is no hierarchy anymore: the CEO, CFO, and a few other executive leaders still have some positional power, but their  realm of decision-making is now reducedDecentralized decision-making means faster decision-making; more cross-country collaboration is also happening that's not involving the US.Role clarity is still an issue to be improved upon. On the other hand, global coherence was facilitated through a codified collaboration agreementIpas' board, still based in the US, retains fiduciary responsibilities, so compliance continues to be important Resources:Anu's LinkedIn ProfileIpas WebsiteLinkedIn article on Ipas change approach by Anu KumarBridgespan consulting group article on Re-imagining Multi-Country NGO Operating ModelsSamantha Slade’s book was informative for Ipas's change journey: Going Horizontal YouTube 

SummaryConflict within our organizations: we often don't really want to face them, but they are very much there. The result? Plenty of passive aggression to go around. What are the implications of such forms of conflict avoidance?In other NGOs on the other hand -- especially in the last few years it seems -- internal strife has come out into the open - sometimes spilling into the media in an unwanted fashion.On another note: is interest-based problem-solving still a helpful approach to conflict management skill building, or not?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Daniel Genberg, one of the foremost consultants on NGO governance matters, on how conflict mediation can come to the rescue when nonprofits deal with internal strife.Daniel's Bio:Independent advisor on governance issues; Daniel is one of the premier INGO governance advisers in factSpecial Advisor for Not-For-Profit Organisations at Morrow Sodali (formerly Nestor Advisors), a consulting company on governance and sustainabilityDirector of Governance, Amnesty InternationalHead of Governance Development, ActionAid InternationalHead of Governance and Accreditation at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)Anthropologist by trainingWe discuss: Even though Daniel is called in to consult on governance issues -- both their structural and process dimensions --, behind these governance issues one often finds people, relationship, and power issues that truly drive the difficultiesThus, conflict mediation skills need to be part of the toolbox of a governance adviserConflicts tend to revolve around 1/ resource distributions and who holds the (financial) resources; 2/ differences in view about strategic directions; and 3/ divergent understandings of the roles and authority of management vs. boards In resource-scarce environments, conflicts tend to aboundImportant steps in mediation: 1/ abandon a win-loss attitude; 2/ it’s not always about compromise (i.e. mini-win, mini-loss); 3/ how can we grow the pie for everybody?; 4/ the importance of feelings; 5/ the need to be able to try out ideas without committing to them as yet; 6/ it is not the role of the mediator to create solutions; 7/ confidentiality; 8/ the use of a structured process with an outcome that prevents loss of faceDo we see a rise in recent years of intra-organizational strife in civil society? Yes, there are more areas of tension, due to the gloomy financial prospects of many organizations, and power and authority structures that have been in place for decades.Quotes"Conflict mediation is not so much about getting out of conflict but about restoring relationships, listening skills, and learning and understanding how a situation looks like from the other side" Resources:Daniel's LinkedIn ProfileMorrow Sodali (former name Nestor Advisors)Center for Effective Dispute ResolutionCIVICUS Essay Tosca on NGO sector scandals about abuse of power and the role of cultural issuesSSIR: The Upside of Conflict, with Joseph McMahon, Allen Fowler and Elizabeth Field&nbs