NGO Soul + Strategy

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

SummaryWhat are some structural things that are wrong in development aid and in civil society?Which mindsets most need to be decolonized when it comes to the relationship between global South civil society organizations (CSOs) and INGOs?Global North-founded INGOs need to be reimagined. How, in turn, do global South-founded NGOs have to change to take over many roles that INGOs currently still fulfill? And how do they need to recalibrate their power relationships with INGOs?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Charles Kojo Vandyck, a development practitioner based in Ghana, a leader at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), and a thinker on alternatives to development and alternatives to  INGO models. Charles’ Bio:Development practitioner, based in Ghana, who is on a mission to drive transformative change within civil societyHead of the Capacity Development Unit at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)Core team member, RINGO project – Reimagining International NGOs Founding Member of the International Consortium on Closing Civic Space (iCon)Trustee of INTRAC and an Advisory Board Member of Disrupt DevelopmentHost of the podcast Alternative Convos, which focuses on social cohesion as well as social change in Africa. You can find Alternative Convos on Spotify We discuss: The West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI), based in Accra/Ghana, is a regional organization focused on civil society support and institutional strengtheningRINGO project: the Reimaging the INGO project is a collaborative global project among civil society leaders to prototype new models of INGOs that shift power to the global South and equalize relationships between global South and global North NGOs as well as fundersAccording to Charles, here are some of the problems with current models of development and aid architecture: a projectized approach to development;  local expertise of people is insufficiently recognized in project design; the ad-hoc and short-term nature of money flows; the presence of dependency cultures; lack of asset-based models to development (instead of  deficit-based ones)The policies and ways of working of INGOs have to be part of what needs to shiftThe RINGO project helps to identify areas of stuckness and develop prototypes for alternativesThe hardest nuts to crack within the RINGO project are related to structural racismGlobal South NGOs also need to change their models: they need to invest more in talent development and succession planning, to help generational shift from founders to successors; develop their skills in intersectoral as well as intersectional approaches to development; and invest in technology skills. Resources:Charles’ LinkedIn ProfilePodcast Alternative Convos – on SpotifyWACSI WebsiteReimagining the INGO Website YouTube video of this podcastClick here to subscribeEmail Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her socia

SummaryLeadership transitions are tricky -- and potentially risky -- moments in a nonprofit's life. What are the most common pitfalls or aspects that get overlooked when nonprofits -- and outgoing leaders themselves -- tackle such leadership transitions?What key strategies and tactics are essential to ensure a smooth leadership transition and maintain organizational stability?What are the habits, practices, and behaviors that are most aligned with a successful exit of an Executive Director?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Ignacio Saiz,  who transitioned out of the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) some 2 years ago, on the right way to do this. Ignacio’s Bio:Senior Advisor on Human Rights, Economic Justice, and Strategic LeadershipFormer Executive Director at the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)Ignacio also held various managerial and leadership roles at Amnesty International, including Director of Policy Programs, Deputy Director for the Americas, and other roles We discuss: How planned transitions should be seen as an opportunityWritten transition plans help in avoiding miscommunication, and in allocating clear roles and responsibilities for how to deal with the transition, while clarifying the timeline as wellA comprehensive communication strategy is vital: outwards (towards donors/funders, peers/partners), as well as inwards (towards staff, board, advisory councils, volunteers etc.)Participation of staff is vital. One mechanism can be representation of 1-2 staff in the Board recruitment committee, as long as the organization is  very clear though about staff's decision rights vis-a-vis  the selection of the successor Outgoing leaders often underestimate the anxiety that may occur among staff and some board members -- especially if their  tenure has been longWhether the outgoing leader plays any role in the organization beyond their tenure is a very tricky and highly contextualized  decision, and needs to be carefully negotiated between the outgoing and incoming leaders. Most importantly, this must be completely steered by the needs and preferences of the incoming leader. Quotes:“Boards need to realize top leadership transition involves more than a recruitment”“Planned leadership transitions should be seen as a shared opportunity, not a cause for concern”“Transition takes at least two years, and has to include the transition-in period when the incoming leader needs active support” Resources:Ignacio’s LinkedIn ProfileIgnacio's blog post on the matter (note links at the end to two good additional resources) 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<

SummaryWhat should I imagine, practically, when a team coach starts to support my team?What does a well-known team coach find the most rewarding about working with nonprofit teams?Can a team coach detect any differences in team behaviors or tendencies between their for-profit and nonprofit clients?  In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Alexander Caillet, CEO and co-founder of Corentus, Inc., on all of the above questions,  including how to navigate team behaviors when it comes to organizational politics as well as decision-making. His answers may surprise you! Alexander’s Bio:·       CEO and co-founder of Corentus, Inc.·       Adjunct professor at Georgetown University,  in its Leadership Coaching Certificate Program·       Alexander also worked at other coaching and consulting companies·       His education is in Organizational Psychology We discuss: Corentus’ vision: thriving, high-performing teams that result in a sustainable and harmonious futureWhat differentiates Corentus’ approach to team coaching from other approaches is its blending of team coaching with team facilitation, training, and consulting Alexander is one of the pioneers in the relatively new field of team coachingThe various stages of a team coaching engagementCorentus has worked with a range of nonprofits: Save the Children, Oxfam, Technoserve, Syngenta Foundation, AIPP, and others.Alexander observes interesting differences in what pre-occupies teams in the for-profit and nonprofit space, respectively. They relate to themes such as productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of processes, as well as decisivenessHe also observes differences in terms of a greater focus on achieving consensus or even unanimity in the nonprofit sphere, rather than using decision-making methods such as voting, delegation, and authority with consultation. Quotes:“I was surprised to encounter issues of hierarchy, power, DEI, and dysfunction in the nonprofit sector, I had not expected these as much in this sector”Resources:Alexander’s LinkedIn ProfileCorentus WebsiteCorentus EmailInfo on Corentus' offer on Low bono / Pro bono team coaching opportunity 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 

SummaryWhat is the state of DEI in US-founded international development organisations (both for-profit and nonprofit), and how has this state changed since 2021?  What has been the action, as compared to the professed intentions for action?  In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Shiro Gnanaselvam, President and CEO at Social Impact, on DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion) trends in US Development agencies. Shiro’s Bio:CEO of Social Impact, a US-based mid-size consulting company that offers MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) services to the international development sectorFormer EVP and COO of Social ImpactCOO of AfriCare, largest and oldest African-American founded international NGO focused exclusively on the continent of Africa.Senior Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Millenium Challenge Corporation We discuss: Racial and ethnic minorities remain under-represented in positions of powerThe global development sector remains predominantly white and female, including at the topDisability reporting shows signs of greater awarenessOrganizations have invested in establishing governance structures for DEI: policies, strategies and staff with dedicated responsibilities as well as collective staff bodies (DEI councils etc.)There are modest improvements in how diversity data are capturedCommitment to DEI remains, but competing priorities and resource limitations are a severe impediment to progressThere are tensions between global DEO, localization and domestic DEI that need to be resolved – but also many points of similarity Resources:Shiro’s LinkedIn ProfileSocial Impact websiteSocial Impact’s blog post on overall survey resultsSocial Impact blog post on 7 actions the US development sector must take 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

SummaryWhat is life after leadership like?What happens to you as a person when you leave a high-powered, highly visible role in civil society?What happens with your sense of identity? Does this also perhaps touch on ego as well?What offers new meaning and purpose, when we live our life-after-leadership?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Sam Worthington, former President and CEO at InterAction, who stepped down from a position with much positional as well as symbolic power just about a year ago.  Sam’s Bio:Executive coach, board member and advocateFormer President and CEO of InterAction – 16 yearsFormer President and CEO of Plan International USAExecutive Director at Delphi International We discuss: In the months before you leave your leadership job, expect that the extent to which your colleagues still want you to make decisions on important things will rapidly declineIn Sam’s case, the sense of loss that was involved was not about loss of power (since he’d experienced positional power  for a few decades),  but was about loss  of the comradery that former colleagues and peers used to provideYou can partially fill this void by offering (informal) coaching to new incoming CEOs for instance.Life after leadership does mean you can move more from doing to being; you can be more present nowSometimes leaders, once they retire, still are called to speak in global gatherings based on their reputation, their personal brandOur knowledge which we can still contribute now is the synthesized wisdom of decades of experienceSam is writing a book to look back on everything he learned, his views on the sector, and what gives him hope -- follow him on LinkedIn to stay tuned! Quotes:“The transition is about having been the village chief before; now, I am no longer in the village”“My public persona never was my identity” Resources:Sam’s LinkedIn ProfileBook David Brooks, From Strength to StrengthEssay by David Brooks in The Atlantic: The New Old Age (gated) 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