NGO Soul + Strategy

SummaryWhat is scaling? And how is it different from growing?What’s the role of partner strategies or multiplier strategies in scaling?What are the implications of scaling in an era of decolonizing aid, localizing development, and shifting roles of nonprofits and NGOs, shifting power, authority and decision rights?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Amy Ragsdale, Director at Spring Impact, a consulting, coaching and training agency specializing in scaling strategiesfor mission-focused organizations, on how to navigate the big scaling quandary. Amy’s Bio:Director at Spring ImpactSenior Consultant at Capgemini Consulting Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesWe discuss: Spring Impact offers coaching, consulting services, and training for mission-focused organizations keen to scale their impactGrowing the size of an organization or solution means increasing its revenue and/or impact at the same rate as adding resources to an organization. Scaling means you are impacting a societal problem at a larger scale, by increasing impact exponentially, while adding resources incrementallyCentral questions to ask: 1/ What are we scaling?; 2/ Where are we scaling?; 3/ Who will do the scaling? Who are the ‘doers’? Who are the ‘payers’?The following attributes of the organizational culture of social mission organizations act as enablers for scaling success: 1/openness to failure; 2/ an ability to hold our hypothesis on what works lightly; 3/ a realization that invention is not the same as innovation!The following leadership mindsets are enablers as well: 1/ clarity whether your org is pursuing growth or impact; 2/ staying committed to the problem (NOT the solution); 3/ being collaborative by defaultFinancial sustainability models underpinning scaling strategies: examples can be government funding; earned income revenue; fee for service; advertising - and more Quotes:“Scaling is not the same as growing. The two are often confused. ”“Invention is not the same as innovation! (the latter involves testing and learning)” Resources:Amy’s LinkedIn ProfileWebsite of Spring ImpactPodcast Mission to Scale 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 are the vital steps a senior leader have to take as they step into a new leadership role? What to do and what to expect when you are transitioning into that new role?And, separately, to what extent are African leadership models and frameworks  different from global North ones?  Most importantly, what could global North imprinted leadership models learn from African ones? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Adama Coulibaly, Global Programs Director at Oxfam, on both these topics. He is a very experienced NGO leader, a coach, and an eloquent thinker and author on all things leadership. And he just transitioned into his new role at Oxfam, so he is here to speak from experience! Adama’s Bio:A seasoned leader with nearly 30 years of experience in international development and humanitarian aidGlobal Programs Director, Oxfam International; earlier in his career he was also a Regional Director at Oxfam Leadership positions as Country Director at the International Rescue Committee, Regional Director at Plan International, and Principal Adviser at UNICEFCertified Transformational coach, and somebody who labels himself a 'positive thinker' We discuss: His advice to leaders who are transitioning into an organization, based on his own experienceWhat differentiates African takes on leadership models and frameworks, as distinct from global North imprinted models?Adama Coulibaly (nickname ‘Coul’) considers himself a born positive thinker; he learned this behavior in his youth while facing very difficult circumstances in his home country MaliAs an adult, he learned about the field of positive thinking; and that positive thinking is good for your physical and mental healthCoul’s advice, in a nut shell, on how to transition into a new senior leadership position:Give yourself at least 2, if not 4 weeks between two jobsUse your break time to learn as much about your new organization as you canCommunicate healthy boundaries immediately, otherwise, you will pay a stiff priceBuild on what works; don’t feel the need to change everything or most thingsPrioritize external engagement, insist on it, and commit to external engagements so that your calendar time for this is protectedOn African models of leadership: they tend to focus on the collective nature of people: the person in the context of their community (see for instance the Ubuntu model)Quotes:“Positive thinking is not about utopia: I call myself a realistic positive thinker. There are a lot of negative things in the world. It is about how we balance negative and positive things”“If you have a weak transitioning period, you set yourself up for failure”“As soon as you enter the door, you have to problem solve, there is no honeymoon for senior leaders”Resources:Adama’s LinkedIn ProfilePositive minds, a pro bono consulting, coaching, and mentoring group (see also Coul’s blog on this site)Coul’s blog post about leadership transitionYouTube video of this podcast&a

SummaryWhat should we think of when we consider organization integrity issues?How do you distinguish between positive and negative forms of power?How do we nurture power for organizational integrity? These are the fairly complex questions that we address in the podcast today.In this NGO Soul+Strategy  episode, I interview Bhavika Patel, Senior Adviser for Equalities and Inclusion at Oxfam Great Britain, and Alex Cole-Hamilton, independent consultant and one of the founders of the Power and Integrity Initiative, on their work on positive power for organizational integrity.Bhavika’s Bio:Currently the Senior Adviser for Equalities and Inclusion at OxfamBrings HR, culture, and EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) experience,  with practical experience in understanding power in relation to EDI and organizational ways of workingLed on HR issues in Oxfam, and has been a Talent Advisor at UNICEFMSC in applied positive coaching psychology Alex’s Bio:Independent consultant, advising boards and executives on ethics and integrity risks and related decision-making frameworksFormer head of Ethics and Compliance, Oxfam Great BritainFormer head of Corporate Responsibility, OxfamFormer ethical trade project manager, The Body ShopWe discuss: The Power & Integrity Initiative is focused on UK-specific agencies; it aims to complement, but not overlap, with other ongoing activities, such as the RINGO project, Pledge4Change, #ShiftThePower etc.Concrete examples of measures and policy areas related to organizational integrity: safeguarding, anti-racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), environmental sustainability practices, anti-corruptionHow is power perceived in general?  And in our sector?How can integrity be understood more holistically, going beyond the classical interpretation of ethics, to look at people's behavior and organizational behavior in relationship to each other?The initiative just went through several Labs to pilot getting to a shared understanding of what power is (not easy!); their write-up on what was learned will be published in late 2023Positive power as a concept comes out of the thinking on transformative power, led by Srilatha Batliwala and others at CREA. It also builds on notions of power with, power within, power for and not just power over (hierarchical or positional or coercive power)Even if power is used with good intention by (in)formal leaders in our sector, whether we like it or not, the impact of white-normed organizational systems and processes is not neutralResources:Website of Power & IntegrityAlex’s WebsiteBhavika’s LinkedIn ProfileAlex’s LinkedIn Profile 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. tosca@5oaksconsulting.org You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels: Twitter <

SummaryHow can the feelings of people who work in organizations both facilitate and suppress change?What makes people attach reputation and credibility to another person? And how does this relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and these may work out in practice?What's the problem with think tanks from the perspective of a decolonization goal, and what has been the problem historically?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Ajoy Datta,  consultant, policy researcher, and coach, on decolonizing think tanks, policy research organizations, and consulting agencies. Ajoy’s Bio:Independent consultantOver 20 years of experience in the global development and humanitarian sectorSupports leaders, teams, organizations, and networks to collaborate, perform better, learn, innovate, and changePerforms designing, monitoring, and evaluating work to engage with and influence policy and practice as well as strengthen decision-making systemsWorked 12 years at the Overseas Development Institute (DI)'s research and policy unitWorked 3 years at the On Think Tanks (OTT) consulting groupStarted at VSO, the British volunteer agency, in Zambia We discuss: The useful role of psychodynamics in organizational development: what goes on in our minds, consciously and unconsciously, while working in organizations. Some of these feelings are suppressed and below the surfaceDecolonizing organizations means that we aim to do away with hundreds of years of Western, global North power, such as philosophical underpinnings, concepts, frameworks, assumptions, knowledge systems, and leadership profiles. When organizations recruit people who are dissimilar in demographic or experiential profile from those that were thus far considered the 'norm',  the 'default' -- if their organizational culture, expectations towards staff, and org systems don’t adapt to these new profiles, tension will be the result. These people will be at higher risk of either leaving or being ‘spit out’The phenomenon of the glass cliff: when people with demographic profiles different from what was the norm thus far are recruited to high-risk leadership positions, and then fail. What to do about all of this? 1/ Name and acknowledge what is happening. If we fear talking about it, it will never be addressed; 2/ “decriminalize bias"; 3/ create a safe container for discussion; 4/ communicate externally but also internally Resources:Ajoy’s LinkedIn profileAjoy’s Medium blog postsAjoy’s WebsiteSample blog posts: 1, 2YouTube 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 Twitter LinkedIn Facebook 

SummaryHow 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, HumentumDirector, Member Engagement and Services, HuentumSeveral other roles in Humentum since 2012Worked in Namibia on issues related to local epidemicsFundraising 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 frontiersThere 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 NGOsHumentum 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 sectorBut this will only happen if northern INGOs, funders, and national NGOs make significant changes in their institutional architecture, people and culture, funding, and  risk frameworksInstitutional 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 accountablePeople 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 requiredBe 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 LinkedIn profileKim’s EmailHumentum's ERA reports  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: 

SummaryHow does a climate change activist movement such as Extinction Rebellion (XR) chose among strategies and tactics on the spectrum between more 'radical' actions such as civic agitation, (nonviolent) disobedience, high-profile stunts that may lead to arrests and more 'mainstream' actions that may (or may not?) help them build a more broad public base?How does Extinction Rebellion (XR) see the distinction between insider and outsider strategies in climate change activism?Is it necessarily the case that 'radical 'activism by nature is cyclical, i.e. that it cannot be maintained on a long-term basis because of the intensity of this activism model?And how does Extinction Rebellion deal with internal as well as external equity dimensions of the fact that low-income people and/or those who face discrimination tend to get hit harder by the impacts of climate change? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview a youth activist in the Netherlands (my original home country), on how she sees Extinction Rebellion tackle all these choices and trade-offs. Bio of the youth activist X:Student at Erasmus University College, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Involved for the last year, 4-5 hours/week We discuss: How climate change fights and climate justice issues need to be interlinked to both benefit from sustained civic actionThe nature of the three global XR  demands: 1/ Tell the Truth; /2. Act Now; 3/ Decide togetherHow environmental activism in the global south has a history of white elite-level advantage, how it rightfully has been critiqued for suffering from white elitism and how it is now trying to overcome this by focusing on embracing everybody’s contribution and being expressly inclusiveClimate change requires both civil disobedience and broad public support. Collaboration between social movements such as Extinction Rebellion (XR) and formally registered NGOs is therefore importantGroups like Greenpeace are better than XR at drawing in the media, examples such as the Netherlands NGO Milieu Defensie (Environmental Defense) are good in online petitioning, while movements like XR are good in mass mobilization. They need to complement each otherThe sustainability of engagement in XR-type activism, with its typical peak-type activities, fairly time-intensive forms of self-organization and democratic decision making styles may be challenged; XR expressly tries to compensate for this through encouraging collective self-care Here you can find all the podcasts:https://5oaksconsulting.org/podcast/Click the link below to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces. https://5oaksconsulting.org/email/Or email Tosca attosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organizational needs, challenges, and opportunities. You can find Tosca's content by following her on her social media channels:  Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tosca5OaksLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/toscabrunovanvijfeijken/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tosca5OaksTeachable: https://5oaks.teachable.com/

SummaryEnvironmental activism, environmental justice and equity concerns: what, if anything, is challenging about holding all of these three concerns at the same time?Can a better integration or balance be achieved between these 3 concerns?To what extent is radical activism cyclical in nature because it is hard to keep activists motivated for peak public mobilization moments?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Aseem Prakash, Professor of Political Science and Founding Director at the Center on Environmental Politics at the University of Washington, Seattle (USA) on climate change activism by nonprofits and social movements. Aseem does much of his research together with Nives Dolsak, also a Professor at the University of Washington. Aseem’s Bio:Professor of Political Science; Walker Family Professor; Director, Center for Environmental Politics at the University of Washington, SeattleFormer Assistant Professor in Strategic Management and Public Policy at the George Washington University in Washington DCObtained his Ph.D. at the Dept of Political Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana UniversityMBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, IndiaNives’ Bio:Nives Dolsak is Professor in Sustainability Science and Director of the School of Marine & Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, USAVisiting professor at the University of Ljubljana, SloveniaWe discuss: Is environmental activism still guilty of white elitism? To what extent is a concern for environmental degradation, including climate change, still primarily a concern for citizens only once their material needs are met? Is the focus on environmental justice making a difference in this regard?There are few climate deniers anymore – even in the US: it is more a conflict over what instruments or ways of fighting climate change to use, not a conflict anymore over the goals themselves. Who carries most of the burden of energy policy implications coming out of climate change mitigation needs? Who loses and who wins across rural/urban areas, class, and race? Who pays for the costs of mitigation, and who gets the benefits? These are equity concernsClimate change contention and the surge of populism across the world are closely linked since class and location or place (rural vs. urban concerns) are intertwinedWhat are the merits of outsider strategies – a la Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise Movement vis-a-vis insider strategies (Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace (partially) etc.?‘Radical’, disruptive activism can have several benefits while it can also antagonize or turn away broader publics (see the radical flank argument)Museum vandalism to draw attention to the climate crisis is primarily a European tactic and surged in 2022; it seems to have died down so far in 2023. Resources:Aseem’s WebsiteAseem’s LinkedIn ProfileAcademic article on climate change activism motivated museum vandalism (open access!): https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-023-00054-5Example of a article by Aseem and Nivek for broader audiences: HERETheir article on South Africa and coal: 

SummaryWhat are the strengths of a confederated nonprofit organizational structure and what are its inherent weaknesses and limitations?What is a ‘diversified network’ type of organizational structure?To what extent does having a confederated organizational structure, as well as the aspiration to be a diversified network, Impact the nature, legitimacy, adaptability, and quality of decision-making?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Doris Bäsler, formerly Oxfam, on the potential and peril when NGOs aspire to use a network structureDoris’ Bio:Right now, Doris is resting, learning, and volunteering in Berlin, GermanyFormer Director for Strategy & Feminist Futures and Strategy & Confederation Development at Oxfam InternationalFormer Director for Organisational Development services at Transparency International, as well as head of capacity servicesWorked at Mines Advisory Group (MAG)Former Head of office as well as other roles at the country level for the International Committee for the Red Cross We discuss: The path by which Oxfam chose a confederated organizational structureThe differences between federated, confederated and corporate unitary structures, and the strengths as well as challenges of confederated structures – and how it is all about places on a spectrumHow Oxfam got stuck for a while in discussing the choice of a federated versus confederated model – and how the aspiration of a ‘diversified network’ came upA diversified network implies that there is diversification of voice: not just global South members, but also non-Christian affiliates, greater recognition of the primacy of Africa within Oxfam, diversification of affiliate business models, etcHow Oxfam tried to prevent the creation of a lot of “mini me’s”The implications for internal systems of decision making, valuing of different forms of knowledge, assets etcQuality Decision making can be challenging in a diversified network like Oxfam, but if the values and the ‘why’ and purpose are clear, this helps Quotes: “Complexity of organizational structure is not inherently negative, if you understand it”“Being a diversified network is an imperative, not a nice to have in a world within which power is clearly shifting”Resources:Doris’s LinkedIn profileDoris’ EmailRelated Blogpost 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: 

SummaryWhat is the difference between forecasting and foresight, as a skill and an area of work?What are the pitfalls when international civil society organizations (ICSOs) apply crisis frameworks to trends that are actually longer-term, intersecting, and systemic?Decolonization and diversity: how are these big current discussions and areas for taking action intersecting with what sometimes is called 'anticipatory capacity': the capacity to anticipate futures and know how to act in order to try to influence them?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview consultants and former Amnesty International practitioners  Danny Vannucchi and Heather Hutchings, on anticipating the future of civil society operating space - the legal, political and normative space for CSOs to do their work. Their report, commissioned by the International Civil Society Centre (ICSC) as part of its long-term work on civic space, is titled: Anticipating Futures for Civil Society Operating Space.   ICSC's mission is to strengthen the impact and resilience of international civil society organizations to support people to change their world for the better. The Centre does this by convening civil society actors, offering training, research and other activities.The Centre is planning further work on civil society's anticipatory capacity and is keen to get in touch with potential partners. Email Miriam Niehaus at ICSC: mniehaus@icscentre.org Heather’s Bio:Consultant at Storm ConsultingFormer senior Advisor, Conflict and Organizational Development at Amnesty InternationalDanny’s Bio:Senior Strategy & Human Rights ConsultantSenior Strategic Facilitator at GRID ImpactAdjunct Professor at the University of California, Los AngelesFormer director of Global Strategy & Impact at Amnesty InternationalWe discuss: Foresight and forecasting are two different concepts, yet they easily get misunderstood in civil society (CS): forecasting is about the mitigation of risk and is a more pragmatic concern. Foresight is about imagining different futures, shaping visions of the future, and forging strategies to shape the future that emerges. To be ahead of trends, in other words.Crises can keep civil society in a ‘defensive crouch’, in a reactive mode. Crisis management mode is a well-honed capacity in civil society, but we do not focus enough on the trends underlying those crises. Due to a lack of anticipatory capacity within civil society, we miss opportunities to make use of or shape longer-term trends CS has sufficient awareness of macro trends, but we fail to make this knowledge actionable; what are the reasons do decision-makers not act on the data on trends that is offered to them?Future scanning is actually often primarily about good strategyCivil society collectively can improve its anticipatory capacity by pooling resources  Quotes: “How to not sit at the table laid out by others, but rather, invite others to sit at your own table – that is the challenge”“Crisis response is an important part of NGOS’ public relations 

SummaryWhat is ‘transscalar activism’ in a nutshell? And how is it different from what academics call the 'Boomerang' model of international advocacy NGO networks?When did international NGO advocacy begin attracting the attention of academics, and why? What had shifted at that point, what had changed?What was the dominant narrative in academia for a long time? And what was wrong with that?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Elizabeth Bloodgood, Associate Professor at Concordia University, Canada, and Christopher Pallas, Professor at Kennesaw University, USA, on major shifts in advocacy and campaigning approaches among NGOs. Trust me: their empirical research, based on practitioner case studies, is relevant for us practitioners. Elizabeth’s Bio:Associate Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, CanadaLecturer in non-state actors at the University of Pennsylvania, USAAssistant Professor at Dartmouth College, USA Christopher’s Bio:Professor of Conflict Management at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw University in Georgia, USAHis research focuses on nongovernmental organizations and their role in international policymaking and development We discuss: Chris and Beth argue that how we think about advocacy strategies in relation to the roles and practices of global North and global south founded NGOs is well overdue for an updateThe argument they make in their 2022 book ‘Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transscalar Advoacy’  is linked to hot topics of today, such as decolonizing aid, and a shift in power and agency between global South-founded and global North-founded NGOs – a shift that Beth and Chris argue has already been well on its way for 10+ year. The era of the so-called ‘boomerang effect’  model in global advocacy -- in which national-level global South-founded NGOs would link up to global North-founded NGOs on advocacy causes when they did not find their government to be responsive -- that era is overTheir argument as expressed in the book implies changes in what are legitimate, needed roles for global North-founded NGOs into the future.National NGOs in the global South now choose at what scale to operate (thus the term ‘transscalar activism’) – whether local, national, regional or global -- and these days ally with Southern CSOs as much as with global North-founded NGOsThis also means that we should expect to see that global South-founded NGOs will feel less obliged to engage in marketing and reframing of their local causes in order to get international partners or global-North based media on their side.   Resources:Elizabeth’s LinkedIn ProfileFaculty page of ElizabethFaculty page of ChristopherChristopher’s Google Scholer pageBook: <&l