NGO Soul + Strategy

SummaryWhat’s problematic about philanthropy in the ways the sector has practiced it for many decades?Are there limits to trust-based philanthropy?How do boards of grant-making philanthropies such as the Global Fund for Children have to change their composition, mindset, and oversight practices to lessen a compliance and upward accountability lens and to make themselves more responsive to actual needs? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview John Hecklinger, President and CEO at Global Fund for Children, on how we can practice philanthropy that’s less colonial in mindset and practices.John’s Bio:President and CEO, Global Fund for Children (GFC)Co-Chair, Alliance for International Youth DevelopmentChief Program Officer, Global GivingBusiness development director, Global GivingDirector of Data Acquisition in the private sectorPeacecorp volunteer (US volunteering program) We discuss: Global Fund for Children acts as an intermediary in on-granting philanthropic resources from family and corporate foundations to child and youth-focused, local civil society organizations. It also facilitates peer cohort capacity strengthening among grantee partnersWhat John learned from working at Global Giving in terms of its innovative role in introducing crowdfunding to the nonprofit and citizen-giving sector  The risks when well-intentioned philanthropic organizations reinforce a mindset of compliance and upward accountabilityGFC stimulates homegrown philanthropy because communities have assets that can be leveraged How GFC’s board had to evolve in composition, mindset and practices  composition to be liberated from simply approving ‘pre-baked’ dockets of prepared projects and to move to an approach that allowed GFC to become more flexible and responsive to needsWhat does the future of philanthropy look like, beyond grantmaking, when on-granting organizations such as GFC have taken themselves out of the picture? Quotes:“Everyone was getting smarter together once the board composition became more representative of the grantee partners it worked with” Resources:John’s LinkedIn ProfileGlobal Fund for Children (GFC) WebsiteGFC’s blogsPodcast episode #22, NGO Soul + Strategy, with Dorothy Nyambi of MEDABenchmarking study on Shifting Power among 17 CSOs (International Civil Society Centre) 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 are the characteristics of 'digitally native' campaigning organizations?How do digital NGO campaigning organizations compare and contrast with traditional, 'brick and mortar' NGOs?Do digitally native civil society organizations and traditional NGOs sufficiently seek to complement each other, in order to maximize impact? I don't think they do.In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Nina Hall, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University, on my episode 'Digital advocacy NGOs: a necessary, complementary force'. Nina’s Bio:Associate Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University,  School of Advanced International Studies, EuropeNina's research explores the role of transnational advocacy and international organizations in international relationsPublished research on advocacy organizations and multilateral institutionsAuthor of the recent book Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era, Think Global, Act Local (Oxford University Press, 2022)DPhil (Ph.D.) in International Relations from the University of Oxford We discuss: Nina studies progressive national digital advocacy and other digital campaigning organizationsDigital advocacy organizations use digital campaigning tactics such as online petitioning, combined with offline tactics such as street mobilization, offline meetings with campaign targets, etc. Digital advocacy organizations are less likely to work on issues that are less broadly popular, such as minority rights issuesNina pushes back on the use of the word ‘platform’ for digital advocacy organizations since the actors she studies have actual HQs, paid staff, etc.The kind of digital advocacy organizations that Nina studies have most potential to be effective in more or less democratic societies, where they are in a position to pressure elected or appointed decision-makersThe profile of most ‘members’ (i.e. supporters) of digital advocacy organizations is that of middle-class, educated, urban citizens with adequate internet accessWhat are the strengths and weaknesses of this type of digital advocacy organization, as compared to those of traditional NGOs?What's the difference between staff-stewarding campaigning approaches versus member-driven approaches? Resources:Nina’s professional WebsiteNina’s personal WebsiteNina’s book:  Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era: Thinking Global, Acting Local, Oxford University Press, 2022Nina's book recently won the ISA ICOM best book prize, see HEREStanford Social Science Innovation Research excerpt of Nina's book - HERETwitter thread by Nina on the book – HEREYoutube video

SummaryINGOs have been rocked by scandals and allegations of abuse of power, discrimination etc. in the last 5-10 years. What kind of different types of scandals can we distinguish in our sector?Which factors that affect nonprofit scandals remain understudied?What's the distinction between integrity violations and competency violations? And should we be getting more concerned as a sector about the latterIn this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Cassandra Chapman, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Queensland, Australia, on causes, consequences, and prevention and recovery strategies for NGO scandals. Cassandra’s Bio:Associate Professor in Marketing at the Business School of the University of QueenslandAssociate Editor at Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector QuarterlyFormer practitioner - Supporter Development Manager as well as Fundraising & Communications Manager at ChildFund, New Zealand We discuss: If the consequences of transgressions by nonprofits are directly relevant to the mission of nonprofits, then they are being punished harsher by the public and the mediaScandal consequences go up, if the nonprofit is perceived to be inactive afterward, or tries to cover it up‘Expectancy violations’ happen when nonprofits engage in ethical transgressions because nonprofits are perceived to be/are expected to be ‘good’Researchers should examine more on whether sector-level actions by nonprofit apex or peak bodies engage in apology, acknowledgment, and reparative actionsPersons who feel morally credentialled by working in nonprofits are actually more likely to transgress  Quotes:“My mission as an academic is to create usable know-how for practitioners”“People assume that there is a crisis in trust in charities; instead, actually, trust in charities has continued a little bit in charities over time” Resources:Cassandra’s LinkedInCassandra’s TwitterCassandra’s article: (this article is not available through Open Access; message Cassandra through LinkedIn and she can send you the PDF version)Cassandra’s short summary post on LinkedInAn upcoming website with summaries of articles by Cassandra: www.donorpsych.orgTosca’s essay on ‘Can organizational culture explain recent INGo scandals’ provides further perspectives 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

SummaryA number of NGOs have aimed to strengthen their global legitimacy by adding more global South members/affiliates. Is this truly a valuable strategy? Does it help with legitimacy to be more 'globally balanced'? What are the hard lessons learned about how to manage this process? And how do local civil society as well as government respond? Hazem Fahmy, the CEO of the CARE Egypt Foundation and former Country Director of CARE USA-line managed Egypt Country Office, is an excellent source of wisdom on all of this. He, together with his senior leadership and with other 'change champions' in his broader team and in CARE globally, shepherded CARE Egypt's transition into full membership.What does Hazem consider the most interesting or rewarding about the ‘art and science’ of change leadership?Equally, what is the most difficult or frustrating about this experience with change management and leadership?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Hazem Fahmy, CEO of CARE Egypt Foundation, on CARE Egypt’s Country Office transition towards full membership. Hazem’s Bio:CEO of the CARE Egypt FoundationCountry Director for CARE Egypt Country OfficeWorked at CARE Egypt for 19 yearsPhD from New Mexico University in Water ResourcesWe discuss: CARE USA had overseen the CARE Egypt Country Office for almost 60 years before it transitioned to full CARE membership (with a voice in global governance)These kinds of transformations should not be seen as a project but as a change journeyThe addition of global South members to CARE’s confederation means that new topics have been introduced within CARE: it has changed the organization’s discourse on what mattersHow the new global South  members demanded that global North members too should live up to the same  standards that are expected of them Organizational change processes like this always take longer than expected, but that is acceptable– it's about living up to the intention of change, not about project deadlinesHazem finds it rewarding to hear people who used to be doubtful about this strategic direction now applaud what has been achievedOne cannot be overfocused on keeping staff comfortable by saying that most things will not changeEgyptian civil society largely accepts the CARE Egypt Foundation as part of its own, while Government has started to involve it more in consultative roundtables - so the transition to full membership has helped with local credibility.  Quotes:“Change management means navigating a lot of ambiguity, it is a discovery process; change is not a project”“Don’t leave influential people behind”“I am not denying there is a privilege in being tied to the CARE mothership” Resources:Hazem’s LinkedIn profileHazem’s EmailWebsite of Care Egypt FoundationHazem’s blog: 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 

SummaryWhat is most difficult or challenging about operating as a leader in a place like Oxfam?What does it take to lead from a political frame in NGOs?Rational persuasion: is it overrated? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview John Samuel, Oxfam Asia Regional Director on influence and power in complex NGOs. John is an expert on Organizational Development. He is also the founder of Bodhigram, an Indian grassroots social movement, John’s Bio:Regional Director of Oxfam AsiaFormer President of the Institute for Sustainable Development and GovernancePresident & CEO of Trancivic InternationalPresident of the National Centre for Advocacy StudiesCEO of FORUM-Asia, the Asia Forum for Human Rights and DevelopmentInternational advisor at UNDP We discuss: What John is most excited about in Oxfam at this moment, as well as what can be challenging as a leader in OxfamOxfam is a complex organization, combining multiple DNAs of the respective affiliates, their histories, organizational systems and national cultures - how to navigate this most effectivelyWhat it takes to develop relationships of trust in an organization like Oxfam: negotiation across differences, people, power, and national cultures. Also understanding where people are coming from, rather than using the same measuring scale on allHow integrity, truthfulness, conviction, and principles can bypass or negate internal organizational political dynamicsJohn's experience is that some people are mission-focused; some are career-driven; and some task-driven; knowing how to recognize these different drivers is helpful. Quotes: “Organizations are about people, systems, and power”“An organization is a living system, it’s organic; an institution, on the other hand, is about systems”“Humans are fundamentally relational, so you lead through people and relationships”“Leadership is about communication acts, through language”“Power is not what you have but what you are perceived to have” (Saul Lewinsky) Resources:John’s LinkedInWebsite of Bodhigram, the grassroots social movement founded by John John’s blogs:Dancing with dreams reflects part of the philosophy of BodhigramOn leadership and language John’s predictions for a 2030 future for INGOs 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

Charity Navigator is a free online resource for US-based donors, an intermediary rating agency with 11 million unique users per year. It currently rates just about 200.000 US-registered nonprofits, both domestic and internationally operating ones, and is quite influential in driving the behavior of donors and, indirectly, of nonprofits that are rated on the platform.Charity Navigator has changed the indicators with which it rates nonprofits in significant ways in the past 10 years - and more is to come. High time to have a talk with Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, about what they are up to!SummaryWho pays for generating the data that nonprofits need, and who should pay?What about the idea that some or all nonprofit outcomes are fundamentally immeasurable or have unmeasurable components?How could the US government IRS 990 forms that nonprofits have to submit to the US Treasury Service be improved to provide better data on activities and actual results? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Michael Thatcher, President & CEO at Charity Navigator, on his organization’s changing expectations of nonprofits, and how this impacts  US nonprofit behaviors. Michael’s Bio:President & CEO of Charity NavigatorBoard member of Giving Gap and Keystone AccountabilityChief of Technology for Asia, Middle East, and Africa at Microsoft We discuss: Charity Navigator purposively does not charge donors or nonprofits to use its platform.Charity Navigator’s methodology has changed substantively since its inception – and in ways that at least partially respond to the widespread criticism that had been lobbed at the agency by nonprofit leaders, analysts, and funders.  One of many criticisms had been that CN reinforced the 'overhead myth' and thereby indirectly harmed the nonprofit sector.There is an interesting tension that CN has to hold between being largely publically funded (through average donations of $45 per person, annually) and offering just enough – but not too much – information to the average user of Charity Navigator's platformWhich non-US countries are considering starting an intermediary rating agency similar to CN, and how are they going about it? Resources:Michael’s LinkedInMichael’s EmailMichael’s TwitterCharity Navigator WebsiteCharity Navigator’s Press RoomCharity Navigator’s Knowledge BaseYoutube 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 

SummaryWelcome to our 50th podcast episode! In this episode, we continue to zero in on what it takes to adopt and shepherd innovation through social change organizations. I interview Emma Proud, head of Learning and Adapting at Brink, an agency that coaches and consults on behavioral innovation approaches. Emma’s Bio:Head of Learning and Adapting at BrinkFormer Director of Organizational Agility at MercyCorpsDirector for Center for Adaptive Management at MercyCorpsEmma played other roles at MercyCorps, as well as at Save the Children and in private-sector consulting as well We discuss: Leadership mindsets Emma observes in social change organizations that act as an obstacle when it comes to creating innovation-friendly climates:overconfidencelow-risk appetitegetting distracted by the 'halo effect' of the new or the 'shiny'difficulty in killing your 'darling innovation projects' ( sunk costs phenomena also plays a role in this); in other words, difficulty with stoppingwhen considering the risks attached to innovation, not thinking through the risk of doing nothing as wellIt is helpful to move clients to an innovation portfolio approach (groups of innovation), accompanied by the development of criteria before you intervene in innovations; The importance of aligning innovations with the organization's strategic prioritiesInnovation 'shepherds' are different from those that need to be concerned with the adoption of innovation – the former are more organizational change managers Quotes“Innovation is about better, not necessarily about new” (Ann Mei Chang, author of Lean Impact)” Resources:Emma's TwitterEmma's LinkedInBrink's websiteStanford Social Innovation Review (SSRI) article by Emma Proud and others: 'The Adoption of InnovationYoutube 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 strengths of faith-based organizations that secular NGOs may have reason to covet?On the other hand, what weaknesses or potential blind spots  may faith-based organizations face?And is there anything specific, or ‘typical’ about being a woman top leader in a faith-based NGO?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Martha Holley Newsome, President & CEO of Medical Teams International, and we talk among others about women and positional power in faith-based NGOs, and why, based on anecdotal data, they seem to be underrepresented as compared to secular organizations. Martha’s Bio:President and CEO, Medical Teams International19 years at World Vision International (Vice President, Sr. Director and head of the Africa Region’s HIV/AIDs division, National Director, and more)Degree in Public Health from John Hopkins University We discuss: Medical Teams International is a small to mid-size Christian health and humanitarian aid NGOs, working in the US as well as in 7 countries. In the US, it offers a large dental aid program as well as wrap-around medical and social service care programs for underserved populations such as the elderly, houseless people, and veterans. Outside the US, Medical Teams focuses on long-term refugee and displaced people’s medical care needs, primary care improvements, and health sector reforms Medical Teams aims to be a "big tent" for its staff and volunteers (as well as the target populations it serves) – and not to be exclusionary based on people's faith traditionsMartha’s own professional journey which ended in senior leadership at World Vision and top leadership at Medical Teams International was heavily influenced by her father’s medical career and his tragic loss of life when Martha was  12 years oldWhat Martha learned about change management when she was unprepared to lead a large change process at World Vision: the costs of not focusing on building a strong, broad-based change coalition and on the creation of a strong, widely shared sense of urgency for change. As a result, the intended change process petered outFaith-based NGOs tend to be somewhat behind when it comes to the full inclusion of women in top leadership. Possibly, this is due to unconscious bias, linked to how the religious institutions that these NGOs originate in preach about the role of women during their religious gatherings and services. Quotes“Faith-based NGOs can suffer from isolation when they think their vision suffices. This can come with naivete, and insufficient appreciation for professional standards that sector organizations need to uphold”“Faith-based NGOs come with tremendous assets, through the motivation instilled in staff and volunteers – our vision is our calling”“Younger and smaller faith-based organizations can have a tendency to come barreling into a country setting...instead of being part of a coordinated approach, with other NGOs” Resources:Martha’s TwitterMartha’s FacebookAmerican Stories Podcast which profiles Martha in detailMedical Teams' Storytelling guide background is HERE (created by a

SummaryDo you work in a large NGO or UN agency, and wonder how the heck you are supposed to stimulate innovations in such a sizable, potentially quite bureaucratic organization?Do you assume that organization size and structure matter when it comes to creating a good climate for innovation?And is lack of innovation funds as big an issue as we make it out to be?In this podcast episode, I interview Soren Vester Haldrup, Innovation Fund Manager at UNDP, on how to kindle innovation in large development agencies. Many people associate 'innovative culture' with small start ups, but there is not necessarily a link between the two. Soren’s Bio:Innovation Specialist and Fund Manager, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)Board Member, Global IntegritySenior Consultant, Oxford Policy Management Policy Analyst, UNDP We discuss: How and why UNDP's approach to innovation transitioned from a focus on going after small, project-size innovations to a portfolio  approach of larger-scale innovations that aim to address system-level challenges and multi-faceted ‘wicked issues’ that only groups of actors can addressToo many innovations are solutions looking for a problem; stay focused on the problem longer!Perhaps counter-intuitively (at least for me), not all solutions need to be pursued, as scale is not always good for wicked issues. Rather, UNDP uses an innovation funnel model, in which many innovations are expected to fail fast. But getting to that one solution that can be scaled is not always the solutionYou need buy-in from leadership at the right time and interest, engagement and encouragement from the grassrootsUNDP uses 'deep demonstrations', instead of scaling. It also aims to create demand for innovations on the side of peers, primary constituents, and fundersA leadership mindset of humility and comfort with uncertainty is not always present across culturesHuman inertia may be present more strongly in large organizations because they’ve been around for a long time. And the number of approvals needed in such organizations is typically significant. On the other hand, in small organizations, groupthink can be more prevalentAvailability of money is an issue, but the flexibility of money is a bigger issueInnovation is both about small tweaks to existing solutions as well as big breakthroughs to overcome system-wide issues Resources:Soren’s TwitterSoren’s LinkedInMedium BlogUNDP blog on innovations 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 Fa

SummaryLeadership in crisis contexts.Many NGOs regularly work in contexts of crisis, or war. The war in Ukraine was one of those contexts, and it led quite a few NGOs to reallocate programming resources toward the Ukrainian population.PACT is a US-founded NGO which has worked in Ukraine for many years. In this podcast episode, I took the opportunity to ask Alyona Gerasimova, its Country Director, a number of things related to leadership skills, behaviors and actions in crisis.What leadership aspects are most important in such circumstances? How do you maintain your own individual sanity, while trying to keep your team motivated as well as safe? Does your leadership style vary, depending on what lens you use towards the crisis? There is some research that indicates whether a crisis is expected versus a surprise,   or whether there is some time to respond, or not, impacts how leaders respond, who they consult to get to good decision-making, etc. You are in for a remarkable conversation.  Alyona’s Bio:Country Director of Pact UkraineIndependent consultant for Organisation Development/ Organisational ChangeCountry Director of Holt International Children’s Service We discuss: How work can be a coping mechanism when everything else in the context is out of control – but you have to watch out for its downsidesThe power of gratitude for the little things when in crisisThe need to switch between short-term, medium-term, and long-term time horizons and perspectives and planning, all the time In volatile contexts, you need to frequently change your decision-making. This does not necessarily reflect bad decision-making, but just the need to be agilePersonality type-wise, some thrive in crisis; some can switch from a planful to an adaptive style, and some have difficulty functioning or making decisions in crisisSome opportunities for change, learning and innovation, which organizations learned during crisis are things they may want to hold on to after the crisis is over Quotes:“This is more than a crisis, this is a war. War consists of multiple crises”“Interestingly enough, the humanitarian sector was slow to respond in Ukraine, while the development sector was more agile in switching to humanitarian work” Resources:Alyona’s LinkedIn ProfilePACT websitePACT Ukraine Facebook PagePACT TwitterYoutube 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