NGO Soul + Strategy

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

SummaryDid you know....When nonprofits signal they are financially trustworthy,  they actually give up to half of their potential impact.Why is this "financial trustworthiness signaling behavior” so pervasive, when it has this high a cost?In this podcast episode, I interview George Mitchell,  Professor of Nonprofit Management at Baruch College, City University of New York – and a long-time collaborator, including on our book (Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’ (Oxford University Press, 2020) -- and Thad Calabrese,  Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management at New York University about their provocative new findings. George’s Bio: Professor of Nonprofit Management at Baruch College, City University of New York Director at Center for Nonprofit Strategy and ManagementMoynihan Research Fellow at Syracuse UniversityIndependent consultant at InterActionPh.D. from Syracuse UniversityCo-author of our joint book ‘Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’, together with Hans Peter Schmitz, University of San Diego (Oxford Uni Press, 2020) Thad’s Bio:Professor of Public and Nonprofit Financial ManagementAssistant professor at Baruch College, earlier on Ph.D. from New York University We discuss: Nonprofits frequently adhere to four financial ‘orthodoxies’ or norms:Though shall keep your overhead costs minimalThough shall be financially lean, i.e. not look too profitable, not sit on a large financial or capital reserveThough shall diversify one’s revenues as much as possibleThough shall avoid taking out debt (in the form of loans, bonds, bank notes) etc to acquire capital for investmentWhat if these practices, these financial norms, actually reduce your impact as a nonprofit by as much as 50% (in terms of your overall spending levels)?George and Hans did a large-scale, quantitative study on US-based international and domestic nonprofits that indicated exactly this. Their research findings were picked up by several national US media, given their provocative nature. Quotes:“Norm-adhering nonprofits sacrifice about half of their mission impact over a 10-year period compared with norm-busting nonprofits.”“Forgone mission impact is the hidden cost of trustworthiness”Resources:George’s LinkedIn ProfileThad’s LinkedIn ProfileGeorge's blog post – pointing to an article in The Conversation: HERERelated article in Nonprofit Policy Forum  (Open Access): HEREBook: Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’ (Oxford University Press, 2020): HEREYoutube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.Twitter LinkedIn Facebook 

SummaryWhat can we learn from civil society leaders who wish to spur the adoption and implementation of innovations?How do humans – within organizations, and particularly in NGOs – react to change?What is the best advice when leading NGOs through innovation, from a senior team leader’s perspective?Today, I am interviewing Dermot O'Gorman of WWF Australia on the do's can don'ts of NGO leadership when it comes to promoting innovation.  Dermot’s Bio:Global Leader in Innovation for Sustainable DevelopmentCEO at WWF AustraliaVisiting Scholar, Stanford University Digital Civil Society LabBoard of directors, ACFID, Australian Council for International Development We discuss: How can AI help us with our nonprofit core purpose: e.g. in the field of conservation, the monitoring of fish caught/harvested, from the source to the plate of the consumer – to find out whether it was poached or legitimately harvestedHigh-risk, long-term capital in philanthropy is not sufficiently available, but NGOs also do not ask enough for it. We don’t have the right organizational risk profile in place, but also do not have  the organizational systems to executeOne of the most important things leaders can do to spur innovation is to invest in itCEOs cannot afford to delegate the creation of an innovation-friendly organizational climate to others: they have to be Chief innovatorsCEOs have to be able to say transparently: I do not know if this will succeed, we will test and validate, iterate, and work with decision stage gates till we figure it outDon’t fall victim to ‘shiny’ innovations and their halo effect, or to supersmart single ‘heroes’ that purport to introduce and manage innovation on their ownCEOs among others have to give senior staff protection so that they can focus on 4-6 weeks sprints, and they have to signal to the org that they will manage the risks that come with innovationThe board’s risk appetite  matters a great deal as wellWhy the removal of old org processes is hard:  you need something in place till the new process is in place; and if old processes are linked to values/ideas that staff have an attachment to, this is particularly hardQuotes:“We fundamentally underestimate both the upsides and the downsides of innovation”“As CEO, you cannot delegate innovation to an innovation chief; you need to be around to take away obstacles, indicate the strategic boundaries within which innovations have to fit, etc."“Don’t let the perception on brand risk – often in the head of one Communications staff member -- be an overblown obstacle” Resources:Dermot’s LinkedIn ProfileDermot’s Company WebsiteDermot’s article: the need for a first ‘regenerative revolution’Tosca's report: HERELinks to previous episodes on innovation:https://5oaksconsulting.org/podcast/Youtube video of this podcastTwitter LinkedIn Facebook Youtube

SummaryWhy has it taken so long to mainstream disabled people's concerns, when 15% of the global population has some form of disability?Has it been helpful to see disability integrated into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) approaches -- or have there been some downsides to this approach?Are there disadvantages to being perceived as a single-issue organization (i.e. disabled people’s organizations)?Today, I am interviewing Susan Sygall of Mobility International USA (MIUSA) about how NGOs go about claiming  rights for people with physical, mental and cognitive disabilities. Susan’s Bio:Co-founder of the Disabled Women's Coalition at the University of California, BerkeleyCo-founder of the non-profit organization Mobility International USA  (MIUSA)Winner of the prestigious Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards in 2014 for her work in the disability sectorRecipient of a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2000Wheelchair rider since the age of 18 We discuss: Mobility Int. USA (MIUSA) works on disability rights. It does programming with men and women, though its leadership development program WILD (Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability) has a special emphasis on women with a disability and their leadership, given these women's ‘double disadvantage’.Organizations like MIUSA and others are sometimes indicated as DPOs – Disabled People’s Organizations -- , or OPDs – Organizations for People with DisabilitiesMIUSA’s business model is built, among others, on a consulting offering: MIUSA advises ‘mainstream’ NGOs as well as other international development actors on how to integrate disabled people's approaches into their workOne of the focal points of MIUSA’s advisory work with non-disability-focused development actors is to make sure that these organizations do not just have policies on paper, but have integrated disability concerns into actual budgets, by adding 2-3% to the budget to allow for disability accommodations and 5-7% for integrating disabled people into program evaluationsSusan senses that disabled people’s rights finally are getting more fully taken on board; the focus on DEI seems to have helped with this coming to fruitionIf funders request as a standard measure that grant applications indicate how disabled people will be incorporated into the programming, this supports mainstreaming in significant waysOne of the aspects common to disabled leaders is that in their biographical background, there often were one or more family members who believed in the capacities of the person and supported them wholeheartedly. Resources:Mobility International USA websiteProfile of Team and Staff at MIUSAWILD: Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability Five Oaks Consulting School's Online course on Virtual Team Leadership skillsUpcoming course dates: September 24 - November 5, 2022 Enroll now to catch the pre-sale discount! Youtube video of this podcastClick here to subscribe to&

SummaryWhat works in establishing personal relationships and developing trust and bonding in the virtual space, when we as leaders have never met our colleagues face to face?Some  NGO leaders and managers started their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic and led entirely virtually for a long stretch - onboarding, developing personal relationships, bonding, trust development - the whole deal.  Lysa John, Secretary General at CIVICUS knows a thing or two about this.  So I was really curious how this experience impacted her leadership experience and approaches.In this NGO Soul + Strategy podcast episode, I interview Lysa about how she practices virtual leadership -- and in a complex membership organization. nonetheless.CIVICUS, for those who might not know, is one of the preeminent global alliances of civil society organizations and activists dedicated to strengthening civic action and civil society throughout the world.How to establish personal relationships and bonding and develop a sense of trust in the absence of ever seeing each other face to face? What are the preferred leadership style and behaviors in a virtual setting? And what are the rewarding elements in leading a complex membership organization such as CIVICUS?Lysa’s Bio:Secretary General of CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationGlobal Campaigns Director, Save the Children InternationalHead of Outreach, UN High-Level Panel on the post-2015 agendaInternational Campaign Director, Global Call to Action Against Poverty  Resources:Lysa’s LinkedIn ProfileLysa’s Email if you wish to contact her to learn about virtual leadership skillsCIVICUS Website And if you too want to excel in virtual and hybrid leadership: Five Oaks Consulting School's online course on Virtual Team Leadership skills may be just right for you!Upcoming course dates: September 24 - November 5, 2022 Enroll now to catch the pre-sale discount! 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

SummaryToday, I am interviewing Kirthi Jayakumar of World Pulse and founder of the Gender Security Project, and Leila Billing, senior advisor on youth, gender, and social movement building on Feminist Leadership. Leila, along with Natalie Brook, runs an open enrollment Feminist Leadership training program (We are Feminist Leaders), and Kirthi is one of its alumni.As some NGOs and development organizations have embraced, how much of its subversive elements get diluted and cooptated; and how should we think about this? Is there still good being achieved, or is there a real danger here? Kirthi’s Bio:Founder of the Gender Security ProjectHead of Training at World PulseDigital Engagement Manager at Every Woman TreatyAdvisor at Women7Editor at Cactus Communications Leila’s Bio:Senior advisor on gender, youth, and movement buildingCo-founder of We Are Feminist Leaders training programTrustee at Gender and Development NetworkHead of Partnership to End Child Marriage We discuss: We start from the premise of Srilatha Batliwala's beautiful phrase: "the self as a site of change". Self-reflection and self-awareness have to be at the start. But that is not enough. We also have to put in place concrete organizational practices that embody feminist leadership, such as:Normalization of a focus on staff/volunteer well-being and care – instead of on productivity and numbersOrganizations with zero deadlines and where people co-own the missionOrganizations where everybody has the same base salary, and people receive extra pay based on their caregiving responsibilitiesOrganizations where performance appraisal processes focus more on collaboration skills and attitude/aptitude and on sharing power rather than productivity against set targetsCultures where it is OK/encouraged to bring your full self to work, and where emotions do not need to be checked at the doorOrganizations where joy and dreaming are part of the parlance of the organizationOrganizations comfortable with the messiness of emotions; as well as with the political dimensions of Feminist Leadership Resources:Kirthi’s LinkedInKirthi’s EmailLeila’s LinkedInArticle by Leila in Medium on how grief in the workplace should be addressed by leaders: HERE'We are Feminist Leaders'  training program on feminist leadership, co-hosted by Leila Billing: HERE Five Oaks Consulting School's Online course on Virtual Team Leadership skillsYoutube 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