NGO Soul + Strategy

SummaryWhat happens when NGO leaders take a 4 months sabbatical? What happens to the mind -- what journey does it go on during a 4 month's rest from work?What happens, especially when we are talking about a leader who was already quite steeped in mindfulness and meditation before he started his sabbatical?In this podcast episode, I discuss with Chris Proulx, Global Director at  Humentum the topic of rest, reset, reflection, and personal resilience when leaders take an extensive break from work. Chris’s Bio:Global Director at Humentum, the global network of NGOs that strengthens  operational excellence through community building, training, consulting services, and policy-influencing workFormer President and CEO at LINGOsFormer CEO of e-Cornell - Cornell University's e-learning platform We discuss: Resilience is not helped when we do not dare to rely on the help of others, even in the presence of a great teamWhat is the art of ‘doing nothing’? At first, anxiety about the empty space.To what extent is the notion of time an illusion?  How leaders spend their attention is precious.  Most of us spend it quite poorly.  How organizations can create more opportunities for sabbaticals, as part of a benefits package, even when you are not huge.  Quotes“My mind was not ready to rest in the first few weeks after starting my sabbatical; I was not yet able to pull back the mind”“I at first still kept scheduling, trying to stay in control mode, I was still crossing things off my to-do list”“It took a while to really be able to listen to what bubbled up in the mind” Resources:Chris’s LinkedInChris’s TwitterChris’s WebsiteHumentum pageFive 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 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

SummaryThe new generation of 'smart technology' -  chatbots, AI, machine learning, natural language processing, robots etc.  can bring major benefits to nonprofits - if they can discern what they need to do to remain human-centered in their choice of technology. And if they remain aware of the potential for bias in AI-generated data, given its profound potential negative impact?What can nonprofits – who are frequently not digital natives, let alone coders themselves – do to protect themselves against these?In this episode, we discuss the timely new book by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine: 'The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in an Automated World'.Beth’s Bio:Nonprofit and foundation-focused trainer and independent consultantVirtual facilitatorA nonprofit innovator in digital transformation and workplace well beingAuthorAdjunct Professor at the Monterrey Institute of International StudiesAllison’s Bio:Principal consultant at Allison Fine ConsultingFounder/CEO of Network of Elected WomenSenior fellow at Demos, at the Wagner School at New York UniversityFounder and Executive Director at Innovation NetworkAuthor of multiple books on (digital) networking, social media and the nonprofit sector We discuss: Tech is more available and more cheaply available than ever; that actually increases its dangersSmart tech can eliminate ‘grunt work’ done by many nonprofit frontlines, operations, and fundraising staff, and create a ‘dividend’ of time, which can be more strategically spent on frontline interaction with clients, evaluation and learning, horizon scanning etc.Smart tech can reduce the need for ‘astroturf campaigning’, in which nonprofits transactionally engage with their ‘members’ on a superficial basis; instead, it allows them to engage more deeply in getting to know new donorsSmart tech is used in the form of bots, for instance, to engage with people in the public who need services– but we have to do so very carefully How leaders need to be ‘digitally literate’ and not leave these decisions with regard to adoption of new 'smart technologies' up to the Chief Technology OfficerHow nonprofits need to remain overall reflective in adopting smart tech Quotes“This book is not technical to me”“Leading through resistance in organizations is among others about doing away with outmoded ideas that only people can do nonprofit tasks” Resources:Beth’s LinkedInBeth’s website Allison’s LinkedInAllison’s websiteHarvard Business Review article: How Smart Tech is Transforming NonprofitsAmazon link to book - The smart nonprofit: staying human-centered in an automated world: here Online course on Virtual Team Leadership skillsYoutube video of this podcastClick here to

SummaryChristine Sow is the CEO of Humentum, a global support organization for NGOs who wish to enhance their operational performance. Humentum helps NGOs translate their aspirations into operating models that give them the ability to deliver on those aspirations.In that capacity, and given that Humentum among others facilitates peer sharing among CEOs on lessons learned in improving operating models, she has the perfect perch to give us a sense of what types of change CEOs currently are considering. So what are some of Christine's overriding impressions from recent discussions in Humentum's 'CEO track'?Where do CEOs lean in on the need for change? And where do they - as yet -- hold back?Where does Christine see the biggest disconnects between what NGO members say they are about, and what their real in-use and practiced behaviors are?In this episode, Christine and I discuss the outcomes of CEO discussions in 2021 and the first half of 2022, and her predictions on what may be future directions for changes in NGO operating models in the years to come.  Christine’s Bio:President and CEO, HumentumSenior Director, Country Programs (Health), Palladium Chief Operating Officer, Population Services International (July 2017 – Dec 2017)Executive Director, Global Health Council (Nov 2013 – July 2016)  We discuss: How Humentum offers support in the areas of operational excellence capacity building to national and international NGOs alikeThe pandemic has been hard on CEOs; there has been  no playbook to rely on, and it has been very hard to connect with NGOs’ constituents directly – including  staffWe as a sector cannot go back, and we need to watch out for any tendency to ‘snap back’; neither operationally, nor ethically, nor in terms of strategy;INGO pay scale systems are one of the elements that need to change, to get to greater equity, and NGOs also need to recruit from global pools, instead of pools that are limited to their country of foundingThey also need to learn how to better onboard staff, managers and leaders virtuallyIn the context of decolonizing aid, the time for top-down, centralized decision making, including finances and in terms of budget controls, is over Quotes“ We cannot go back now, and we need to watch out for any tendency to ‘snap back’”“I see CEOs shrink back from bigger change when it comes to seeking a better balance between showing commitment to their individual donors and supporting local organizations” Resources:Christine’s LinkedInHumentum’s offerings for its members and non-membersChristine’s Devex article on “How INGO CEOs are acting their way into the future” (Published on 22 Oct 2021)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 sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels: 

SummaryWhat is the future for conservation NGOs? Is there a future? If so, what kinds of roles, mandates, organizational culture, and capabilities do conservation NGOs of the future need to embrace? That was the question that a small team of consultants, including yours truly, tried to address by providing 15 - sometimes bold -- propositions for changes in roles and mandates. In this episode, I interview Anca Damerell, Head of Programme at the Luc Hoffmann Institute,  and in turn, she interviews me right back :).  Listen to our dialogue! Anca’s Bio:Head of Programme at Luc Hoffmann InstituteResearch and Innovation Programme Officer at United Nations Environmental ProgramPh.D. in Geography from the University of Cambridge We discussed: Many NGOs are somewhat anxiously asking themselves what their relevance, legitimacy, and effectiveness are in the future. NGOs in the conservation sector are no exception to this. The Luc Hoffmann Institute, a leading organization in innovation and transformative change for biodiversity protection, is specialized in turning complex challenges, like this one, into opportunities for change by bringing together diverse views and facilitating the co-creation of innovative solutions. Some of the 15 – sometimes provocative– shifts in roles and mandates for conservation NGOs. Moving towards the envisioned future: The urgent need for a mindset shift and transformative changeConservation NGOs need to develop a greater capability to work across sectors, recognizing the cross-sectoral interdependence of conservation with adjacent areasOur need to decolonize narratives, and have space for diverse plural narratives Quotes“Are NGOs motivated by mission or by self-survival?” “This is not about replacing conservation NGOs but about envisaging a much more 'niche- specific 'role, and possibly a smaller presence”“We don’t have to give in to self-flagellation, but we do have to be willing to shift roles towards much more specific niches, playing primarily facilitative roles vis-a-vis much bigger actors (multinationals, China, security forces etc.)” Resources:Anca’s LinkedIn ProfileLink to the report: Exploring Possible Futures for Conservation NGOsLink to the project page: The future of conservation NGOsFive Oaks Consulting School's Online course on Virtual Team Leadership skills Click 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

SummaryWhy might the assumptions we frequently make about the ‘virtue narrative’ that surrounds NGOs be problematic? Aren't they meant to create social good in the world?In this podcast episode, I discuss this with Aseem Prakash, a well-known academic who focuses on nonprofits as well as on environmental activism, particularly focused on climate change.  Aseem wrote an article, problematizing exactly this ‘virtue narrative’ surrounding NGOs.Aseem’s Bio:Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle (USA)Founder of the University of Washington's Center for Environmental PoliticsContributor to many well-known publications, such as Forbes.com, The Conversation, Huffington Post, The Hill, and the Washington PostPh.D. at the Dept of Political Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, USAMBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India We discuss: Academics in the past have created typologies of types of NGO failures: Agency failure: when NGOs have problems with what academics call ‘principal-agent’ issues, i.e. when the 'agent'  - in this case the NGO -- is too subordinate to the 'principal' - in this case the contracting agency, donor or another provider of funds to NGOs'NGOization' failure: when managerialism and professionalism transform NGOs from citizen-agent and community-focused actors to contractors Representation failure: when the assumption that NGO activities reflect the needs of the communities they serve turns out to be not entirely to be trueCooperation failure: when the assumption that NGOs work cooperatively with each other to solve  'wicked' social, political, and economic problems turns out to be incorrect (due to competition for scarce funding resources).Given these failures, it is not healthy to assume that NGOs always do good. In other words, when NGOs are assumed to be ‘virtuous’ and this virtue narrative is held too  tightly, it can create conditions for lapses in how NGOs' actual performance is monitored (or regulated)In addition, self-regulation by NGOs has been helpful, but probably not sufficient to weed out 'bad apples', or more important simply underperforming actors. Quotes“Do ‘global charity chains’ function like a supply chain for multinational corporations?”“When NGO agendas or advocacy stances do not represent the preferences of the underprivileged – who are already neglected by the state and markets --, NGOs may actually reproduce inequality” Resources:Aseem’s WebsiteAseem’s LinkedIn profileAseem’s recent blog posts:NGOs are great at demanding transparency. They’re not so hot at providing it.The Oxfam scandal shows that, yes, nonprofits can behave badly. So why aren’t they overseen like for-profits?Restoring the reputations of charities after scandalsAseem encouraged me in 2019 to publicize an essay in Nonprofit Policy Forum on organizational culture in NGOs and how i&

SummaryWhat is the 'halo effect' when it comes to NGOs, and why does it matter?Here's a rough definition of ‘the halo effectj. The term comes out of the psychological academic literature: if the first impression of a person or an entity is positive for a person, this tends to stick with people. This tends to be the case for NGOs: NGOs are assumed to be ‘good’; thus they are glorified.And why can this be problematic? Because when NGOs are assumed to be 'good' (i.e. morally, ethically good), they don't see their own 'shadow'. Moreover, that may make them justify questionable means for an end.  They may also feel morally superior -- which has all kinds of potentially unhealthy consequences, some of which I observe regularly as well.  And it can lead to moral naivete.How can NGOs as a sector, individual organizations and as staff/leadership best keep alert to the dangerous downsides of this halo effect?  In this podcast episode, I discuss with Isabel De Bruin Cardoso, development practitioner, consultant, and PhD researcher, why and how NGOs as supposedly morally good organizations can behave badly - and why the two may be connected. Isabel’s Bio:Ph.D. candidate researching unethical behavior of NGOs, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands A practitioner and consultant with 15 years of experience in international safeguarding and child protection across UN agencies and NGOs Advisory board member of the Society of Jesus We discussed: When NGOs expect safeguarding policies to go beyond staff to boards, ex-staff and volunteers, the policy becomes more meaningfulSafeguarding is not just about minimizing its incidence, but also about enforcement of consequences when incidences happenManifestation of the halo effect:NGO missions may be assumed to be better than they actually areThe idea that NGOs know best what is good for the public is a dangerous onePeople who work in the NGO sector are assumed to be morally superiorIt is problematic when NGOs do not feel the need to be monitored or held to account due to the assumption that they are morally goodHow the halo effect may impact on the problem of 'white saviorism'? How can NGOs as a sector best address this halo effect? A self-assessment tool (which Isabel is developing) could be one mechanism  Quotes“In the field of safeguarding, it can be difficult to operationalize worthy concepts such as 'respect': what does this actually look like, behaviorally?”“Normalizing having conversations about safeguarding is a significant form of role modeling” Resources:Visualization of Isabel's main arguments about the Halo Effect Isabel’s LinkedInIsabel’s publications on Research GateIsabel's Twitter Click 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 </&l

Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, a boutique consulting firm that focuses both on nonprofits in international development, and on businesses that wish to do good, in this final episode of our 3 part joint podcast series. The other 2 episodes cover ‘Chasing innovation’  (episode #33) and ‘Chasing funding’' (episode #34).SummaryNonprofits are here to solve complex problems. But can they? Where is the impact? And why do some organizations spend so much time and money to achieve what some might typify as relatively little? And are we as NGOs actually interested in measuring and knowing our impact? And how do we build data-informed cultures?In the final episode, I discuss with Chris of MZN NGO impact and what are some NGOs' mental models around impact. Christian’s BioManaging Director of MzN InternationalDisaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Management Consultants We discussed:  The dangerous seduction of being embedded in a charity architecture (see Tosca's co-authored book)Cost-effectiveness of program interventions: why do NGOs not seem more interested in this? Is it difficult/impossible/too expensive to measure? How to create learning and evidence-driven cultures Resources:LinkedIn profile of ChrisMZN International's WebsiteTwitter profile of ChrisTosca's Virtual Team Leadership Essentials CourseYoutube video of this episodeClick 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

SummaryNGOs are sometimes labeled fairly critically as 'dinosaurs' or 'legacy organizations'. How can they create a more innovation-ready or innovation-friendly culture?  What can  NGOs learn from other types of organizations when it comes to generating more innovation, either in the broader civil society sector or outside of it?What stands in the way, in terms of organizational structures, processes, or ways of working when NGOs struggle? Leadership mindsets?  In this podcast episode, I interview Shervin Fekri at Board of Innovation. Board of Innovation (BoI) is a strategy and business design firm that coaches private and public sector organizations -- including INGOs and donor agencies -- on how to generate a healthy innovation pipeline. Shervin’s BioGlobal Social Innovation Lead at Board of InnovationCo-founder of Board of Innovation, NetherlandsFounder at Ministry for ChangeInnovation Strategy Consultant at UNHCR (via Board of Innovation)  We discuss:  Some NGOs have sought help with innovation and design thinking-related coaching and have introduced innovation labs, teams, and sprints, but the mindset that needs to accompany design thinking can prove to be challenging Organizational cultures that are quite hierarchical and not amenable to flat, lean, and agile decision making are problematic, as are leaders who do not feel they can trust their innovation teams to do their work in an uninterrupted manner until it is time to make a pitchLeaders who get engaged in micromanaging instead of setting strategic criteria for what innovations should respond to while otherwise getting out of the way are also problematic. Some NGOs in the development sector have evolved into hybrids of nonprofit/for-profit forms, by integrating social enterprises or impact investing units into their organization or by setting them up 'adjacent' to their organization. Organizations can show different archetypes: some seek innovation (incl innovation support) outside of their organization. Some prefer to experiment within. How they go about it can affect their innovation-capability.Common challenges in social sector organizations who are wanting to become more innovation-friendly:o   The big social sector organizations tend to be complex in organization structure (sometimes too much so) with distributed country offices/affiliates. There is also variation in the extent to which decision making is centralized or decentralizedo   National cultures vary a lot, and NGOs sometimes have somewhat less of a ‘corporate’ cultureo   NGO cultures tend to be very process-oriented; they are not very user-focused, fairly siloed and have a hard time simplifying what the user needs/wantso   Marketing/fundraising/comms people typically are more user-focused. Quotes“Some NGOs are good in starting innovation projects but bad in killing bad projects”“It is best to use an innovation portfolio approach, where the organization and decision-makers have visibility into how many innovation projects they have going on at any one time, how long they have been going on, which ones are lagging and which ones have to be stopped. That oversight is sometimes missing” Resources:Shervin's LinkedIn profileBoard of Innovation WebsiteTosca's Virtual Team Leadership Essentials CourseJoint MZN-Five Oaks

Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, in the second episode of our 3 part, joint podcast series. The other 2 episodes cover ‘Chasing Innovation’ (episode #032) and ‘Chasing impact’ (episode #34, expected to be aired around Feb 23).SummaryGood projects/programs need good funding. But why do some organizations continue to grow and some stagnate? And is growth even a good or necessary thing in this era of a renewed look at the appropriate role of global North-founded INGOs, when global-South civil society is asking to #shiftthepower?  Isn’t the business model of nonprofits, taking tax money from the global north for projects in the global south, inherently inefficient and even perpetuating colonialism? In the second episode, I discuss with Chris the disconnect between the funding we need to solve a problem and the funding we can get. Christian’s BioManaging Director of MzN InternationalDisaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Consultants We discussed:  There's a disconnect between the funding NGOs need to solve a problem and the funding they can get. It's more effective to ask what funding people need to solve a problem, then build an organization to get that funding. If grants form part of the mix, great. If not, look for alternatives. What are the trade-offs between a strategy of seeking diversification of revenues versus focusing on one source which the organization has shown success in obtaining Digitally-enabled fundraising strategies, and the blind spots of 'brick and mortar' NGOs Necessary components of a business plan, such as:  * How to generate revenue* For what impact* Intersection of revenue and impact* Intersection of revenue and costs of delivery (which many NGOs don’t really track), compared to the impact generated* How to interact with the market/ecosystem of other nonprofits * People side: skills staffing and governance.  Resources:Links to MZN's social media channels:LinkedInWebsiteTwitterNext episode alert:Episode 3: Chasing impact - ever more desperate? And are we actually interested in measuring and knowing our impact? Click 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

Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, in the first episode of of a three-part podcast series. The other two episodes which will air in February 2022 will cover ‘Chasing Funding’ and ‘Chasing Impact’SummaryAre INGOs inherently inefficient, slow and lack innovation to the point that they will go, or ought to go, extinct?And if not, what should leaders do to transform their organisations into solution providers at a time when the world faces unprecedented upheaval, a climate crisis, pandemics and a myriad of other challenges?In the very first episode, I discuss with Chris whether non-profits at risk of being incapable of solving problems and therefore at risk of becoming obsolete. How can our organizations get better at innovating?  Christian’s BioManaging Director of MzN InternationalDisaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Consulting company We discussed:  NGO, like all bureaucracies, can be shaped - and intentionally so.Unfortunately, some NGOs start out with good intentions but end up being shaped by the rules and confinement of government grant guidelines, rendering them inflexible while chasing compliance legislation They get used to a comfortable existence with moderate impacts, rather than solving a problem. This is acceptable if their aim is a continuous existence in a relatively stable environment. It is less helpful if they want to solve problems in a fluid context. For that, they need to be agile. We discuss, among others:Trade-offs between being a large organization with an ability to offer scale and work across many sites, i.e. multi-sectorally,  vs. offering sharply delineated competenciesLeadership mindsets that get in the way of spurring innovationThe problem with a compliance mindset, or 'falling in love with the solution too early, not with the problem' (Ann Mei Chang)Is a lack of innovation funds part of the problem?The balance needed between unleashing creativity and maintaining a certain level of discipline within an innovation policyOverreliance on in-house production of solutions vs. buying 'off the shelf'Insufficiently flat organizationsInnovations not aligned with strategy or strategic prioritiesBeing too process-orientedYou can also watch the episode here.  Resources:LinkedInWebsiteTwitterNext episodes alert:Episode 2: Chasing Funding - will it ever end?Episode 3: Chasing Impact - ever more desperate? And are we actually interested in measuring and knowing our impact?Click 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 Teachabl