The Fundraising Radicals Craig Pollard

Our exploration of global fundraising continues today with Dieudonné Nahimana. Now this one is extra special for me. Dieudonné is one of the most impressive and resilient humans I have ever met and I really don't say that lightly. 

Like hundreds of thousands of other Burundians, the direction of Dieudonné's life was drastically altered during the civil war in 1993, when his father was murdered, and he ended up living on the streets of the capital, Bujumbura. 

Living with and supporting that community of resilient and creative children who survive together without their families has shaped his vision for the future of the whole country. He has established, New Generation, which is now nearly 25 years old.


Dieudonné’s home and his meals and even his wedding day have always been shared with dozens, if not hundreds of street children. 
He has trained thousands of young people across Burundi in peace building and reconciliation. 
He's led by example. He forgave the man who murdered his father, and is now sponsoring the education of his children. 
He has won awards for his work. 
He ran for president of Burundi in 2020. Not for himself, but to show others what is possible. He lost that contest, but the nature and grace of his defeat and the public calls for reconciliation, he gave Burundi its first peaceful election for 60 years. 

Yet, New Generation still struggles to secure the funding they need to pay their staff, many of whom are former street children, to support entrepreneurship of these creative young people and feed hundreds of other children who rely on New Generation to survive on the streets of Burundi.

I think this conversation stands on its own. 

I know you’ll be inspired by Dieudonné’s story. He has been so open and honest about the challenges he has faced of which fundraising seems to be relatively small, but is vital for the future of New Generation in Burundi. 

I will be sharing some reflections on Dieudonné and his fundraising challenges soon on the Fundraising Radicals blog which can be accessed via the website at www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog

 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

StreetAction website: https://streetaction.org/
New Generation website: https://newgenerationburundi.org/
Amos Trust website: http://amostrust.org/
If you want to kmow more about Dieudonné's story you can watch on YouTube at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC4PlTcZLXU&t=34s

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, Care International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do emai

Today’s conversation is with Jermaine Craig, the founder of Kwanda, a funding platform that connects members of the African diaspora based in the UK and North America with grassroots projects in Africa that they can fund and support beyond cash. 

Now this isn't about charity in the traditional sense. In fact, it's a practical and authentic challenge to the status quo. Kwanda was set up to support entrepreneurs in Africa who are responding thoughtfully to the daily frictions in their lives. 

Jermaine's view is that traditional funders and non profits neither understand nor trust Africans to build and scale solutions to their problems, so they're not equipped to support these local entrepreneurs. This is where Kwanda comes in, investing in entrepreneurs in Africa and telling the stories of their impact.

Some of the key points from my discussion with Jermaine include:


Jermaine speaks of the importance of shifting from traditional aid models to sustainable, community centred solutions that highlight local innovation 
the use of technology and automation to help in reducing time and increasing efficiency for tasks such as proposal generation and donor communications
Jermaines plans to expand Kwanda’s reach to new countries and a diverse range of projects

Kwanda is a brilliant, simple, and authentic concept, and I know you’ll enjoy listening to Jermaine share openly, the highs and lows of his own journey in social entrepreneurship.

For  more detailed reflections on this conversation with Jermaine, head to our blog which can be accessed via the website at https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog

 
Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Kwanda website: https://kwanda.co/
Connect with Jermaine on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermainecraig/

 

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, Care International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do email us. It's hello@fundraisingradicals.com

Today’s conversation is with Bessie Ndovi, who is one of four senior regional advisors from the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network. 

Bessie is based in Malawi and from there is supporting civil society organisations in 15 countries across East and Southern Africa. 

Now, advocacy work is a really hard thing to fundraise for: 


it's inherently political
it's difficult to measure
it can cause friction between partners, and 
it takes a long time to demonstrate the impact of advocacy funding which means that it stretches beyond the traditional funding horizons of most donors. 

But Bessie, knowing this, raised the funding to build and sustain an independent civil society organisation in Malawi that grew to ten members of staff within five years. 

During our conversation, Bessie  shares how she did this and sets out clear and simple steps that anyone else can follow to build trust and position for major funding partnerships.

Some of the key points from my discussion with Bessie include:


the importance of positioning, of being visible and discoverable
the dominance and decline of institutional funding on the operation and cultures of civil society organisations in Africa, so often the only viable option for civil society organisations in Africa
the vast barriers that civil society organisations in Africa face when trying to prove themselves worthy to receive northern funding
the starting assumption of suspicion from northern institutions that is still grounded in colonial and white supremacist views of Africa and African civil society
small, under resourced organisations have to micromanage every part of their work and demonstrate excellence in communications, partnerships, governance, financial management before they even receive funding

I know you’ll enjoy hearing and learning  from Bessie’s inspirational conversation today.

For  more detailed reflections on this conversation with Bessie, head to our blog which can be accessed via the website at https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

CSONA https://www.suncivilsociety.com/alliances/civil-society-organisation-nutrition-alliance-csona/
Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network https://scalingupnutrition.org/about-us/our-governance/our-networks/sun-civil-society-network
Concern Worldwide https://www.concern.net/
Connect with Bessie on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bessie-ndovi-0273b853

 

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, Care International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do emai

Today’s conversation is with Mustafa N’Jie Taf who is based in the Gambia in West Africa. Taf is a successful and well known businessman who builds cities, literal cities of affordable houses in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, and 6 other countries in West Africa. 

Now many projects that require funding in West Africa will identify Taf as a potential funder due to his regional profile here, his foundation, and his commitment to solving Africa's chronic housing shortage. 

As you're about to find out, Taf is full of enthusiasm and passion. He was born, raised, educated, and lives in the Gambia, and wears this lifelong connection like a badge of honor. He has his own YouTube channel and more than 50,000 followers on TikTok. 

During this episode, three takeaways stood out amidst our discussion:


First, Taf's lifelong immersion in the Gambia fascinates me. It feels like a deep and authentic connection to his community and a grounding for the values that underpin his business choices.
Second, that the accumulation of wealth does not have to be separate from social impact. And Taf's feels more authentic in some ways than the many Westerners who self identify as philanthropists, who have made their fortunes historically without real consideration of social justice, and then make a major philanthropy pivot in later life.


And third, there's this wonderful idea of finding contentment that bounds ambition and wealth and brings satisfaction. A sense of having done enough. 

Enough. That's another powerful word to leave you with today. Both in relation to the understanding when donors give, how much they give, but also enough in relation to the limits of our own organisation's ambitions, goals, and growth. Because if our leaders can't define what enough impact is, then fundraisers will always be catching up and burning out, which leads to a very different expression of enough. 

No conversation with Taf is ever dull, and I'm sure you’ll enjoy listening to my conversation with him today.

 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Taf on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tafnjie/

 

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

You can read more of my reflections on this conversation in my blog which can be accessed via the website at www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 

 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, Care International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

 

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

 

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do email us. It's hello@fundraisingradicals.com

Today’s conversation is with Keo Souvannaphoum, who is the award-winning Country Director in Lao, for CARE International. She has also been an active and dedicated participant in the Global Radicals Fundraising Leadership Programme -generously sharing her experiences with others around the world.

Keo is an expert with deep experience of building high impact community programmes and institutional partnerships with international funders based in Europe and North America. 

But I’m also hoping that she will share more details about an incredible funding partnership that she has built over the past three years, that began with an email enquiry and has now delivered more than two million dollars in funding for the Akha communities in Northern Lao, some of the most marginalised people in South East Asia.

 During this episode, some of the topics we discussed were:


Authentic relationships - how they’re the foundations of all our work - whether we’re building them with the communities we serve, with the teams within our causes, and with those who contribute funding.
How authenticity helps to manage expectations - how we engage and involve donors in programme design and how we push back - confident in our own expertise and the quality of a respectful and equal partnership.
Keo reflected on how different it feels to have full control over a funding partnership - I’ve seen this time and time again all over the world - funding partnerships build confidence, bring joy, and enjoyment to the fundraising and partnership-building process - to the point where Keo now even enjoys attending those out of hours events!

I know you'll enjoy listening to my conversation with Keo  today.

 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

CARE International  https://www.care-international.org/
Connect with Keo on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/keoamphone-souvannaphoum-17817952/?originalSubdomain=la  

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, Care International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

 

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

 

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do email us. It's hello@fundraisingradicals.com

My conversation with Irene Arellano was just too rich to fit into just one episode, so we’re rolling it into this second episode!

So, a quick reintroduction, today’s conversation is with Irene Arellano, who is the Head of Innovation and Business Development at CARE Peru. 

During this episode, we’re talking about:


social innovation
selling impactful consultancy services to companies in Peru
the details of how CARE Peru is establishing a new impact investment fund
how social justice and climate justice link via circular economies

and much more.

In this episode Irene has offered us a step-by-step guide for starting and sustaining a social innovation programme and clear tactics that have led to the establishment of an $70m impact investment fund that drove financial inclusion for more than 40,000 women in entrepreneurship with all-important wrap around services to support their journeys.

Irene and her team have explored how social innovation walks hand in hand with climate change, pushing towards circular economies.

At the heart of this is recognising the evolving expertise of NGOs and exploring new ways of leveraging their unique positions to develop new sorts of partnerships, impactful financial products, and fees/funding that is unrestricted.

I know you'll enjoy listening to this continuing conversation with Irene today.

 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

CARE Peru  https://www.care-international.org/our-work/where-we-work/peru
Connect with Irene on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenearellano/

I hope you've enjoyed listening to this episode of the Fundraising Radicals podcast and that this conversation has challenged, informed, and maybe even inspired you and your fundraising leadership practice. 

 

This podcast has been made possible by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, CARE International, the Ashmore Foundation, and our growing community of strategic partners.

We're excited to explore and share alternative views and experiences so we can all move beyond the narrow experiences that dominate global fundraising practise today so that we're all better equipped to resource our causes and communities wherever in the world we are.

 

Please do subscribe to the podcast on the platform of your choice. 

New episodes drop on the 1st & 15th of every month, so make sure to tune in to get more global perspectives on fundraising and leadership in the non-profit sector.

 

More about Fundraising Radicals:
If you want to find out all the ways in which we’re working to empower, equip and engage fundraisers all over the world:


Visit our website https://www.fundraisingradicals.com
Read our blog https://www.fundraisingradicals.com/blog 


Follow Fundraising Radicals on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fundraisingradicals
Follow Craig on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpollardfundraisingradicals

And we're always looking for new perspectives. So if you would be willing to share some of your experience of global fundraising within a future episode of the podcast, please do email us. It's hello@fundraisingradicals.com