NGO Soul + Strategy
Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken
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Welcome to my podcast NGO Soul + Strategy – a podcast for leaders of NGOs and other philanthropic organizations who are not satisfied with the status quo, are ready to look change right in the eye and who see themselves as leader-as-learner.
Available episodes
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May 21, 2023
057. From transnational advocacy networks to transscalar activism: Beth Bloodgood & Chris Pallas
*Summary*
What is ‘transscalar activism’ in a nutshell? And how is it different from what academics call the 'Boomerang' model of international advocacy NGO networks?
When did international NGO advocacy begin attracting the attention of academics, and why? What had shifted at that point, what had changed?
What was the dominant narrative in academia for a long time? And what was wrong with that?
In this *NGO Soul+Strategy* podcast episode, I interview *Elizabeth Bloodgood*, Associate Professor at *Concordia University*, Canada, and *Christopher Pallas*, Professor at *Kennesaw University*, USA, on major shifts in advocacy and campaigning approaches among NGOs. Trust me: their empirical research, based on practitioner case studies, is relevant for us practitioners.
*Elizabeth’s Bio:*
* Associate Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* Lecturer in non-state actors at the University of Pennsylvania, USA
* Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College, USA
* *
*Christopher’s Bio:*
* Professor of Conflict Management at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw University in Georgia, USA
* His research focuses on nongovernmental organizations and their role in international policymaking and development
* *
*We discuss: *
* Chris and Beth argue that how we think about advocacy strategies in relation to the roles and practices of global North and global south founded NGOs is well overdue for an update
* The argument they make in their 2022 book ‘*Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transscalar Advoacy*’ is linked to hot topics of today, such as decolonizing aid, and a shift in power and agency between global South-founded and global North-founded NGOs – a shift that Beth and Chris argue has already been well on its way for 10+ year.
* The era of the so-called ‘boomerang effect’ model in global advocacy -- in which national-level global South-founded NGOs would link up to global North-founded NGOs on advocacy causes when they did not find their government to be responsive -- that era is over
* Their argument as expressed in the book implies changes in what are legitimate, needed roles for global North-founded NGOs into the future.
* National NGOs in the global South now choose at what scale to operate (thus the term ‘transscalar activism’) – whether local, national, regional or global -- and these days ally with Southern CSOs as much as with global North-founded NGOs
* This also means that we should expect to see that global South-founded NGOs will feel less obliged to engage in marketing and reframing of their local causes in order to get international partners or global-North based media on their side.
* *
* *
*Resources:*
*Elizabeth’s LinkedIn Profile*
*Faculty page of Elizabeth*
*Faculty page of Christopher*
*Christopher’s Google Scholer page*
*Book: <*
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May 8, 2023
056. Philanthropy that’s less colonial in mindset and practices: John Hecklinger @ Global Fund for Children
*Summary*
What’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 Development
* Chief Program Officer, Global Giving
* Business development director, Global Giving
* Director of Data Acquisition in the private sector
* Peacecorp 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 partners
* What 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 accountability
* GFC 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 needs
* What 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 Profile*
*Global Fund for Children** (GFC) Website*
*GFC’s blogs*
*Podcast episode #22, NGO Soul + Strategy, with Dorothy Nyambi of MEDA*
*Benchmarking study on Shifting Power among 17 CSOs (International Civil Society Centre)*
* *
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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:
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Apr 26, 2023
055. Digital advocacy NGOs: a necessary, complementary force: Nina Hall
*Summary*
What 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, Europe
* Nina's research explores the role of transnational advocacy and international organizations in international relations
* Published research on advocacy organizations and multilateral institutions
* Author 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 organizations
* Digital 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 issues
* Nina 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-makers
* The profile of most ‘members’ (i.e. supporters) of digital advocacy organizations is that of middle-class, educated, urban citizens with adequate internet access
* What 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 Website*
*Nina’s personal Website*
*Nina’s **book**:* *Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era: Thinking Global, Acting Local**, Oxford University Press, 2022*
Nina's book recently won the ISA ICOM best book prize, see *HERE*
Stanford Social Science Innovation Research excerpt of Nina's book - *HERE*
Twitter thread by Nina on the book – *HERE*
Youtube *video*
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Apr 3, 2023
054. NGO scandals: causes, consequences and prevention + recovery strategies: Cassandra Chapman
*Summary*
INGOs 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 latter
In 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 Queensland
* Associate Editor at Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
* Former 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 media
* Scandal 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 actions
* Persons 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 LinkedIn*
*Cassandra’s Twitter*
*Cassandra’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 LinkedIn*
An upcoming website with summaries of articles by Cassandra: *www.donorpsych.org*
Tosca’s *essay* on ‘Can organizational culture explain recent INGo scandals’ provides further perspectives
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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
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Mar 19, 2023
053. Change is not a project: Hazem Fahmy on CARE Egypt’s Country Office transition towards full membership
*Summary*
A 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 Foundation
* Country Director for CARE Egypt Country Office
* Worked at CARE Egypt for 19 years
* PhD from New Mexico University in Water Resources
*We 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 journey
* The 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 matters
* How 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 deadlines
* Hazem finds it rewarding to hear people who used to be doubtful about this strategic direction now applaud what has been achieved
* One cannot be overfocused on keeping staff comfortable by saying that most things will not change
* Egyptian 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 profile*
*Hazem’s Email*
*Website** *of Care Egypt Foundation
*Hazem’s **blog**:*
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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
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Feb 18, 2023
052. Influence and power in complex NGOs: leadership insights from John Samuel @ Oxfam
*Summary*
What 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 Asia
* Former President of the Institute for Sustainable Development and Governance
* President & CEO of Trancivic International
* President of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies
* CEO of FORUM-Asia, the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development
* International 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 Oxfam
* Oxfam is a complex organization, combining multiple DNAs of the respective affiliates, their histories, organizational systems and national cultures - how to navigate this most effectively
* What 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 all
* How integrity, truthfulness, conviction, and principles can bypass or negate internal organizational political dynamics
* John'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 LinkedIn*
*Website** *of Bodhigram, the grassroots social movement founded by John
*John’s blogs:*
Dancing with dreams reflects part of the philosophy of Bodhigram
On leadership and language
John’s predictions for a 2030 future for INGOs
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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:
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Feb 2, 2023
051. Charity Navigator's changing expectations and its impacts on US nonprofit behaviors: Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator's CEO
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!
*Summary
*
Who 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 Navigator
* Board member of Giving Gap and Keystone Accountability
* Chief 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 platform
* Which non-US countries are considering starting an intermediary rating agency similar to CN, and how are they going about it?
* *
*Resources:*
*Michael’s LinkedIn*
*Michael’s Email*
*Michael’s Twitter*
*Charity Navigator Website*
*Charity Navigator’s Press Room*
*Charity Navigator’s Knowledge Base*
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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:
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Jan 13, 2023
050. Innovation in social change organizations: shepherds or adopters? Emma Proud
*Summary*
Welcome 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 Brink
* Former Director of Organizational Agility at MercyCorps
* Director for Center for Adaptive Management at MercyCorps
* Emma 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:
* overconfidence
* low-risk appetite
* getting 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 stopping
* when considering the risks attached to innovation, not thinking through the risk of doing nothing as well
* It 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 priorities
* Innovation '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 Twitter
Emma's LinkedIn
Brink's website
Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSRI) article by Emma Proud and others: 'The Adoption of Innovation
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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
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Dec 13, 2022
049. Women and positional power in faith based NGOs: Martha Holley Newsome @ Medical Teams Int.
*Summary*
What 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 International
* 19 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 traditions
* Martha’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 old
* What 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 out
* Faith-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 Twitter
Martha’s Facebook
American Stories Podcast which profiles Martha in detail
Medical Teams' Storytelling guide background is *HERE* (created by a
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Dec 2, 2022
048. How to kindle innovation in large development agencies: Soren Vester Haldrup @ UNDP
*Summary*
Do 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 Integrity
* Senior 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 address
* Too 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 solution
* You need buy-in from leadership at the right time and interest, engagement and encouragement from the grassroots
* UNDP uses 'deep demonstrations', instead of scaling. It also aims to create demand for innovations on the side of peers, primary constituents, and funders
* A leadership mindset of humility and comfort with uncertainty is not always present across cultures
* Human 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 prevalent
* Availability of money is an issue, but the flexibility of money is a bigger issue
* Innovation is both about small tweaks to existing solutions as well as big breakthroughs to overcome system-wide issues
* *
*Resources:*
*Soren’s Twitter*
*Soren’s LinkedIn*
*Medium Blog*
*UNDP blog on innovations*
Youtube *video* of this podcast
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 Fa
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Nov 18, 2022
047. Crisis leadership skills during war: Pact's Alyona Gerasimova in Ukraine
*Summary*
Leadership 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 con…
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Oct 19, 2022
046. Signaling your financial trustworthiness lowers your NGOs impact by half: George Mitchell and Thad Calabrese
*Summary*
Did 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 Management
* Moynihan Research Fellow at Syracuse University
* Independent consultant at InterAction
* Ph.D. from Syracuse University
* Co-author of our joint book…
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Oct 5, 2022
045. What we as NGO leaders need to do to spur innovation: Dermot O'Gorman @ WWF Australia
*Summary*
What 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 Development
* CEO at WWF Australia
* Visiting Scholar, Stanford University Digital Civil Society Lab
* Board 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 harvested
* High-risk, long-term capit…
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Aug 9, 2022
044. Disability rights: how NGOs go about actually claiming them - Susan Sygall @ Mobility International USA
*Summary*
Why 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, Berkeley
* Co-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 sector
* Recipient of a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2000
* Wheelchair rider since the a…
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Aug 4, 2022
043. How I practice virtual leadership in a complex membership organization - Lysa John @ CIVICUS
*Summary*
What 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…
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Jul 8, 2022
042. Feminist leadership: organizational practices to make it real -- Kirthi Jayakumar & Leila Billing
*Summary*
Today, 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 Project
* Head of Training at World Pulse
* Digital Engagement Manager at Every Woman Treaty
* Advisor at Women7
* Editor at Cactus Communications
* *
*Leila’s Bio:*
* Senior advisor on gender, youth, and movement building
* Co-founder of We Are Feminist Leaders training program
* Trustee at Gender and Development Network
* H…
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Jun 26, 2022
041. Rest, reset, resilience: how my mind journeyed when I took a sabbatical - Chris Proulx @ Humentum
*Summary*
What 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 work
* Former President and CEO at LINGOs
* Former 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 team
* What is the art of ‘doing nothi…
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Jun 13, 2022
040. Can NGOs Stay Human-Centered while Embracing Smart Tech? Beth Kanter and Allison Fine
*Summary*
The 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 consultant
* Virtual facilitator
* A nonprofit innovator in digital transformation and workplace well being
* Author
* Adjunct Professor at the Monterrey Institute of International Studies
*Allison’s Bio:*
* Principal consultant at All…
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May 31, 2022
039. How NGO CEOs are thinking about operating model changes, right now: Christine Sow of Humentum
*Summary*
Christine 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…
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May 9, 2022
038. Exploring Possible Futures for Conservation NGOs: Anca Damerell @ Luc Hoffman Institute
*Summary*
What 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 Institute
* Research and Innovation Programme Officer at United Nations Environmental Program
* Ph.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…
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Apr 21, 2022
037. We need to rethink the 'virtue narrative' surrounding NGOs: Aseem Prakash
*Summary*
Why 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 Politics
* Contributor to many well-known publications, such as Forbes.com, The Conversation, Huffington Post, The Hill, and the Washington Post
* Ph.D. at the Dept of Political Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, USA
* MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India
*We discuss: *
Academics in the past have created…
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Apr 8, 2022
036. Why the NGO Halo Effect is problematic: a conversation with Isabel De Bruin Cardoso
*Summary*
What 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, deve…
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Mar 6, 2022
035. Chasing impact - ever more elusive? One more exchange with Chris of MZN
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).
*Summary*
Nonprofits 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 Bio*
* Managing Director of MzN International
* Disaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)
* Senior Exec…
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Feb 20, 2022
034. How to generate greater innovation capability in your nonprofit: observations of an innovation coach
*Summary*
NGOs 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 Bio*
* Global Social Innovation Lead at Board of Innovation
* Co-founder of Board of Innovation, Netherlands
* Founder at Ministry for Change
* Innovation Strategy Consultant at UNHCR (via Board of Innovation)
* *
* We…
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Feb 7, 2022
033. Chasing funding - will it ever end? A back-and-forth with Chris of MZN
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).
*Summary*
Good 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 Bio*
* Managing Director of MzN International
* Disaster r…
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Jan 22, 2022
032. Chasing Innovation: can we do better as NGOs? In discussion with Chris Meyer of MzN International
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’
*Summary*
Are 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 Bio*
* Managing Director of MzN International
* Disaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)
* Senior Executive at Ernst and Youn…
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Nov 26, 2021
031. What you can do to excel in virtual team leadership: Monica Maassen @ Oxfam
*Summary*
Monica is a change management specialist par excellence. She is also thoughtful about all things management and leadership. How does she see the linkages between change management and virtual/hybrid team leadership - something we all got thrown into big time in the last 2 years (if we did not already practice it before)?
What is the biggest thing(s) we may be missing about not working in a co-located team, and what is it that we may not miss that much?
What are the biggest differences between leading a virtual or hybrid team, and leading a co-located team? And what are the distinct advantages and disadvantages of either situation?
In this podcast episode, I interview Monica Maassen, Head of Change Management and Learning in the context of our *new* online course ‘*Post-Pandemic Virtual Team Leadership Essentials*’. A small team of talented freelance contributors and I at Five Oaks Consulting have recently launched this course! And Monica was part of our first cohor…
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Nov 13, 2021
030. Reinventing social change by overcoming self-limiting belief systems: Nell Edgington
*Summary*
Nell Edgington, a well known American consultant who serves US domestic nonprofits is of the opinion that nonprofit leaders maintain too many self-limiting beliefs and mindsets.
In her new book 'Reinventing social change: Embracing abundance to create a healthier and more equitable world' she explains how these self-limiting beliefs have seeped into the collective mindset and DNA of the nonprofit sector. In the book, Nell strongly advocates for abundance thinking -- instead of scarcity thinking, one of those dominant self-limiting beliefs.
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Nell the central arguments of her book.
*Nell’s Bio*
* President of consulting practice Social Velocity: Social Velocity helps nonprofit and philanthropic leaders create more effective social change.
* Fellow Leap of Reason Ambassador -- an invitation-based network of nonprofit leaders, funders, government regulators and consultants and academics who all are motivated to make the nonprof…
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Oct 8, 2021
029. Potential and peril when NGOs collaborate with social movements: May Miller-Dawkins
*Summary*
What are the biggest limitations social movements encounter, time and again?
What are the good examples of positive collaboration between INGOs and social movements?
And what characteristics, what attributes made that collaboration positive?
In this podcast episode, I discussed with May Miller-Dawkins about the potential and peril when NGOs collaborate with social movements.
*May’s Bio:*
* Researcher, advocate and facilitator, working with social movements, NGOs, foundations, universities and community groups on social change processes
* Used to be based in New South Wales, Australia, now in New Zealand
* Works with social movements and social sector organizations as well as universities to strengthen their advocacy, deepen their coalitions and sharpen their analysis
* Former director, Governance and Transparency, The B Team, which seeks to redefine the culture of accountability in business by creating and encouraging the diffusion of new norms for bu…
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Sep 25, 2021
028. Strategic planning when your CSO faces fundamental uncertainties: Dave Algoso, facilitator & consultant
*Summary*
* How has strategic planning changed during the pandemic?
* What are general blind spots when it comes to strategic planning in our social sector?
* What are jazzy new approaches to strategic planning that civil society organizations should consider?
* And what are the warning signs, as a strategy consultant, that tell you you should not get involved?
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Dave Algoso, strategy facilitator and consultant 'par excellence', how civil society organizations (CSOs) have changed how they go about strategic planning in this very uncertain world.
*Dave Algoso’s Bio*
* Independent consultant at Open CoLab, Dave's consulting company
* In-house Organizer at Civic Hall, NYC (2017)
* Managing Director at Reboot (2013 - 2015)
* Program Manager at MercyCorps (2010 - 2013)
* Senior Analyst at Advisory Board Company (2005 - 2007)
* *
*We discuss: *
* What makes strategic planning in the social sector different from the private se…
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Sep 11, 2021
027. People, resistance to new ideas and the power of removing friction: interview with Loran Nordgren
*Summary*
Why do people resist new ideas, including inside organizations, and including with regard to organizational change initiatives? And what can we as change managers/leaders do about this?
What's more important: making your new idea more 'shiny', more attractive, or removing obstacles that stand in the way of people accepting new ideas?
Would resistance to new ideas play out differently in the nonprofit sector as compared to others?
What does ‘neophobia’ mean, and does it apply as much to the (international) nonprofit sectors as to the private sector and government sector?
In this podcast episode which is of prime relevance to change managers and leadres, I interview Loran Nordgren of Northwestern University, USA, whose research together with David Schonthal, also at Northwestern, on why people resist new ideas, and the importance of removing friction.
Loran focuses on individual-level psychology, more than on organizational or industrial labor relations fields of work…
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Jul 22, 2021
026. Right Work and Right Team: how the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (BRAC) is aspiring to become a truly diverse, global entity - Rasha Natour
*Summary*
What are the advantages and disadvantages (if any) when an organization is in a position to start almost as if with a new slate after a large core grant infusion, and thus can propel an ambitious DEI agenda?
And how do local authorities and national governments in global South countries respond to a localization push by an initiative like the Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative, part of the large Bangladesh-founded NGO BRAC?
In this episode, we talk with Rasha Natour, Senior Advocacy Manager at UPGI, about the Initiative's two strands of DEI-related work: ‘Right Work’ and ‘Right Team’, and the different roles these two approaches play in UPGI becoming a truly global entity.
*Rasha Natour’s Bio:*
* Sr. Advocacy Manager, Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI), at the Bangladesh Rural & Advancement Committee (BRAC)
* Formerly senior Strategic Direction manager at CARE International
* Former Knowledge Management & Global Advocacy, CARE International
* Forme…
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Jun 5, 2021
025. Gabriela (Oxfam), Julia (ActionAid), and Sofia (CARE): a celebration of Latina women's leadership
*Summary*
How often does it happen that three of the biggest INGOs are all headed by three Latina women. Not often -- and definitely a reason to celebrate.
Sofia, Julia and Gabriela discuss their perspectives on leadership *
*When it comes to crafting the new employee experience after COVID, what changes in that experience stand out?
To what extent the interviewees experience that women leader still cannot bring their whole person to leadership, and need to adjust to male expectations of leadership?
How have the NGOs fared in the past year and a half of COVID?
In this episode, we discuss women and leadership, and also their visions on leadership in general.
*Gabriela Bucher’s Bio:*
* Executive Director of Oxfam International
* Chief Operating Officer, Plan International (3 years)
* Executive President Plan Foundation, Columbia (10+ years)
*Julia Sanchez’s Bio:*
* Secretary General, ActionAid
* Ex Senior Researcher, Canadian Union of Public Employees
* Federal…
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May 13, 2021
024. Organizational ethics, integrity, power and governance: Alex Cole-Hamilton
*Summary*
*
*What is wrong with the current approach to organizational ethics and integrity in NGOs?
Why is using a lens of power analysis so helpful to bring INGO governance into focus?
Only by looking at the very core of how organizations work, we can begin to achieve the deep and effective change needed across the sector.
In this episode, we discuss organizational ethics and integrity concerns in INGOs with Alex Cole-Hamilton, independent consultant.
*Alex’s Bio*
* Independent consultant, advising boards and executives on ethics and integrity risks and related decision-making frameworks
* Former head of Ethics and Compliance, Oxfam Great Britain (GB)
* Former head of Corporate Responsibility, Oxfam GB
* Former Ethical Trade project manager, The Body Shop
*Quotes*
“At that time, it felt colonial to work in the NGO sector, so I went to work in the private sector instead”
“The field of ethics and integrity is quite young in INGOs”
“This approach feels big…
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Apr 30, 2021
023. What's a feminist leader to do about social power in organizations: Srilatha Batliwala
*Summary*
*
*What is social power? And how does this concept relate to Feminist Leadership? And how does it show up in organizational dynamics within civil society organizations (CSOs)?
Are there any cross-cultural aspects to Feminist Leadership?
I discussed these topics during an interview with Srilatha Batliwala, senior advisor at CREA and Gender at Work, a well-known social movement 'pracademic' and activist, and author of peer-reviewed articles about INGOs.
*Srilatha Batliwala's bio*
* Senior advisor, Knowledge Building and Feminist Leadership, CREA (a feminist human rights organization founded in India) & Gender at Work
* Former co-chair, Board, Just Associates
* Former co-chair, Board, Gender at Work
* Member, International. Advisory Board for the Institute for Human Rights and Business
* Civil Society Research Fellow, Hauser Center, Harvard
*Quotes*
“If I say another world is possible, I have to make it true within my organization as well”
“We have to go…
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Apr 2, 2021
022. How to lead organizational change when you are the first person of color in top leadership: Dorothy Nyambi, CEO of MEDA
*Summary*
*
*Dorothy Nyambi took on the top leadership role in MEDA two years ago as the only person of color in the senior leadership team. She since then has led change with that awareness in mind:
What do we mean by culture change, and how to see and operationalize it?
Politics and power within an organization, from a change leader’s perspective.
How to lead and manage organizational change? What frameworks, resources, or tools are most valuable?
Inclusion and diversity -- or lack of diversity -- in leadership.
*Dorothy’s Bio*
* Dorothy is President and Chief Executive of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates), a Canadian headquartered international economic development organization that creates business solutions to poverty
* Former Executive Vice President of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
* Former Regional Director of the NGO Right to Play
* Dorothy was trained as a medical doctor, then moved upstream from being a technical person i…
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Mar 19, 2021
021. Positional power games and ‘feminist bureaucrats’ in multilateral organizations: Joanne Sandler's observations
*Summary*
How does Feminist Leadership ‘perform’ when a leader has to make hard choices?
How well has feminist leadership served organizations during the past year of the pandemic-related crisis, or other periods of crisis?
What kind of worthy values and interests might ‘compete’ with those called for by feminist leadership, and how should leaders resolve this?
I discussed these topics during an interview with Joanne Sandler, senior associate at Gender at Work, and former leader at UN Women.
*Joanne's Bio*
* Senior associate at Gender at Work, a consulting and training agency which works with organizations that wish to contribute to gender equality and to advance feminist leadership.
* Independent consultant
* Co-producer of podcast Two Old Bitches which captures the experiences of women over 50 who reinvent, reimagine, and rebel.
* Former Deputy Executive Director at UN Women/UNIFEM
* Special advisor to assistant secretary-General of UN Women
*Quotes*
“So…
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Feb 2, 2021
020. Feminist leadership and 'deep power structures’ within organizations: Aruna Rao, co-founder of Gender at Work
What are the political or other strategies and tactics that a feminist leader can use to analyze the presence of ‘deep structures’ of power within organizations?
What can a feminist leader practically do to change these power structures?
And in what scenarios does Feminist Leadership shine in particular ways?
I discussed these topics during an interview with Aruna Rao, Co-founder and chair of the board at Gender at Work
*Aruna's Bio*
* Co-founder, former chair of the board at Gender at Work and its former Executive Director. Gender at Work offers thought leadership, training, and consulting services to organizations that wish to create cultures of equality and inclusion
* Co-host of the podcast Gender at Work
* Former board member, ActionAid International
* Former leader on gender issues at BRAC
* Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Organizational Behavior from Columbia University, USA
*Quotes
*“Organizations are broken because people are broken”
“ Orga…
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Jan 7, 2021
019. Politics, power and feminist leadership within NGOs - Lisa Veneklasen's take on things
Organizational leaders have to balance competing values. What kind of worthy values and interests might ‘compete’ with those called for by Feminist Leadership (FL) and how should leaders resolve those?
What to do when we need to hold individual staff or teams to account for underperformance, given FL’s emphasis on being developmental, its focus on staff care, etc.?
When do leaders decide that they cannot consult everybody but need to make certain decisions within a small circle? Is this in conflict with the feminist leadership principles?
I discussed these topics during an interview with Lisa Veneklaassen, Founder & Advisor, Just Associates (JASS)
*Lisa's Bio*
* Over 30 years of experience as Educator, Strategist, and organization-builder with a variety of social justice and women’s rights efforts worldwide.
* Assistant Director of the Global Women in Politics program of the Asia Foundation.
* Lisa's work on integrating power and political analysis into development…
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Dec 19, 2020
#018. Power as finite resource or as unlimited good: Paul O’Brien at Oxfam America on influencing NGOs
What's a global North-founded influencing NGO to do to stay relevant, credible, and effective?
And should influencing NGOs see power as an infinite resource -- that can be grown and shared and in principle is unlimited in nature -- or as a limited asset that needs to be fought for?
Finally, how does a seasoned advocacy NGO leader look upon the current moment as a combination of crisis and opportunity?
I discussed these topics during a wide-ranging interview with Paul O'Brien, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Oxfam America.
*Paul's bio*
· Vice president for policy and advocacy, Oxfam America
· Director of Aid Effectiveness, Oxfam America
· Long term work in Afghanistan
· Also worked as Policy Advisor in Care International
· Graduated from Harvard Law School
*Quotes*
“We want to be relevant to next-generation influencers, such as distributed, organic, indigenous, networked and virtual activists”
“After COVID, governments will review which CSOs fomented chan…
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Nov 19, 2020
017. What's all this talk about feminist leadership? An interview with Abby Maxman, CEO, Oxfam America
*What’s all this talk about feminist leadership? An interview with Abby Maxman, Oxfam America’s CEO*
Feminist leadership seems to be in ascendance in the INGO sector. Now, our sector is a bit prone to fads and fashions -- so should we take this seriously? Is this leadership model here to stay? And what are its potential, its power as well as its limitations? This is what I explore in a short series of episodes about feminist leadership, which is starting with this interview with Abby Maxman, CEO of Oxfam America.
Later in the series, I will interview Aruna Rao, Lisa Veneklaassen, and Joanne Sandler, while plans to interview Srilatha Batliwala are in the works.
*Quotes *
“Servant leadership does not always necessarily mean you to lead from behind (although this is often what’s needed); it can sometimes also mean leading from the front”
“Feminist leadership needs to be situational and adaptive to be helpful”
“You need to be kind of heart but also tough of mind, at t…
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Sep 13, 2020
016. ‘Mergers and Acquisitions are in the air’: a discussion with two Plan USA NGO leaders who lived to tell the tale
In this interview with *Tessie San Martin* and *Constantin Abarbieritei*, CEO and Chief Operating Officer, respectively, at *Plan USA*, we discuss what lessons they learned in leading two acquisitions and one divestiture.
*Quotes:*
“If you want to do M&A, you’d better also know how to do divestiture”
“The lack of financial motives, metrics as well as incentive structures, as compared to the private sector, is a real problem in making M&A happen in the NGO sector”
In this stimulating discussion, Tessie and Constantin share their observations:
* The impact of the fact that no money changes hands in the case of M&A among NGOs
* How and at what stage to involve your major funders
* What happens when organizations wait too long to consider an M&A, and the less than ideal pressure that ‘distress sales’ put upon a merger
* How the lack of specialized M&A expertise as well as (donor) funding for the costs of considering and managing a Merger or Acquistion act as i…
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Aug 2, 2020
015. Not your usual NGO strategy process: Oxfam's recent experience with strategy formation and whether it is holding up during this massive disruption
*Interview with Muthoni Muriu and Doris Basler of Oxfam about their ambitious, innovative, bottom-up Oxfam strategy process, which was approved at the onset of the global pandemic*
Bios
Muthoni Muriu:
* Former Global Strategy Lead, Oxfam America & Oxfam International (please note that Muthoni left Oxfam as of June 30, 2020, after the strategy had been approved by Oxfam International's Board)
* Former Senior Director, Global Programs Mgt team, Oxfam America
* Former Regional Program Director, W-Africa, Oxfam America
* Educated at the University of London - London School of Economics and Politics and School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
* Alum of the Transnational NGO Leadership Institute at Syracuse Univerity, which Tosca once used to lead
Doris Basler:
* Director for Governance and Strategy, Oxfam International
* Former Dir of Organizational Development as well as former Director of Capacity Building, Transparency International
* Former roles at Amnesty I…
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Jul 19, 2020
014. Between Power and Irrelevance: what *is* the future of transnational NGOs? An conversation with my two 'co-conspirators' on the book
*Summary*
Tosca focuses on her new book ‘Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’, which she co-authored with George Mitchell and Hans Peter Schmitz. Barney Tallack, ex-Oxfam leader and independent consultant, also made important contributions towards the book.
* Why transnational NGOs have a hard time living up to their (bigger) promises and claims
* How our transnational NGO sector is still governed by a 20th-century legal architecture for charities, and how this is detrimental on many levels
* If NGOs want to transform themselves into movements, brokers and thought conveners, they’ve got to change the expectations that society puts upon them, and – equally important – change their own cultural norms and assumptions
* Topics covered in the book, such as strategy; digital adaption; measurement; governance reforms; leadership (development) challenges, collaboration, and mergers and acquisitions
* How the book offers value for ongoing academ…
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Jul 5, 2020
013. INGO leadership responses during hard times: a joint podcast episode with the International Civil Society Center
As NGO community we are staring into the unknown, and as Bob Johansen of the Institute for the Future, memorably, said recently: "The future will reward clarity, but punish uncertainty. Be wary of people who need certainty, since certainty is brittle". Yet, our brains crave certainty, so what to do? How to lead our NGOs during a global crisis like this?
This was one of the central topics at the recent (June 3-5, 2020) 'Leading Together' meeting of the International Civil Society Centre, a leading convening body for mid to large size transnational NGOs. I was happy to be of service to the Centre by offering a presentation on 'Leading during Crisis' and by assisting in the meeting's design and facilitation. We also tried something new: Tom Howie at the Centre and I recorded a joint episode to capture the meeting's main takeaways.
In the episode, we hear thoughtful NGO practitioners offer their takeaways: participants Jayanta Bora, Executive Director for Global Human Resources at Plan I…
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Jun 20, 2020
012. NGO change management tips from a pro. A conversation with Barney Tallack
*NGO change management is challenging - to say the least. A conversation with Barney Tallack to help you learn from a pro*
Bio Barney Tallack
* Principal Consultant, Averthur Consulting
* Former Director of Strategy, Oxfam International
* Former Director for Change Management, Oxfam Int.
* Multiple other leadership roles in Oxfam (spanning a career of 25 years within that organization)
* Board member of Forest Peoples, Fairtrade Foundation and several other nonprofit boards
Quotes:
“The field of change management is huge and has no boundaries”
And on the financial implications of the pandemic for the global North-founded NGO sector:
“Our own pre-existing conditions have exacerbated the financial implications of COVID-10 for the sector”
In this chock-full episode, we discuss:
* How to use a ‘political frame’ in change management, and harness the power of ‘positive resisters’ and informal leaders (i.e. people who have lots of power within an organizati…
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Jun 8, 2020
011.NGO campaigns miss how humans process difficult emotions. Listen to Stefan Flothmann of Greenpeace to learn how to fix this
In this episode, I discuss with Stefan Flothmann, who heads Greenpeace's MindWorks Cognitive Science Lab, how campaign designs miss how humans process difficult and negative emotions, and how this diminishes campaigns' effectiveness.
Quotes:
“Greenpeace staff were working on the assumption we were working towards a state of paradise, but they are struggling instead with the state of loss we have to deal with”
“Our assumption used to be: we are humans, so we understand how other humans work. Common sense approaches to our campaigning suffice. We were wrong”
Stefan's bio:
· Global Director at Mindworks Cognitive Science Lab, Greenpeace (GP) East Asia
· Former Program Director, Greenpeace E-Asia
· Former Dir Climate and Energy, Greenpeace
· Former Dir of Int Ocean Governance, Pew Charitable Trust
We discuss:
Why Greenpeace as one of the largest brand names in environmental activism felt the need to change its assumptions behind its campaigning approaches
The relevan…
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May 10, 2020
010. NGO Mergers + Acquisitions: an interview with Rick Santos, a CEO who lived to tell the story
*Are more Mergers and Acquisitions in NGOs’ futures? And is that a good thing? An interview with Rick Santos, a CEO who lived to tell the story*
Bio Rick Santos
* Rick was the CEO of IMA World Health between 2009 and 2018, after having worked in the international health and development sector for over two decades
* IMA World Health is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides health care services and supplies to vulnerable and marginalized people. We should note that in the developing world, an estimated 30 to 60 percent of health care is provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). At the end of 2018, IMA World Health merged with Lutheran World Relief
* Rick is currently Principal at NXPivot, which helps civil society organizations pivot in environments of lots of external change
* Rick is a nonprofit professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a focus in strategy and management from Johns Hopkins University
In this episode, we discuss:…
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Apr 25, 2020
009. How nonprofits can be more performance-focused, and why diversity, equity and inclusion is part and parcel of such a business plan: an interview with Tammy Dowley-Blackman
Tammy Dowley-Blackman is a seasoned and dynamite consultant in the domestic US nonprofit management and effectiveness space, who I look up to. In this interview, Tammy shares:
* How her observations as a nonprofit leader, and the insufficient emphasis she observed nonprofits put on performance issues, drove her to set up her consulting firm
* The fallacy that ensuring diversity and inclusion strategies is not part and parcel of nonprofit business management
* How cultural competencies and attention to diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in nonprofits are intimately related
* How nonprofits who do not manage to transition from start-up, founder-focused mode to an emphasis on appropriate systems building are likely to falter
*Quote: *“Less is more -- when it comes to investment in leaders -- is *not *a good motto if nonprofits want to attract strong Generation Y and Z staff”
*Bio: *
* Tammy is the owner of the TDB consulting firm, which supports nonprofits in the…
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Mar 21, 2020
008. Continuous improvement together: the case for Constituent Voice - a conversation with David Bonbright of Keystone Accountability
*David Bonbright, co-founder and Chief Executive of Keystone Accountability, an international charity dedicated to bringing constituent feedback to social change practice. *
In this interview, David addresses the following questions and topics:
* What is Constituent Voice? And why is it so important if an NGO wants to be more outcome-focused?
* How is it different, and more than ‘downward accountability’?
* Easier said than done: NGO leaders need to balance many competing values and priorities. How should they balance the voice of their primary constituents/clients/stakeholders/customers with those of other stakeholders, like boards, donors, staff members, and peer organizations?
* And why is it that many NGO people rhetorically embrace the concept of Constituent Voice but quite lag behind in practice?
*Bio:*
* Keystone seeks to maximize the social impacts of organizations -- nonprofit, business and governmental -- through the Constituent Voice™ methodology of pl…
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Mar 20, 2020
007. Are NGOs subject to the dynamic of ‘successful failure’? A conversation with George Mitchell of Baruch College, City University of New York
*George Mitchell, professor at Baruch College at the City University of New York, USA*, is one of my long time collaborators, a dear friend and one of those wonderful academics with a healthy respect for NGO practitioners. He and I, and Hans Peter Schmitz have co-authored an upcoming book on transnational NGOs, which will come out in June 2020.
In this interview, George addresses the following questions and topics:
* What stops NGOs/nonprofits from becoming more outcome-oriented?
* How is it possible that NGOs can survive indefinitely without showing outcomes? Does the provocative concept of ‘successful failure’ explain this phenomenon?
* What are the specific roadblocks to watch out for when NGOs do aspire to become more outcome-oriented?
* Some common myths when it comes to measurement and evaluation
* The importance for NGOs of joining transparency platforms
* Tricky aspects of integrating cost-effectiveness into evaluation approaches
*Bio*
* George Mitch…
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Mar 14, 2020
006. Organizational learning as one way to get to a stronger outcome-orientation: interview with two powerhouses
*What organizational dynamics cause NGOs and funders to make overblown outcome statements? *
In this interview with Julia Coffman and Tanya Beer of the Center for Evaluation Innovation, two thought leaders in the space of evaluation and organizational learning in the philanthropic and NGO sector, we address:
* What stops us as nonprofits from becoming more outcome-oriented?
* When your NGO starts a new strategy, can the evaluation folks not just inform the eventual measurement of that strategy but also help you with synthesizing what was learned up till that point?
* And why can the more ‘comfortable’ notion of organizational learning – rather than evaluation – lead to reinforcement of confirmation bias?
Julia and Tanya address these complex questions, that all touch upon organizational dynamics, in their thoughtful responses to my interview questions. Enjoy!
Julia Coffman's bio
Julia Coffman is the Founder and Director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation. Her fo…
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Mar 14, 2020
005. Measuring social change: advice by Alnoor Ebrahim, nonprofit accountability expert
*Alnoor Ebrahim, Professor @ Tufts University, USA*
How can we as NGO leaders make sure that our strategy informs our measurement strategy as organizations? How can we make sure our NGOs are not just upward/funder-oriented in our measurement approach, but also focused on internal accountability and organizational learning? And what mindsets are most helpful to make measurement efforts meaningful?
In this interview, we address:
* What stops us as nonprofits from becoming more outcome-oriented?
* What are some roadblocks to watch out for when NGOs aspire to become more outcome-oriented?
* What is the Big Idea behind Alnoor’s new book ‘Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World’
* And what would Alnoor say is true that almost no NGO agrees upon?
*Quote: *“It is not feasible nor even desirable for all NGOs to develop metrics that run the gamut from outputs to societal outcomes” (pg. 11, book Measuring Social Change by Alnoor Ebrahim)
*…
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Feb 12, 2020
004. A consultant’s observations in helping leaders navigate big organizational change – interview with Ed Boswell of Conner Advisory
*Ep 004 – Ed Boswell*
Title: A consultant’s observations in helping NGO leaders navigate big organizational change: Ed Boswell, Conner Advisory
Summary para:
Daryl Conner and Ed Boswell of Conner Advisory have been advising private sector leaders for 30+ plus years on how to successfully lead big organizational change processes. How much of this experience translates over into the NGO sector? Ed Boswell talks with Tosca about the many lessons he learned.
* To what extent has Ed observed differences in how people think about and execute change management in the private versus NGO sectors?
* What’s distinct about strategy execution, as different from strategy installation?
* As a consultant, what has Ed found most rewarding in supporting his clients when they engaged in change management?
* And, what has he found to be most trying or challenging in doing so?
Resources:
Bio Ed:
Co-founder and CEO of Conner Advisory, which is focused on international aid sector organiz…
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Feb 11, 2020
003. Reflections by Sarah Ralston, long time change manager in CARE's 2020 change process
*Ep 003 – Sarah Ralston*
Title: Whole-of-organization thinking: Reflections by Sarah Ralston, former longtime change manager in CARE2020’s process
Summary para:
The complex work of an NGO change manager requires that you have a ‘whole of organization’ perspective. Sarah Ralston, who until recently led many change initiatives at CARE International, reveals what she learned in this third episode in our series on Change Management.
* How does Sarah see the different components of an organizational change process?
* ·What does she do as a change manager, on a daily basis?
* ·What has she found the most rewarding, and the most trying, about change management?
* What change management concepts or approaches has Sarah found to be most helpful?
* How has Sarah tried to intentionally learn as a change manager?
Bio:
Sarah Ralston has over 15 years of experience when it comes to international civil society, organizational development, strategy and change management. She…
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Feb 10, 2020
002. Interview with Ramesh Singh regarding his change leadership at ActionAid and Greenpeace
*Ep 002 – Ramesh Singh*
Title: What I learned from leading ActionAid’s federalization process as well as Greenpeace’s recent change trajectory – Ramesh Singh
Summary para:
Ramesh Singh, former CEO of ActionAid, led its process of federalization - an important change in its organizational form - over a decade ago. In addition, Ramesh as International Organization Director led Greenpeace’s process to decentralize decision making from Greenpeace International’s headquarters to its regional and national offices. During the same period, Greenpeace also aligned its organization with a strategic shift of its campaigning approach to a more ‘people-powered’ form of campaigning.
* How Ramesh encouraged ActionAid to learn from the past and be fit for the future
* How he promoted course corrections in organizational change processes
* How to spot slow-onset crises
* How not to confuse project management (a means) with the Theory of Change (the end) behind a change proce…
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Feb 9, 2020
001. Lessons from a long time change manager: Monica Maassen, Oxfam International
Lessons from a long time change manager: Monica Maassen, Oxfam International
*Episode 001 – Monica Maassen*
Title: Oxfam’s 2020 change journey: lessons from a long-time change manager - Monica Maassen
Summary para: Oxfam International and its 20+ affiliates have embarked on significant organizational change – appropriately called ‘Oxfam2020’. Monica Maassen, Head of Oxfam Int’s change management, learning and change communications, explains her approach to how she and her team try to promote and accompany this large-scale change process, and the many lessons she has learned along the way.
* How does Monica see the different components of an organizational change process?
* What does she do, on a daily basis?
* What has Monica found the most rewarding, and the most trying, about change management?
* What change management concepts or approaches has Monica found to be most helpful?
* Why many people make the mistake of overfocusing on organizational structure ch…
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Feb 8, 2020
Announcement launch podcast: NGO Soul + Strategy
This is short introduction of my new podcast NGO Soul + Strategy, for leaders of NGOs and other philanthropic organizations who look change right in the eye. To be launched February 2020.
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