Cover photo by Ben Ocra, Ghana Philanthropy Forum
By Aude Anquetil, Ecosystems Development Coordinator, WINGS
Last year, WINGS embarked on two pilots in East and West Africa with its members TrustAfrica and the East African Philanthropy Network to gain a better understanding of the landscape of philanthropic actors working to grow, coordinate and strengthen local giving. With an eye towards testing some of our tools and methodologies on the ground, in particular our participatory mapping methodology, we engaged in a number of activities from consultations, to desk research, and virtual and in-person convenings to bring key stakeholders together and flesh out a collective vision for the field.
From the academic comprehension of local giving practices to the vivid conversations around decolonising philanthropy, these pilots taught us immensely. As we continue to learn and challenge our understanding and assumptions of this space, we wanted to share some of our key takeaways so far.
1. Embrace the complexity of the field
One of our goals with these projects was to identify the main philanthropy support organisations (PSOs) operating in East and West Africa, understood as any organisation, platform or movement working to grow, catalyse, coordinate and strengthen local giving. With a taxonomy comprising 18 different types of entities, a study covering 10 different countries, and a challenge to embrace with open-mindedness the various ways solidarity expresses itself across the continent, the lists produced were quite extensive and diverse (more than 500 players identified in each region!). As we engaged in dissemination, we were often challenged around the boundaries of the ecosystem: do nonprofit networks qualify as PSOs if part of their work is focused on growing philanthropy? How do we think of actors strengthening civil society, critical actors to building the trust and muscle for local actors to harness local resources which were identified as a big area to strengthen? While the resources developed have their limitations, we are closer now than we were before to understanding the breadth and depth of the space, and see this as a first step to continue to build on. Have a look at the East Africa and West Africa visual maps and share your thoughts with us
2. Acknowledge the limitations of the exercise
Philanthropy expresses itself in so many ways, as do the organisations and individuals supporting it. In some places, individuals rather than organisations were referred to as the go-to resources for donors looking for projects to support. In others, traditional business schools and universities came up as building the talent pool for local foundations and philanthropic organisations. Ecosystems are wide and ever-changing. They also differ from one person to the next as we all leverage different parts of it (family offices, banks and law firms for example were identified as key support resources for higher capacity givers, while civil society actors are viewed as critical actors of the ecosystem for organisations engaged in supporting grassroots, community and every day giving). Mappings are not meant to be a one-size-fits-all, but rather an approach to bring players together and see the potential for more collective action.
3. Value the process as much as the output (perhaps more)
These projects are often messy, complicated and sometimes frustrating. Because of their participatory nature, outcomes aren’t easy to anticipate. In East Africa for example, the desk research extended much longer than anticipated but it allowed us to uncover some key data points which were not in our initial scope of work (such as looking at the resourcing model of philanthropic actors, 90% of which are predominantly funded by international funders for example), engage more participants (as dissemination took place over several months), and gradually building on the knowledge of the space.
4. Design for local ownership
In some cases, WINGS’ role was straightforward (providing grants or technical support). In others we found ourselves entrenched in the operational day-to-day project management, which taught us enormously. As a network, our “raison d’etre” is to support our members. This implies listening deeply and intently to where and when support is needed, and when to take the back seat. As “outsiders”, it was also key to understand what skills we could leverage (dissemination and outreach) and where we needed to prioritise for our partners taking the lead. As we engage in the final stages of these pilots, we are excited to see what will get picked up by local, national and regional members, ultimately the true measure of success.
5. Move at the speed of your partners, not your funders
In our world dominated by project log frames and funder deadlines, the pressure to move projects forward is inescapable. Yet, in places where the support infrastructure is more nascent and actors are stretched and under-resourced, securing their participation takes more than an ask. It involves aligning agendas and timelines and acknowledging competing projects and limited resources. Similarly, in spaces where the ecosystem is dynamic, it takes time to build synergies with existing efforts and avoid duplication. Compromise on speed, optimise for engagement
6. Prioritise collaboration
Collaboration is essential to any strong support ecosystem. Yet we know it sometimes doesn’t come naturally. It requires resources (time, human or money), commitment and intentionality. In these pilots, we found that, although many participants throughout the process shared a common vision (to strengthen the field), some got caught up in their internal agendas. However valuable they each are individually (growing everyday giving, building the data and knowledge of the field, supporting venture philanthropists, amplifying the work of civil society…), strengthening the field requires bringing all the pieces of the puzzle together. That takes a collaborative spirit, but almost more importantly strong leadership and buy-in from the group. Listen attentively, keep the big picture in mind and leverage the opportunity to bring unusual allies along.
7. Learn as much from who is showing up as who isn’t
Participatory processes are designed to bring out the champions, collective thinkers, and team players. Yet, there is also much to be learned from who isn’t showing up. In our pilots, we were keen to bring local regranting foundations along, and we saw this as a key factor of success. Yet, in the large majority of our activities, their presence was minimal, forcing us to reinterrogate ways we had communicated, engaged or different formats we could explore in the future to fill that gap. Ask yourself: “Who haven’t you been able to engage with? What is getting in their way? What could you change to bring them along?” Be flexible and adapt your work plan or activities to meet your goals.
Aude has been involved in social impact since 2008. French-American, she worked for nonprofits & social enterprises in France and the Global South, supporting women empowerment, refugee rights and access to water before moving to the US to help philanthropy supporting organisations power more giving. Aude holds a Master in Management.
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