3 Strategies for the Builder

These three strategic options have been developed based on our consultation phase, research carried out by the Foundation Center (US) for the Packard foundation, and discussions with stakeholders.

Underserved Geographies

• Focus: identify and develop pools of OD consultants that will serve local NGOs in particular countries where OD services for nonprofits are scarce or underused (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe).
• Approach: enroll and develop local consultants, pair newer ones with experienced mentors to ensure a high level of support; enroll local NGOs (and INGOs, funders) enable them to identify relevant consultants according to their needs; fund a round of OD interventions, and evaluate the results.
• Outcome: a platform which enables local capacity builders to gain visibility, connect with local and international organisations and donors; lessons learned from local contexts for traditional organisations & consultants

Global Marketplace

• Focus: develop a global marketplace to connect nonprofits with both established and new OD consultants.
• Approach: enable the community to source and vet consultants, and mentor newcomers. Subsidies from donors lower the cost of OD for nonprofits to stimulate consumption, ensure strong interest from both nonprofits and consultants, and encourage social behaviour from all stakeholders.
• Outcome: a sustainable platform that enables OD support to be provided at scale, and enables OD consultants to share and network.

Disruption Riders

• Focus: lead the change and transformation needed for the nonprofit sector to ride the wave of disruption hitting all sectors (technological, empowerment/ democratisation, transparency): identify and connect nonprofits ready to reinvent themselves with peers and consultants able to support them through these transformations
• Approach: create a community of pioneers who are committed to developing new ways of working adapted to future trends. Through co-creation projects with consultants, peers and forward thinking funders, enable them to harness the disruption of traditional technologies, ways of organising and mindsets to solve today’s social problems, and bring into emergence the future. Carefully document these efforts to share and ensure the benefit of the wider community.
• Outcome: a close-knit community of innovators and changemakers, connected with similar communities in other sectors, able to lead and be an example for the transformation of the nonprofit sector

We believe that one of these strategies are complementary, and we’ll explore all three in the coming months.