Disclaimer: This Founder Series was originally published on DNF Newsletter Substack.

Dear Founder,

DNF is officially back! If you read my last letter, today’s title should be no surprise. I promised a new set of interviews with professionals. With the help of a friend, I had the privilege of interviewing a social impact veteran. If it were possible to publish it immediately, I would have. Without revealing anything further, Welcome to the first issue!

Pelumi from DNF: Welcome to Dear NGO Founder, a publication for nonprofit founders who want to do social good effectively. My name is Pelumi Ogunade. It’s an honor to have you here, sir. I know you; I did my homework. For the audience who might not know you, I’ll start by asking, can we meet you?

Special Guest: My pleasure to be here. Hi, my name is Ahmed Alaga. I work at the African Talent Company where I oversee partnerships across four markets: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. In the Nigerian market, specifically Jobberman Nigeria, I oversee partnership programs. Before Jobberman, I’ve worked for many nonprofits and led many locally and globally. My expertise in nonprofit management focuses on three key sectors: youth development, education, and entrepreneurship. I have spent 18 years of my career working in the social impact space, building relationships, operational structures, fundraising, and implementing programs.

Pelumi: As someone aspiring to build a career in the nonprofit sector, I’m impressed by your remarkable career, sir. Which leads to my next question: What attracted you to the social impact space, given your background in education and technical education?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: It started during my undergraduate days. I was involved in a student program called S.I.F.E. (Students in Free Enterprise). We applied classroom knowledge to solve community problems. At a young age, this allowed me to think creatively and apply principles to address issues like access to clean water. We also competed with other schools to see which university team could create the most wealth for their community. I joined as a student member, became Public Relations Officer in my second year, managed a project, and eventually became president. In 2003, I led my team to the semifinals in France after winning nationals. This experience showed us that solutions proven effective in one part of the world could be adapted elsewhere. It nurtured my interest in the social sector. By the time I finished school, I knew I didn’t want to teach in a traditional classroom. Although I briefly taught for about a year, I desired to be in communities, driving meaningful change.

“I teach leaders of today who teach tomorrow’s leaders, I am kind of a big deal.”-Mr. Ahmed Alaga

Another experience that shaped that decision:

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: Around 2002, we undertook a project in a village with the support of a Reverend Father. Six years later, as a graduate, I learned of his passing. Members of the community called to inform me, mentioning that every time he discussed something positive in the community, he would mention my name. That experience reinforced that this is where I’m meant to be.

Pelumi: That’s an amazing story. Sir, your LinkedIn profile lists you as a Program Scale Articulator. I’m curious. What does that mean? What is your day like in that role?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: A day in my life involves strategizing on the problems we aim to solve, identifying entry points to reduce these issues and yield results. It requires innovative thinking to implement each initiative, exploring various approaches to either stagnate problems or redefine the challenge to achieve a new status quo. It involves shifting from a project-oriented approach to a more comprehensive programmatic perspective.

Pelumi: On the topic of projects, programs, and initiatives, could you discuss scalability?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: Let’s start with what scalability means. It’s about implementing solutions that can address a large volume of concerns in a replicable, cost-effective manner that truly tackles the problem at hand. One challenge for some nonprofits is realizing that not all interventions are scalable, whether due to cost, cultural factors, scope, or how the intervention was initially designed. Therefore, it’s crucial to assess scalability from these perspectives. Cost is typically the first consideration, but from a social standpoint, some solutions function more like specialized forces—requiring only a select group of people to effect change, serving their specific purpose.

There are types of interventions that can be scaled. For instance, those focusing on information access and skills development. For large-scale problems like unemployment in Nigeria, the solution must be scalable to effectively address such challenges. Once you determine scalability, the next step is assessing sustainability. You also need to decide whether your initiative will be a project or a program. A program has multiple projects and is continuous, while a project is specific and time-bound, with a defined start and end date. This mindset helps you understand what the mission of your organization would be going forward.

An important digression into the conversation of mission and vision.

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: People say the vision of an organization changes, but the mission remains the same. The vision is where you want to be. For example, you want to eliminate polio in Nigeria by 2030. If that is achieved, all the organizations working towards eliminating polio in Nigeria would cease to exist, right? The vision has been met. Visions will eventually be met, or hopefully, they will. I haven’t met a nonprofit that said we have now met our vision. But if you do your job, your vision should change, while your mission stays the same. An example of a mission could be to provide sustainable healthcare facilities or services to rural women in Nigeria, and the vision is to reduce childcare mortality by 2030.

For many nonprofits, they get into the work and experience what we call mission drift. It happens because there’s a huge problem that requires a scaled solution, but they get carried away either because of funding or lack of knowledge in addressing the problem. So, an NGO that provides healthcare services to young women then moves on to environmental hygiene because there’s funding for environmental hygiene. You may think everything is under the same umbrella, but you drift off your mission. We now have a basket of fruit on our hands. We can’t measure the impact of your work. There’s oranges, bananas, pineapple, and grapes. We want to know how many bananas are in your basket, not fruit salad.

Pelumi: I want us to talk about funding and partnerships a bit. As a programs and partnerships volunteer, I love every part of the job except fundraising. I’m sure founders can relate. How can long-term partnerships be secured?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: Back in the days when we were fundraising, we called ourselves professional beggars. Very few people in the nonprofit sector actually like fundraising. It is difficult for some and easy for others. It depends on your perspective, the network you’re in, the clarity of your mission, and the social collateral you’ve built. Social collateral is very important. It is difficult for funders to give to people who are just starting; very few do. So you need to be committed to doing very good work that is trackable, with a record of at least two years. Then your finances—do you have your books in order?

Fundraising has a technique. You need clarity on what you’re doing and strong alignment with numerous funders that exist. Your ability to communicate clearly on what you want to do. Starting with your fundraising map:

– Who is funding your kind of cause?

– Are those funds available?

– Who at your governance level (your board) can give you access?

I say this for young people who I see starting a nonprofit: you look for your friends and make them your board members. The essence of having a good governance structure is to help you plug into places where you can’t reach. If you’re bringing in someone in the same network as you, it’s a waste of your time. Your internal stakeholders—where can they access?

For corporate sponsorships, back in the days CSR/CSI/CSV (depending on the organization) used to be a thing. Let’s not lie, corporate organizations aren’t doing as well as thirty years ago. If they aren’t making enough profit and are letting employees go, there’s little they can spare. We have to start thinking creatively about funding. Crowdfunding may work, depending on the size of funds you’re looking for. Events could be another way. The bottom line is, we have to be creative.

Mr Ahmed Alaga: If you’re seeking funding from multilaterals, there’s an entire process you have to go through. The process of getting it is as complex as getting it. Understand your funding map and have a diverse array of strategies. You can form a consortium—three nonprofits working on the same thing in different areas can come together and appeal to a multilateral to attract funding. Matching grants or funds are also options.

For individual fundraising, networking is important. Understanding what giving is like for the individual and where they are headed. There’s no one specific strategy for fundraising; you have to keep trying and reevaluating. But what I’ve learned over the years is that organizations don’t fund organizations, they fund individuals. It’s the person who represents the organization that they fund. As a founder, you have to build yourself in such a manner that whatever quality you’re pushing for the organization is what you represent. You have to speak and live what you’re selling because that’s what matters to the other person. You are who funders fund. Your ability to sell, basically.

For long-term partnerships, those organizations don’t want you to find them; they find you. There’s a trick to it, so you can get them to find you. In today’s day and age, it is by constantly putting yourself out there, sending your newsletters to those organizations. It is not going to happen immediately, but because you have been consistently reaching out to them, there’s that conversation. When something opens up that makes sense, they will call you for a conversation. You have to demonstrate how it’ll be properly used.Elon Musk, when asked why he doesn’t give to charity, said: find me someone who I can give money to that will spend it where it matters the most.

Personal advice

People make a mistake when they just send a mail saying, “We have a project, we want you to fund it.” If I would send that, I would have been sending them newsletters for about a year, showing them that I’m making progress. “We’ve been doing xyz for x years. We’re about to start a new cycle, is it something you’re interested in funding?” That makes sense in my opinion. Sending a mail asking for sponsorship with no prior conversation is not deliberate; fundraising is deliberate.

Pelumi: Thank you, sir. There’s a lot to take from that response on funding. I have one last question in that direction. I’m certain that you get a lot of funding or partnership mails. What are the things you look out for or that stand out to you? And what are the things that put you off?

Mr Ahmed Alaga: The first point of attraction is sending me a project that aligns with my mission. The second thing is a track record, things that I can verify. Third, your initiative should not just ask me to throw money at a problem. It has to solve the problem, and I must see sustainable thinking around it. Personally, I appreciate when your request goes beyond just money and shows where my expertise can contribute to your success. The things that put me off are the opposite of the above.

Pelumi: If you were to give any five tips or pieces of advice to a nonprofit founder or social entrepreneur, what would they be?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga:

1. Hire people smarter than you and who align with your mission and vision.

2. Work for your name and not for money. Integrity is key. Nowadays you can’t tell if founders are interested in solving problems or making money. I know you have to survive, and I’m not saying don’t pay yourself. Pay yourself like you’d pay any other person.

3. Keep your books and records in order.

4. Communicate what you’re doing. There are a lot of people doing good work who are not communicating because they are neck-deep in the work. Have a structure for communicating, also get your participants to talk about your work.

5. Your governance structure must be really strong. It’s not a family and friends affair. And if you have them on your board, they must deliver. Every person on the board must address or contribute to some strong part of the operation of your organization. Someone should understand the law, human capital/HR, finance, etc.

6. It’s not about You.

Pelumi: The DNF audience is not entirely founders; some are volunteers. What advice would you give volunteers who want to make a difference in the nonprofit space?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga:

1. Build your knowledge base on the cause you’re supporting.

2. Don’t work for money, work for your name. Eventually, your name begins to work for you.

3. Build expertise and contribute meaningfully.

4. From day one in any organization, know what you want to accomplish. When you accomplish it, know it’s time to move on to the next goal. Know your exit as well.

5. Don’t sign up for every volunteer opportunity. Choose the ones that interest you. Understand the organization and speak to people there. Choose an organization that can improve you while you contribute.

6. Have a growth mindset as you volunteer.

I always give people this advice when looking for a job: check the organization’s toilet. If they can’t take care of their toilet, they can’t take care of their employees. Always do your research. Give your time to an organization that will value you.

Pelumi: Is there anything you’re looking forward to seeing more of in the Nigerian nonprofit space?

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: I want to see true collaboration among nonprofits. Nonprofits don’t like to collaborate truly, and I think it has to do with budget. When they want to collaborate, they don’t want to share what their budget truly is with each other. Understanding what solutions can contribute to the betterment of their shared target audience is essential. We have more private sector partnerships that produce results than nonprofits. In the social space, there are not many collaborations that are not one-sided, real, and honest.

Pelumi: We have come to the end of the interview. I would like to end the letter with a one-liner/summary that packs a punch. The question is, “Dear NGO Founder……..”

Mr. Ahmed Alaga: Dear NGO Founder, an empty pocket never stopped you from achieving anything. It is only an empty head and an empty heart.

Pelumi: We have come to the end of today’s letter. Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: This Founder Series was originally published on DNF Newsletter Substack.