Disclaimer: These Articles were originally published on DNF Newsletter Substack and now merged as one.

Dear NGO Founder,

When people spot a problem, they generally fall into two categories. Consider these familiar scenarios:

Founder 1: I visited a community and I saw that people were living in poverty. So I gathered some of my friends and we raised money to feed the people in the community. I just want to help people.

Founder 2: I noticed that slums tend to have a lot of plastics in their environment. I found out that it can be recycled to make bricks and create a source of income. I want to help people in marginalised communities fight poverty using resources available in their environment.

I’m sure many of us can relate to Founder 1. The desire and passion to make life better for others without a grand picture is how many organisations have started, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Yet, to move beyond this starting point, every organisation must find its compass—a clear vision and mission. This not only shapes your work but gives everyone involved a sense of being part of something bigger.

For a founder like Founder 2 with a much clearer vision, the next hurdle after starting is growing. It’s easy to mistake repetition for growth. True growth requires introspection, intentionality, and building structures. You might wonder why this sounds like business advice. I believe it’s crucial to be ambitious for a selfless cause. If we can be more impactful, why not?

This leads to a critical question: how do we build the capacity for that growth? It begins with you.

Let’s take a quick assessment:

• How often do you read or watch the news? (2 points)
• How often do you visit the website of the United Nations and its specialised agencies? (5 points)
• The sustainable goal(s) you’re working on, are you familiar with the indicators? (2 points)
• Do you keep up with government policies that might affect your work or your beneficiaries? (2 points)
• Do you follow international conversations around your area(s) of impact? (2 points)
• Do you research what solutions fellow founders around the world are proffering to the same problem, most especially those in nations similar to yours in terms of demography, economy and politics? (5 points)
• Do you take up courses, read articles/ books, or watch videos that improve your capacity to solve the highlighted problems? (5 points)
• Are you aware of LinkedIn for non-profit organizations ? ( bonus question )

So, how did you do? If you invest heavily in your knowledge and skills, well done! If not, it’s not too late. Your willingness to learn is the first step, but sustaining that effort is what builds a leader capable of steering an organisation toward real growth. The most important investment you can make is in Project You.

But your growth as a leader is only one part of the equation. The true test of your expanding capacity is how it influences those around you.

Do you know how amazing it is that you can impact your beneficiaries and your team at the same time? Even if it might be unintentional and unplanned. From my experience, youths make up the bulk of the volunteer base of many organisations. You are giving young people a platform to find expression, innovate, lead, and hone their skills. On behalf of volunteers like me, thank you.

Now, let’s talk about how to be more intentional with the impact happening within your own team:

By modelling good leadership: Every leader leaves an impact on everyone they lead, whether good or bad. Your drive and passion for change making can inspire your volunteers to be solution providers in and out of your organisation. They could go on to start their own organisations, to solve problems that they took interest in. You might be the first person to shape their work ethics and influence their perception on leadership and organisational culture. I believe it’s something you have to be intentional about. Your values and character are important. I know leadership is not an easy responsibility, I understand that from experience. As long as you continue to invest in yourself, do it with a heart of service, and create an environment for honest feedback, there’s nothing to fear.

By delegating decision making: I know the organisation was your idea. It is your vision and you understand it better than everyone else. But I think it’s sad to have young people who are innovative on your team, just for executing tasks and projects. Discuss problems with them, be open to their ideas, guide, delegate and don’t micromanage. That’s the only way solution providers and innovators will rise up. Your organisation will be better for it. The industries they go into will be better for it. It’s a win win.

Through training & volunteer-targeted programs: I know that the money that comes into the organisation is mainly for beneficiaries not volunteers, but that’s not the only way to impact them. You can organise training for your volunteers. It could be a free course on the United Nations’ site; or a guest trainer teaching them something valuable. You can also send them links and resources to programs from organisations like LEAP Africa. You don’t have to stick to my own ideas. Think about what could demonstrate that the organisation appreciates their contribution and wants to add value to them. Do I still need to state out the benefits of this? I think it’s clear.

So, dear founder, as you reflect on your vision and invest in your own capacity, I leave you with this final question: What will you do this week to nurture the impact within?

Disclaimer: These Articles were originally published on DNF Newsletter Substack and now merged as one.