There’s an increasing sense of concern, disconnect, desperation and even hopelessness among the stakeholders that make up South Africa’s humanitarian sector – and with good reason. The sector is facing numerous challenges that not only hamper its current efficiency but also threaten its future sustainability.
Whether we choose to label the state of the world as a global polycrisis (focusing on multiple crises) or a permacrisis (focusing on the long-lasting impact of crises) is to some extent a matter of semantics. The reality is that we are dealing with a complex network of diverse yet interlinked challenges that all require sustainable solutions. But solutions require resources, and with philanthropic funding running dry across the globe, there’s a widespread acceptance of and willingness to collaborate in order to pool resources. What’s more, the complexity of the crises means single foundations or philanthropists can often no longer deal effectively with certain issues.
Global polycrisis requires transformative philanthropy Hardly a day goes by that we don’t read or hear about an existing or new crisis, catastrophe or calamity, critical challenges or being at a crossroads. All these c-words also have another side, the one of cocreation and collaboration. They all exist in a world in constant turmoil, a global polycrisis and a threatening …
A struggling humanitarian sector amidst a global polycrisis: What lies ahead? The world is facing a global polycrisis of multiple, intersecting emergencies and disasters that require humanitarian intervention. We can no longer focus on solving a single problem at a time. We need a new social development model that can deal with highly complex problems while making provision for an …
Stakeholder engagement is—and will remain—a core element of the sustainability toolkit. It is a fundamental component of materiality assessments, which are then used to inform sustainability strategy, reporting, and disclosure. Corporations need stakeholder management strategies to understand and respond to existing and emerging societal concerns. Without input from key stakeholder groups, any approach to sustainability will be limited by an …
Development work is hard. Making change happen at scale is complex and there is not a linear path. Yet, achieving impact at scale is a goal many grantmakers, philanthropists, social and impact investors aim for – but this goal is not often nor easily achieved.Of course, we must also recognize that the ability to make impact in any particular focus …
‘Impact’ is the word of the moment in philanthropy, charity and even impact investing. Donors want to have an impact with their giving, charities want to know if their work is making a difference, and investors want their investments to have an impact.While everyone wants to be impactful, what’s missing is an agreement or understanding of what that means. Defining …
Every year Next Genration publishes a research report for the grantmaking, social investment, humanitarian, philanthropy and development sector focusing on trends That is, until 2020 happened!2021 was a year of reflection – and here is what we learnt. Lesson 1: Complexity requires clear strategy Whilst 2020 required rapid responses to several issues all at once – to survive the pandemic, …
We know that high quality development data is the foundation for meaningful policymaking, efficient resource allocation, and effective public service delivery.Consider if you will – how, the Covid-19 pandemic that is now nearing a 18-month cycle – impacts all aspects of our lives and work. But it has also become clearer how important data, statistics and scientific evidence have become. …
Grantmakers, donors, philanthropists and corporate social investors can choose among a multitude of ways to apply their philanthropic resources. Some donors derive great satisfaction from supporting a few nonprofit organizations that address their areas of concern and demonstrate a solid track record. They may support the same organizations year after year, as long as they see evidence of good management …