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There’s only one thing people hate giving away more than money. Power!

But power is what it is all about. It’s the whole point of development. That’s why you can’t speak to a development professional for more than 30 seconds before the word “empowerment” pops out. The difference between humanitarian response and development is that development is not just about change; it is about sustained change.  

Looking in the mirror: Personal reflections on decolonizing aid

As we undertook this work, we came to appreciate the depth of our personal conditioning as well as that of the staff, leadership, and organisations that engaged in these conversations. We became more aware of the extent to which our own personal perspectives and those of others involved in the discussions have been shaped by existing norms and practices of aid.

From Unicorn to Zebra: The transformation of ZGF

Unicorn organizations are extractive, ruthlessly competitive, and hierarchical in their relationships with others, especially local organisations, while zebras tend to have flatter structures informed by the people they serve, and they value empathy and solidarity. Unicorns speak sophisticated English and they “impress” with terms like scalability, profitability, innovation, impact, cash, burn rate, key performance indicators, and IRR (internal rate of return). Zebras don’t know those fancy words because they speak like regular people using less technical terms.

Measuring in complexity

On 9th May 2023, the Global Fund for Community Foundation hosted a meeting with Deepthy Menon in conversation with Barry Knight on Measuring What Matters. The following are extracts from the meeting repurposed into a written Q&A to extend this conversation to a wider audience. 

Community philanthropy changes mindsets in Ethiopia

In 2018 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came into power, there seemed to be renewed hope for the country when he set off a transitional period in Ethiopia, promising to reform the country’s authoritarian state, holding elections, and implementing some liberalization policies. His predecessor, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, had resigned in the face of mass protests. However, today Ethiopia remains beset by civil war and intercommunal violence, abuses by security forces and violations of due process are still common, and many restrictive laws remain in force.

Reflections on rooting collective care in systems change

I ended 2022 with a health scare and I have spent the majority of 2023 so far preoccupied with the notion of collective care and solidarity in movement building. As part of my exploration, I have been reading Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey where she argues that rest should be a form of radical political resistance and that “To uplift rest from a community care ethic is to interrupt the dominant culture while giving power back to the people where it belongs.”

Applications are now open for the 2023 #ShiftThePower Fellowship!

Are you involved in exciting, trailblazing and experimental grassroots or community-led work? Are you interested in being part of broader efforts to shift power and build the (civil) society we want by helping to connect the dots between innovative and emergent practices around the world? Do you want to dig into questions of “systems change” in international philanthropy and development aid with other like-minded peers? Are you interested in connecting with others like you around the world, both to learn and share, but also to strengthen the collective voice and muscle of local actors? If this sounds like you, then read on!