Our core mission is to support locally-led NGOs to develop themselves to become the best impact makers in their communities. So, they can improve more lives of people living in extreme poverty and the communities sustainably with solutions on No Poverty (SDG1), Zero Hunger (SDG2) and Quality (TVET) Education (SDG4) during and after the 3-year partnership with iMPACT direct.

Why is this needed? Locally-led organisations have little space to build healthy and sustainable independent organisation. Firstly, the project funding they receive through northern NGOs often doesn’t allow for organisational building costs.  Secondly, with the northern NGOs leading the agenda on how socio-economic change should look like, capacity strengthening of their partner organisations in the global south is mainly focused on meeting the ‘donors’ planning and reporting requirements’ and not on actual organisation strengthening. Together it impedes a strong local civil society.

Partnering NGOs build Healthy and Sustainable organisations, including:

• Progress on one or more aspects of a Healthy Non-Profit, Governance and boards, financial management and fundraising, communication and relationships, building organisational infrastructure and effective leadership.
• Progress on becoming a financially sustainable NonProfit. The 2 indicators we use to measure this are: increased annual income per NGO, and if increased sources of income (i.e. diversification of income).

Building Financially Sustainable NGOs and Healthy NGOs, NGOs can create more impact for people living in extreme poverty, in 3 ways:

• More income to our underfunded partner-NGOs, directly lead to more lives improved.
• Professionalisation leads to more quality support to project participants.
• And financial sustainability leads to impact creates impact also after our partnership ends.

The network of NGOs we work or worked with:

• Is growing and the NGO-members can support one another.
• Have an increased network of partners and supporters.
• Successful NGO-approaches are scaled to more CBOs and NGOs to more African countries in the region the NGO is based.

And on the longer-term, healthy & sustainable NGOs become a vital actor in protecting social justice. As a strong civil society is vital to claim and protect social and economic justice. It’s the best pathway to actual sustainability. Which is even more important in times of crises (climate, economic, health, migration) when the most vulnerable are hit hardest.

In total the unconditional grants budget is €25,000. The amount per NGO is maximum 10% of the annual income of the NGO, with a minimum of €1,000 and a maximum of €5,000 per NGO. The unconditional grant is an extra asset for the NGOs, but the main organisational costs are carried by the NGOs itself.

Each NGO has selected organisational strengthening goals on how to spend the organisational grants, and described milestones on what will be achieved when (between June and December 2023). Find per NGO these milestones and output reports under ‘report’.

In the attached pdf you can find the goals and milestones per NGO.

In our annual visit we reflect with each NGO on their impact goals and professionalisation goals for the upcoming year(s). Based on the NGO’s Annual Plan, we determine a project to fundraise for together, plan for professionalisation with a maximum 10% of their prior annual income and see how we can support their professionalisation plan within our training programme. In a Partnership Agreement with each NGO we record these plans and goals of the collaboration.

In 2023, for Professionalisation of NGOs, iMPACT direct provided:

• A Professionalisation Grant
• Expert Talks to share expertise within our network of NGOs.
• Training on:
  • Strategic planning, using a Theory of Change.
  • 3-year planning & Annual Plan development
    • One-on-one feedback on proposals, budgets and communications.
    • Training on Fundraising, Marketing and Finance, including a communication strategy.
    • Assess annual plan and results, also using the self-assessment endline results, to adapt organisational strategies and milestones. We also planned an online training on reporting, whenever more than 1 NGO reports for a similar donor (when requested), which enables peer-review and learning.

12 Partnering NGOs build Healthy and Sustainable organisations, including:

• Progress on one or more aspects of a Healthy Non-Profit, Governance and boards, financial management and fundraising, communication and relationships, building organisational infrastructure and effective leadership.
• Progress on becoming a financially sustainable NonProfit. The 2 indicators we use to measure this are: increased annual income per NGO, and if increased sources of income (i.e. diversification of income).

Building Financially Sustainable NGOs and Healthy NGOs, NGOs can create more impact for people living in extreme poverty, in 3 ways:

• More income to our underfunded partner-NGOs, directly lead to more lives improved.
• Professionalisation leads to more quality support to project participants.
• And financial sustainability leads to impact creates impact also after our partnership ends.

The network of NGOs we work or worked with:

• Is growing and the NGO-members can support one another.
• Have an increased network of partners and supporters.
• Successful NGO-approaches are scaled to more CBOs and NGOs to more African countries in the region the NGO is based.

And on the longer-term, healthy & sustainable NGOs become a vital actor in protecting social justice. As a strong civil society is vital to claim and protect social and economic justice. It’s the best pathway to actual sustainability. Which is even more important in times of crises (climate, economic, health, migration) when the most vulnerable are hit hardest.

In total the unconditional grants budget is €25,000. The amount per NGO is maximum 10% of the annual income of the NGO, with a minimum of €1,000 and a maximum of €5,000 per NGO. The unconditional grant is an extra asset for the NGOs, but the main organisational costs are carried by the NGOs itself.

Each NGO has selected organisational strengthening goals on how to spend the organisational grants, and described milestones on what will be achieved when (between June and December 2023). Find per NGO these milestones and output reports under ‘report’.

In the attached pdf you can find the goals and milestones per NGO.

Follow up

2023 was the first year for us to be able to offer Professionalisation Grants (i.e. flexible core-funding). We have learned:

• That the grants – even with relatively low amounts – brings in impact on a Professionalisation level for the organisations.
• The growth seen in Building the Organisational Infrastructure is really thanks to this grant. (see visual in report)
• To reflect together with the NGO on their goals to become Healthy & Sustainable, and intentionally advice on impactful investments.