How can African NGOs expand their funding base and better leverage local giving?
Question submitted by: Thacienne Iradukunda, Health Builders, Rwanda
African NGOs that rely solely on international donors are structurally vulnerable, and they’ll be left in shock, just like what we are experiencing since the US funding cuts. Long-term sustainability requires deliberate diversification, with local giving treated as a strategic pillar, not charity. The shift begins with reframing local resource mobilisation as investment in local solutions.
African NGOs must:
- Build strong constituency trust through relationship building, visibility, accountability, and consistent storytelling in local contexts.
- Engage corporates, high-net-worth individuals, professional associations, faith-based institutions, and diaspora networks with tailored value propositions, not generic donation asks.
- Offer structured giving options – annual giving circles, named scholarships, community endowment funds, payroll giving, and online giving.
- Leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships.
- Conduct donor mapping and donor intelligence to understand the emerging donors within your thematic area of work.
Equally important are strengthening earned income and, where appropriate, hybrid models; training services; social enterprises; and cost-recovery programmes that reinforce mission delivery.
(This answer was provided by Alfred Akerele, a Nigerian resource mobilisation consultant and grant writer with high-impact experience)
