First impressions: The Resource Alliance, building strength for troubled times

In March this year Lyndall Stein took over the helm at the Resource Alliance as interim ceo. These are her first impressions.

My very first impression of the wonderful and multifaceted organisation which is the Resource Alliance was a long, long time ago. I was working for the African National Congress in the mid 80s, raising money for the struggle against the racist apartheid system. Nelson Mandela was still in prison – and seemed destined to die there, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and Ronald Reagan was leader of what was then the most powerful country in the world.

Fundraising was a very new profession, telephone fundraising was the cutting edge – no digital, no face-to-face – and China was on two wheels.

I remember at that first conference Guy Stringer speaking so movingly about HIV and AIDS at a time when very few people in the mainstream had any compassion for those affected. I remember my colleague, a tough, unsentimental, six-foot ex-welder from the North of England, with tears running down his cheeks, as Guy spoke about the sadness and loss of AIDS and HIV. Then it wasmainly an epidemic in the UK and the US; not yet wrecking so many lives in Africa and Asia. Who could imagine, working for the ANC in those days, striving to end apartheid and release Nelson Mandela, that this terrible epidemic would be the major preoccupation of his later years, that it would rob him of his own beloved son and steal so many of Africa’s beloved sons and daughters.

What struck me so strongly then was the professionalism of the IFC and the genuine commitment and passion of those outstanding volunteers such as Guy Stringer and George Smith and many other honourable veterans who should be saluted. I also remember a very funny story Guy told about how not to thank a major donor. It involved him inadvertently thanking her husband instead and a mighty domestic blow up ensued, all overheard by the mortified Guy on the other end of the phone!

Over the following years I was privileged to attend the IFC many times as both participant and speaker and always found inspiration, sustenance and great new ideas to keep me going in the years ahead.

So when I heard the Resource Alliance needed an interim CEO I immediately applied and was delighted to have the opportunity to take the helm from Simon Collings, who after six tremendous years of effort   was off to his next challenge, working around the world to make sustainable energy a reality for poor communities worldwide.

I knew a little from Simon of all the hard work and efforts of the team at RA, but I was really amazed at what was happening behind the scenes, and how much was achieved, by so few. A core team in London, a few key individuals in the Czech Republic, Brazil, Uganda and a small team in India – this lean, mean machine delivered training schemes, academic programmes, regional meetings, resources, prestigious prizes, the IFC, the IWRM and now a cutting edge web-based conference with over 1,800 people from 42 countries.

And all this, with so few resources and not much in the way of equipment. Despite a lifetime in the voluntary sector the chairs in our office were the most beaten up I have ever sat in! However, I was impressed (except for the chairs!) and I learnt that RA has a truly global reach, working in so many countries across five continents, to encourage and improve fundraising expertise, but also to enhance the value and the work of fundraisers and to focus energy on all the essential factors that make it work. RA helps to develop and celebrate imagination, innovation, transparency, courage and the ability to inspire others and deliver great teamwork.

We are living in a difficult world, but there have been very real achievements – apartheid defeated, effective treatment for HIV and AIDS beginning to be delivered even in hard-to-reach communities, and an inspiring young President in the US, who used every modern tool to reach people and engage them for change.

But other challenges face us, the collapse of the global banking system, the threat of climate change and now swine flu, and all of us working to change the world for the better, know that our actions must be fuelled by effective and appropriate resources. The work of the Resource Alliance, the relevance of flagship events such as the IFC or the IWRM remain as critical as ever and we all need to make extra efforts to ensure that we can connect up with colleagues, learn more, share more, and see that our fundraising is fit for purpose.

I have been impressed and inspired to discover that the Resource Alliance is still hard at it, with staff and dedicated volunteers all over the world helping us stay at the cutting edge, whether it is through our global training programme, conferences, or our first web seminar, which is bringing us together with a common cause in the digital domain.

In the next few weeks we will be beginning the process of searching for a permanent CEO who can lead the organisation through the next phase of growth and development. During these next few months as interim CEO I am pleased and proud to contribute to such an innovative, relevant, and influential organisation, dedicated to building the sustainability of so many organisations and people around the world. All of us need the Resource Alliance and all its work if we are to effectively face the challenges ahead.

And by the way I did ask our sponsor Blackbaud to help us get some new (cheap) chairs.