Luda Kryzhanovska is a Ukrainian fundraiser and one of the speakers at this year’s International Fundraising Congress: IFC 2022. She will be speak in a workshop on crisis fundraising and how to prepare for what you hope will never come. You can read more about the workshop here.

Luda spoke with Petra Hoogerwerf for Vakblad fondsenwerving and what follows is a translation of Petra’s article. You can find the original piece here.

Liudmyla “Luda” Kryzhanovska was the last speaker at the fundraising day, speaking about her work in Ukraine setting up an impact hub in an old factory. During her talk, the air alarm went off and the screen went black. People in the room held their breath: this is what it is like to live in wartime. After a few minutes, Luda came back on screen from her hiding place, with her four-year-old son at her feet. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she continued her explanation of her organisation, Promprylad.Renovation organisation. At the end of August, the Trade Journal asked her how the situation is now in Ukraine.

“Around Independence Day (24 August), there was a lot of panic. There were about 170 bombings from Russia. The situation now seems ‘stable’ again. The good news is that our army has received better weapons to deploy in the occupied territories. We still ask the USA, Europe, UK, and Israel for efficient air protection systems. Cities in the east of the country are attacked so often, every day, that our protection system cannot cope. And even though we are located in the west of Ukraine, more than 1,000 kilometres from the front, there are days when the alarm sounds eight times and we have to go to the shelter. These rockets are fired from Belarus or the Black Sea. This week, civilian targets were also hit, such as a train station. If there were more security through good air defences, we would have more time for our work and the fight.

“We can no longer make long-term plans.”

The first weeks after the invasion we were in shock. I remember a meeting with partners from Europe and Africa and I expected an escalation in the east, but I did not see the scale of the invasion coming.

You ask what has changed since the invasion. It is so much, it is difficult to name. The most important thing is that we can no longer make long-term plans, while at the same time we see that our work is very important for the construction of our country. We were working on the biggest project in the field of industrial heritage, to use it for community building in our city Frankivsk. After this, we planned to set up similar projects in the east of the country because there are a lot of old industrial factories there. That is no longer possible.

The first three weeks, we stopped our activities to establish a local fund to support the military and territorial defence. We did this together with local communities, companies, and NGOs. We bought things that I would never want to buy, such as weapons. These activities have now been placed in a separate organisation.

Before the war, we had about 6,000 square metres that we used in the factory; at the end of the year it will be 17,000 square metres, for companies and NGOs. We decided to help them move from eastern Ukraine and Kiev to our premises. The companies in the east are losing their markets, including those in Russia. They need advice on exporting to and cooperating with other organisations in Europe. At one point, we had as many as 500 requests. The staff of US Aid, the big aid organisation, is also housed with us. We also support employees in finding housing, for example. We look for work for people who have lost their jobs and who may be able to do freelance work. There is a lot of IT expertise here, for example. We do stay true to what we can and cannot do. We are a platform and know many organisations that we connect. For example, the Office for the Promotion of Export of the Ministry of Economy is also based here and gives advice on exports.

“If we leave, we lose our country.”

In that first period, there were quite a lot of officials from organisations who wanted to convince us that all of Ukraine would be occupied in a few days and we should go abroad. We think we should stay in Ukraine to keep the economy going and to keep our knowledge. If we leave, we will lose our country. We want to stay here and we want to win the war. We have to keep going.

We found out that we have to keep doing the same thing but work faster. We wanted to bring together companies and organisations as an impact hub for issues in society and we were already working on the Ukraine that we dream about. About the new economy, new forms of urban development, and creating meeting places. In short, we want to help people in their development. The new economy is no longer about the mentality of factory workers, but about other skills such as learning English, learning to work in teams, and setting up other forms of education.

One of our activities is to promote book reading, especially among children. Now we organise discussion groups for refugees and people living here, which contributes to their integration. Some of them only speak Russian and therefore still have to learn our language. We help veterans returning from the front by getting better physically in our gym and we provide mental support through psychologists who work at the university.

Our fundraising approach has changed due to the situation. There are many international organisations in Ukraine that now give grants to NGOs for basic needs. But we are not an NGO. We are a platform and revitalise an industrial factory. We need ten million dollars for this. For the reconstruction and heating, for example, but also for our impact goals such as a makers space and food hub. Before the invasion, we appealed to corporations but we realised we couldn’t do that anymore because they want to support the military. We are working on a new case for support. We appealed to the European Union, but such a process takes two years. That’s why we don’t have the time for that. Our course now is to raise funds internationally from major international organisations and foundations. We discuss our plans with them and see if their policy is in line. We are also looking for partners for joint applications. We started with online fundraising, but we have little experience with that. And for material we are looking for sponsors in kind.

“Large NGOs should work with local organisations.”

People and NGOs from abroad can help us in different ways: we seek cooperation with similar or complementary organisations in Europe for applications. Keep talking about the war, don’t let it become ‘normal’. I call on humanitarian organisations to buy resources here because the money must stay here and people must continue to work here. Do not send water or food: we have no shortage of them. Large NGOs should work with local organisations. These better understand the needs of our people. People do not want (emergency) help, but rather support to be able to continue to take care of themselves.

We are optimistic about winning the war. Everyone is very willing to commit themselves to the military forces and people follow various training courses to prepare themselves, for example on the use of weapons or the provision of medical care. We fight for freedom and development of our country and are prepared to die for it.

Hear Luda speak and meet her in person at IFC 2022 this 18-21 October. Find out more and register here.

Wanted: Radical thinkers, community advocates, & passionate changemakers

The Resource Alliance exists to support and inspire resource mobilisers to develop the knowledge, tools, and connections necessary to fuel their purpose.

We support a highly engaged community through access to the innovative thinking, best practices, and collaborative networks necessary to ensure they are constantly growing in their ability to resource the causes they serve.

The Advisory Panel is a small group of experienced, motivated volunteers who care deeply about our work and about the sector as a whole. The panel provides insight and advice and helps to ensure the services we provide, including FRO and our Global Community, exceed the expectations of our community. The panel also leads on curation for the International Fundraising Congress.

We are seeking a small number of volunteers to join the panel.

Panel members should have:

• Experience working in the social impact sector
• Expertise in particular subject areas (such as fundraising or comms)
• A broad network of contacts in the sector globally
• Experience of attending & contributing to Resource Alliance events

Volunteers must be able to commit to six four-hour virtual meetings annually, as well as time outside of these meetings for planning, strategy, & support.

If you are interested in joining the Advisory Panel, please email ruby@resource-alliance.org with your name, organisation, a description of your role, and a summary of your skills & experience. Tell us why you’re interested in being part of the panel, and what you think you will bring to the role.

Wanted: Radical thinkers, community advocates, & passionate changemakers

The Resource Alliance exists to support and inspire resource mobilisers to develop the knowledge, tools, and connections necessary to fuel their purpose.

We support a highly engaged community through access to the innovative thinking, best practices, and collaborative networks necessary to ensure they are constantly growing in their ability to resource the causes they serve.

The Advisory Panel is a small group of experienced, motivated volunteers who care deeply about our work and about the sector as a whole. The panel provides insight and advice and helps to ensure the services we provide, including FRO and our Global Community, exceed the expectations of our community. The panel also leads on curation for the International Fundraising Congress.

We are seeking a small number of volunteers to join the panel.

Panel members should have:

• Experience working in the social impact sector
• Expertise in particular subject areas (such as fundraising or comms)
• A broad network of contacts in the sector globally
• Experience of attending & contributing to Resource Alliance events

Volunteers must be able to commit to six four-hour virtual meetings annually, as well as time outside of these meetings for planning, strategy, & support.

If you are interested in joining the Advisory Panel, please email ruby@resource-alliance.org with your name, organisation, a description of your role, and a summary of your skills & experience. Tell us why you’re interested in being part of the panel, and what you think you will bring to the role.

 

Luda Kryzhanovska is a Ukrainian fundraiser and one of the speakers at this year’s International Fundraising Congress: IFC 2022. She will be speak in a workshop on crisis fundraising and how to prepare for what you hope will never come. You can read more about the workshop here.

Luda spoke with Petra Hoogerwerf for Vakblad fondsenwerving and what follows is a translation of Petra’s article. You can find the original piece here.

Liudmyla “Luda” Kryzhanovska was the last speaker at the fundraising day, speaking about her work in Ukraine setting up an impact hub in an old factory. During her talk, the air alarm went off and the screen went black. People in the room held their breath: this is what it is like to live in wartime. After a few minutes, Luda came back on screen from her hiding place, with her four-year-old son at her feet. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she continued her explanation of her organisation, Promprylad.Renovation organisation. At the end of August, the Trade Journal asked her how the situation is now in Ukraine.

“Around Independence Day (24 August), there was a lot of panic. There were about 170 bombings from Russia. The situation now seems ‘stable’ again. The good news is that our army has received better weapons to deploy in the occupied territories. We still ask the USA, Europe, UK, and Israel for efficient air protection systems. Cities in the east of the country are attacked so often, every day, that our protection system cannot cope. And even though we are located in the west of Ukraine, more than 1,000 kilometres from the front, there are days when the alarm sounds eight times and we have to go to the shelter. These rockets are fired from Belarus or the Black Sea. This week, civilian targets were also hit, such as a train station. If there were more security through good air defences, we would have more time for our work and the fight.

“We can no longer make long-term plans.”

The first weeks after the invasion we were in shock. I remember a meeting with partners from Europe and Africa and I expected an escalation in the east, but I did not see the scale of the invasion coming.

You ask what has changed since the invasion. It is so much, it is difficult to name. The most important thing is that we can no longer make long-term plans, while at the same time we see that our work is very important for the construction of our country. We were working on the biggest project in the field of industrial heritage, to use it for community building in our city Frankivsk. After this, we planned to set up similar projects in the east of the country because there are a lot of old industrial factories there. That is no longer possible.

The first three weeks, we stopped our activities to establish a local fund to support the military and territorial defence. We did this together with local communities, companies, and NGOs. We bought things that I would never want to buy, such as weapons. These activities have now been placed in a separate organisation.

Before the war, we had about 6,000 square metres that we used in the factory; at the end of the year it will be 17,000 square metres, for companies and NGOs. We decided to help them move from eastern Ukraine and Kiev to our premises. The companies in the east are losing their markets, including those in Russia. They need advice on exporting to and cooperating with other organisations in Europe. At one point, we had as many as 500 requests. The staff of US Aid, the big aid organisation, is also housed with us. We also support employees in finding housing, for example. We look for work for people who have lost their jobs and who may be able to do freelance work. There is a lot of IT expertise here, for example. We do stay true to what we can and cannot do. We are a platform and know many organisations that we connect. For example, the Office for the Promotion of Export of the Ministry of Economy is also based here and gives advice on exports.

“If we leave, we lose our country.”

In that first period, there were quite a lot of officials from organisations who wanted to convince us that all of Ukraine would be occupied in a few days and we should go abroad. We think we should stay in Ukraine to keep the economy going and to keep our knowledge. If we leave, we will lose our country. We want to stay here and we want to win the war. We have to keep going.

We found out that we have to keep doing the same thing but work faster. We wanted to bring together companies and organisations as an impact hub for issues in society and we were already working on the Ukraine that we dream about. About the new economy, new forms of urban development, and creating meeting places. In short, we want to help people in their development. The new economy is no longer about the mentality of factory workers, but about other skills such as learning English, learning to work in teams, and setting up other forms of education.

One of our activities is to promote book reading, especially among children. Now we organise discussion groups for refugees and people living here, which contributes to their integration. Some of them only speak Russian and therefore still have to learn our language. We help veterans returning from the front by getting better physically in our gym and we provide mental support through psychologists who work at the university.

Our fundraising approach has changed due to the situation. There are many international organisations in Ukraine that now give grants to NGOs for basic needs. But we are not an NGO. We are a platform and revitalise an industrial factory. We need ten million dollars for this. For the reconstruction and heating, for example, but also for our impact goals such as a makers space and food hub. Before the invasion, we appealed to corporations but we realised we couldn’t do that anymore because they want to support the military. We are working on a new case for support. We appealed to the European Union, but such a process takes two years. That’s why we don’t have the time for that. Our course now is to raise funds internationally from major international organisations and foundations. We discuss our plans with them and see if their policy is in line. We are also looking for partners for joint applications. We started with online fundraising, but we have little experience with that. And for material we are looking for sponsors in kind.

“Large NGOs should work with local organisations.”

People and NGOs from abroad can help us in different ways: we seek cooperation with similar or complementary organisations in Europe for applications. Keep talking about the war, don’t let it become ‘normal’. I call on humanitarian organisations to buy resources here because the money must stay here and people must continue to work here. Do not send water or food: we have no shortage of them. Large NGOs should work with local organisations. These better understand the needs of our people. People do not want (emergency) help, but rather support to be able to continue to take care of themselves.

We are optimistic about winning the war. Everyone is very willing to commit themselves to the military forces and people follow various training courses to prepare themselves, for example on the use of weapons or the provision of medical care. We fight for freedom and development of our country and are prepared to die for it.

Hear Luda speak and meet her in person at IFC 2022 this 18-21 October. Find out more and register here.

We’re hiring for an exciting events role!

Our new Events Coordinator will work with our Head of Global Engagement and Events to provide support for the International Fundraising Congress and Fundraising Online as well as our other online and in-person events.

You can download the full job description, along with details of how to apply, here.

 

We’re hiring for an exciting new role!

Our new Director of Partnerships will work across the Resource Alliance to build successful long-term partnerships with a wide range of organisations from foundations to private sector partners, strengthening our mission and vision. The successful candidate will work closely with the CEO as we look to grow our engagement and income.

You can download the full job description, along with details of how to apply, here.

 

Eugenia Mazurenko, CEO of Zaguriy Foundation in Ukraine, has issued an urgent appeal to the international NGO community.

Last week, prompted by the attrocities being perpetrated in Ukraine, we hosted humanitarian, global leader, and changemaker Amanda Seller for a session on fundraising for humanitarian crises.

During the session, Eugenia Mazurenko asked to speak. Eugenia is the CEO of the Zagoriy Foundation, a nonprofit in Ukraine that “acts as a role model for implementing sustainable charitable activities in Ukraine.”

Eugenia’s message was clear: Grassroots organisations in Ukraine are running out of money, and donations from international organisations have been too slow to come in.

These are her words.

“Before the war, Zagoriy Foundation aimed to develop a culture of giving. We conducted research on giving, developed institutional philanthropy and trust in foundations, and provided them with grants to improve efficiency. With the advent of war, the priorities of each of us changed, and most of our projects had to be cancelled. But we kept loyalty to our mission and decided to stick to it in the new conditions.

Every nonprofit organisation in Ukraine has now faced the new realities of war. Most will continue to work despite all the difficulties, help their wards, or solve current wartime problems. Therefore, we strive to support Ukrainian organisations, identify current needs, and promote coordination and partnership within the sector.

In the early days of the war, organisations could quickly cover rapidly growing needs in the wake of a general increase in requests and a desire to help. However, after a while, including due to frequent fraud cases, there was a request to check the transparency of foundations and initiatives. Thus, our team took part in the reporting check and verification of bona fide funds.

However, accountability is not all it takes to make the sector work effectively in times of war. Civil society should work in advance and strengthen their positions in fundraising and relationships with donors to build connections and keep the workflow stable.

Zagoriy Foundation has more than 498 grassroots organizations in the CRM system and 556 organisations on the map of good on Giving Tuesday’s website in Ukraine.

We would be thankful to international community help us to continue supporting civil society in Ukraine.“

We believe this moment in time has the potential to be a tangible step forward in the move toward localisation of support, to advance the #ShiftThePower and decolonisation debates, and to change humanitarian support models for the better.

If your organisation can support Eugenia’s appeal please reach out to us and we will connect you, or contact Zagoriy Foundation directly.

A message from Bill Toliver, Chair of the Resource Alliance.

Community Members, Colleagues, and Partners,

I am writing to announce an important leadership transition at the Resource Alliance. Prior to taking on the leadership of the Resource Alliance, Brian Higgins was well known across Ireland as a thought leader in the field of mental health. Brian has been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconceive the delivery of mental health and disability services in Ireland, and has stepped down from his role as our CEO.

While we are sad to see him go, it is impossible to think of a circumstance in which we would try to talk him out of such an opportunity to make a profound difference in people’s lives. We not only support him in this important new role, we have agreed to waive the termination clause of his employment contract so he can begin his new work with the urgency it requires. His last “official” day with Resource Alliance will be 04 April 2022 — though he will continue working with us on a pro bono basis over the next few months and, of course, be with us at IFC 2022! Please join us in thanking Brian for his service to our community and wishing him the very best in this important new role.

Please also join us in welcoming Willeke van Rijn as she steps into Brian’s role, effective immediately! Willeke is a superbly talented leader, well known and respected by the global fundraising community. She has held senior positions with SOS Children’s Villages, Oxfam, and FUNDES — working across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For those of you who do not know her, you will soon find Willeke to be a passionate advocate for RA, IFC, and the fundraising community at large. She also happens to be a truly genuine human being — who, believe it or not, grew up just a few kilometers from Noordwijk in the Netherlands (the home of IFC). She has been intimately involved in RA operations for some time and began the handover process with Brian in mid-February, so the transition is straightforward and already underway.

Finally, we are living through incredibly challenging times, and the social impact community is bearing much of the burden of helping humankind find a “better way”. It is a source of inspiration and hope that the people and organisations we serve continue to build solidarity and strengthen community while so many are creating factions and driving polarisation. It is a true gift that good people like Brian and Willeke are willing to step into the fray and lead during these unprecedented times.

With respect, gratitude, and a heartfelt prayer for peace in our fragile world,

Bill Toliver, Resource Alliance Chair

P.S. Please feel free to connect with Willeke (willeke@resource-alliance.org) or me (bill@resource-alliance.org) and you can continue to reach Brian through the Resource Alliance as well (brian@resource-alliance.org).

Presented by the Resource Alliance in partnership with Salesforce.org and hosted by Think Consulting Solutions, this free webinar outlines the key trends to have on your radar.

The challenges created by COVID-19 are still largely with us and globally the nonprofit sector continues to demonstrate great resilience and adaptability. Change is the only constant and organisations must remain open and flexible to navigate the unknown and take advantage of new opportunities.

To support you in your work, we’re kicking off the new year with a panel discussion on the four key trends that all nonprofits and fundraisers need to keep top of mind as we enter 2022.

Find out more and register here.

Triumphant IFC Online marks turning point for Resource Alliance as it successfully pivots to year-round global community model 

The Resource Alliance defied the obstacles created by a global pandemic to deliver the biggest, most- ethnically, intellectually, gender and culturally diverse IFC programme ever — fully virtual for 1200 fundraisers and changemakers from 80+ countries from 13 – 16 October 2020.   

With the plenary and big conversation speakers reading like a ‘Who’s Who’ of social change accelerators, the IFC Online 2020 programme was designed to challenge and question, while at the same time provide practical advice for a global audience responsible for resourcing social impact.  

Author of the award–winning book “This is Not Propaganda” Peter Pomerantsev kicked off the IFC Online programme with a thought-provoking presentation on the rise of misinformation and populism.  He challenged NGOs to transform their communications from a narrow theme to being bigger and more holistic. “The other side are thinking very big and we need to be thinking bigger… We need to look at how we communicate facts and foster a factual discourse around our issues,” he said. 

In the Big Conversation which followed, Marcus Missen (Director of Fundraising and Communications, WaterAid UK) facilitated a robust and headline grabbing discussion between Dr Danny Sriskandarajah (CEO, Oxfam GB), Clare Farrell (Co-Founder, Extinction Rebellion) and Kumi Naidoo (Global Ambassador, Africans Rising) on the topic “Is our sector facing an existential crisis?”.   

 On Wednesday, the audience was treated to a first-hand account of how the fundraising team at the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), led by Jayne George, weathered the COVID storm to transform their fundraising during lockdown, by putting their donors front and centre as ‘one of their crew’. 

The virtual stage was then given over to a special COVID-response inspired IWITOT (I Wish I’d Thought of That) delivered by SOFII and Open, featuring creative and innovative fundraising campaigns presented by speakers from the Americas, UK, Europe, East Asia, South Africa and Canada. 

On Thursday, delegates were challenged — both personally and organisationally —by a ‘riveting’ presentation from Black Lives Matter International Ambassador, Janaya ‘Future’ Khan, who invited the IFC audience of fundraisers and changemakers to “be the disruptors of truth and diviners of change” as they reimagine a society free of racial injustice. 

Delegates were then invited into a critical debate on the Big Conversation topic: “Can NGOs and social movements be authentic allies” led by Michael Silberman (Global Director Mobilisation Lab) with Madhuresh Kumar (National Convenor, National Alliance of People’s Movements, India); Carys Afoko (Co-founder, Level-Up UK); Masana Ndinga-Kanga (Crisis Response Fund Lead at CIVICUS, South Africa) and Kirsty McNeill (Executive Director for Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children).   

The day ended with a celebration of fundraising and change-making excellence and innovation at the Global Fundraising Awards, with finalists representing 13 countries and a cross-section of causes.    

IFC culminated on Friday with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Muhammad Yunus, who delivered an inspired session on the theme “Building a Better Tomorrow” — with a call for all to support “creating a world of three zeros: zero net carbon emissions; zero wealth concentration; and zero unemployment”.  This was followed by a robust debate in the Big Conversation of how to #ShiftThePower from top-heavy, top down systems of international development towards a flatter and more equitable paradigm of people-based development.  The discussion was led by Jenny Hodgson (Executive Director of the Global Fund for Community Philanthropy), with Nana Afadzinu (Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute), Ambika Satkunanathan (Chairperson of the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust), Barbara Nöst (CEO of the Zambian Governance Foundation for Civil Society) and Wolfgang Jamann (Executive Director of the of the International Centre for Civil Society). 

IFC Online represents a turning point in the Resource Alliance’s history, which through COVID has transformed itself to a global community model, reinvigorated the IFC and made it accessible to hundreds more through a new equitable membership model.  

Through the Global Community, the Resource Alliance will provide year-round, continuous learning and engagement on the most powerful ways to resource social change – not just financial but also human, technical and intellectual.   

“Our commitment is to democratize access to information. At the same time to ensure that information is provoking the right questions and challenging people in the right ways to deal with this incredible transformative shift that is underway,” said Bill Toliver, Chair of the Resource Alliance Board of Directors.  

In his closing remarks to bring IFC Online 2020 to an end, incoming CEO, Brian Higgins reaffirmed the Resource Alliance’s commitment to lead the social impact community in thought and in action by sharing knowledge and best practice and by bringing people together digitally and in person. 

“The Resource Alliance is embracing innovation to provide you with the resources and tools to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be and then beyond that visible horizon into a new future that may not even seem possible now. Innovation is not optional, it is something we must do.  It is built on experience, our successes and our mistakes. Driven by the needs of you, our community, Resource Alliance is committed to this innovation journey.” 

The full IFC Online programme of recorded video sessions is available through the Global Community for members.  To find out more visit www.resource-alliance.org/global-community/ 

Change Accelerator: Zuzana Suchová

Our Change Accelerator for October is Zuzana Suchová, Fundraising, marketing and PR Consultant in Slovakia.

Please briefly describe what your organisation does 

Kto pomôže Slovensku (Who Helps Slovakia) is grassroot project of activist and friends. We were helping Slovakia’s hospitals, clinics, health-care and social-care system facilities cope with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

#WhoHelpsSlovakia collected donations from individuals, businesses and organisations through an on-line platform. These funds were used to purchase, transport and distribute protective gear across the country where most needed. Anyone could join us.

How did you get into social impact sector? 

I always enjoyed marketing. I had worked as an account, brand marketing and product manager in a number of international companies and of my 17 years spent in marketing, I had been working with non-profit organisations for almost 11. My work with NGOs dates back to my time as an account manager for a direct marketing full-service agency.

Now I am a fundraising, marketing and PR consultant. I specialize in individual online donations, integrated fundraising and their development in organizations, campains. Sometimes I lecture on these topics. I administer the Facebook group Inspirations from Fundraising. I led the campaign, consulted or collaborated on projects of Divé maky, dakujeme.sk, OZ SAVIO, Nadace Cvernovka, OZ Vagus, OZ Za nasu voda, for the documentaries White Crows and the Hero Among Us, Nota Bene. I was responsible for the fundraising part of Zuzana Čaputová’s presidential campaign, the campaign of the PS / SPOLU coalition to the EU elections and the elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic. Together with others, I initiated or organized the challenges Long live farmers, we will not survive without them !, Coming home does not have to be a matter of course, 50dni.sk, Postavmesaspolocne.sk

What is your driving force for accelerating change? 

I do what I love and I love what I do. If there is something I can change I am always trying in my personal or work life. I am able to see beyond the things and situations and pick what is important and useful.

What one piece of advance would you give to future change accelerators who want to make a big impact in their work?

Do not be afraid to even start change things others will follow you if is good purpose.

Change Accelerator: Sofia Breitholtz

Our Change Accelerator for August is Sofia Breitholtz, CEO for Reach for Change, an international non-profit founded in Sweden.

Please briefly describe what your organisation does 

Reach for Change is an international non-profit founded in Sweden. Our vision is a world where all children and youth reach their full potential. We’re working towards this vision by finding local social entrepreneurs and empowering them to develop and scale innovative solutions that help children to better lives. We were co-founded by successful entrepreneurs in the non-profit and the business sectors in 2010, and since then we have supported more than 1,000 social entrepreneurs in 18 countries across three continents.

How did you get into social impact sector? 

After studies in international development and politics and economics, with field work done in Peru on international human rights, and with a number of internships at the UN and the EU under my belt, I started working in the private sector in 2006.

Although I loved the results oriented and fast paced outcomes, I was frustrated at the lack of investments made in sustainability, and especially in social impact. This prompted my move to Southern Africa working with development cooperation. I was still convinced of the need to engage the private sector in social change, and became interested in the possibilities of social entrepreneurship.

I moved over to work as Deputy CEO of a Swedish social enterprise working on clean water solutions for the bottom of the pyramid. After that, I worked for Ben & Jerry’s formulating their social mission strategy for the Nordics before I was recruited to Reach for Change. As CEO of Reach for Change, I live my values and purpose every day, and as a team, we have an ambition to grow our impact by 10x to help reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

What is your driving force for accelerating change? 

My passion is seeing the potential in people and supporting them to grow. I love connecting people and ideas and I have seen first hand what a powerful catalyst for change it is just believing in people. I also believe in the power of social innovation, and think we can accelerate change through innovative partnerships.

What one piece of advance would you give to future change accelerators who want to make a big impact in their work?

To be true to their own inner compass and stick with it.