2024 programme outcomes

What did the 2024 programme achieve?

The 2024 Resource Alliance Leadership Programme brought together an incredibly diverse group of 104 leaders from 38 countries. The cohort met in four full-group Leadership Summits, three of which took place online with one in-person meeting, and six smaller-group Action Labs. The key focus of the programme was on exploring and finding solutions to some of the biggest issues facing the social impact sector.

To apply to join the 2025 programme, email lead programme coordinator James Tennet.


Leadership Summits

Four full-group Leadership Summits took place throughout the year, three of which were virtual with one in-person meeting in the Netherlands ahead of the International Fundraising Congress. The Summits each covered specific topics and featured expert speakers:

  1. Facing the Future (February 2024) with Amitabh Behar of Oxfam International and Jeroo Billimoria of Catalyst 2030
  2. Indigenous Action (May 2024) with Michelle Schenandoah of Indigenous Concepts Consulting, Simeon Rose of Nature On The Board, Nana Afadzinu of WACSI, and Topaz Zega of the Anti-COP Movement
  3. Collective Action (August 2024) with Tasneem Essop of Climate Action Network
  4. Youth Rising (October 2024) with Martijn Lampert of Glocalities

Key Leadership Summit outcomes and resources

Summit 1: Facing the Future

This Summit addressed pressing global challenges, including decolonisation, structural inequities, and the need for systemic change and courageous leadership. Outcomes included commitments to reevaluate governance models and foster equitable collaboration across sectors.

Summit 2: Indigenous Action

This Summit explored the integration of Indigenous wisdom into nonprofit leadership, focusing on sustainability, equity, and collective responsibility. Discussions highlighted the transformative potential of Indigenous practices in governance and philanthropy. Outcomes included the wider implementation of the Nature On The Board model.

Summit 3: Collective Action

This Summit highlighted the power of networked collaboration. Participants explored strategies for building trust, addressing power imbalances, and fostering equitable partnerships across sectors. Outcomes centered around implementing the learnings to improve group collaboration in the Action Labs.

Summit 4: Youth Rising

Focusing on youth disillusionment and polarisation, this Summit emphasised data-driven and empathy-centered approaches to youth engagement. Outcomes included the creation of the Youth Rising Framework, a comprehensive tool to empower Gen Z as changemakers and to help counter misinformation with authentic narratives.


Action Labs

Action Labs are small working groups in which where participants collaborate and problem-solve around the issues that are of most interest and urgency to them. Six virtual Action Labs took place as part of the 2024 programme, centred around four different topics.

Key goals, outcomes, tools, and resources:

Innovation (Group 1)

  • Identify and collate global examples of innovation (through a fundraising lens)
  • Develop and implement a sector-wide innovation readiness survey (launching in 2025)
  • Cultivate a culture of innovation

Download the full report: Action Lab: Innovation 1 >>

Innovation (Group 2)

  • Develop deeper understanding of AI’s potential and associated challenges
  • Develop a comprehensive AI toolkit
  • Develop an ethical AI implementation framework for nonprofits

Download the full report: Action Lab: Innovation 2 >>

Strategy & People (Group 1)

  • Collect case studies on successful recruitment, workplace experience, and motivation/retention mechanisms with a focus on younger generations
  • Collect quality quantitative data on the same topic by designing and implement a sector-wide survey on staff retention in the nonprofit sector
  • Build a repository of people management case studies, with a focus on younger generations to help identify strategies to engage and retain younger staff

Download the full report: Action Lab: Strategy & People 1 >>

Strategy & People (Group 2)

  • Find, share, & optimise effective strategy & people management models, tools, & templates
  • Develop and disseminate toolkits and templates (e.g. one-page strategy template, strategy & culture checklists) that aid in the practical application of strategic concepts
  • Document and learn from pragmatic applications: Compile case studies that highlight both successful and challenging strategy implementations to serve as learning tools for current and future leaders

Download the full report: Action Lab: Strategy & People 2 >>

Shift the Power

  • Build and launch a collaborative Shift the Power advocacy campaign with the Climate Action Lab
  • Create a shared resource pool of Shift the Power case studies and success stories
  • Publish a powerful thought-piece on why shifting power is so difficult in our sector

Download the full report: Action Lab: Shift the Power >>

Climate

  • Develop a global climate campaign focusing on climate justice as the pivotal area of action
  • Spearhead change in our sector through utilising climate justice action as a platform to address broader systemic injustices
  • Build a robust community of practice with shared resources and knowledge

Action Lab: Climate full report will be available soon.

Want to apply for the 2025 programme? Email lead programme coordinator James Tennet.

The programme provided me with a unique platform to collaborate, innovate, and co-create solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face today. It was an invaluable opportunity to connect with inspiring leaders from all over the globe and gain insights to drive meaningful change in my own work.
Ramses Man
Global Fundraising Director
Amref Health Africa (Netherlands)
It’s a game-changer for anyone ready to drive innovation, inspire teams, and make a difference on a global scale.
Payal Randhawa
Founder/Director
Bworks (India)
The group that the Resource Alliance put together was a powerful one of practitioners, decision makers, and committed citizens to make impact. There are different perspectives on the challenges we face, but one thing is given – the urgency of acting together. The online discussions were very dynamic and the agenda items were great, sessions were amazingly facilitated, and the group was committed to some very interesting discussions.
Mariana Chammas
Global Project Lead
Greenpeace International (Brazil)
The programme helped me understand the power of global connections and networks to change social issues. It was great to be in the same room at the same time, sharing ideas – I am already in collaborative talks with some of my peers on the programme!
Olumide Akerewusi
Founder & CEO
AgentsC Inc. (Canada)
My biggest takeaways were research that I can immediately use; some fresh ideas for navigating those aforementioned thorny problems; and a better sense of what other organisations are struggling with and what it looks like in specific cultural contexts. In other words, it was time and financial investment tremendously well spent. The Talent Lab sessions in particular were terrific. I found the organisational structure and fundraiser purpose research fascinating, and really appreciated the in-depth case study content with ability to have extensive Q&A.
Misty McLaughlin
Principal & Founder
Cause Craft Consulting (Netherlands)