This is Bigger Than a Funding Crisis
Thoughts from Nyasha Njela, COO at Revolutionise and Chair of the IFC Advisory Panel, on the challenges and opportunities presented by this moment for fundraisers and social impact organisations.
Across the world, conversations about shrinking aid budgets are growing louder. For many organisations, communities, and movements, the impact is immediate and significant. The reality is that vital work is being disrupted at a time when the challenges facing our societies continue to deepen.
Yet I believe this moment is about more than funding.
It is exposing questions that many of us have been wrestling with for years. What happens when the systems we have relied on are no longer guaranteed? What happens when resources become more constrained? And, perhaps most importantly, what does it take to build organisations, communities, and movements that can thrive in the face of uncertainty?
Through my work across Africa and globally, I continue to be inspired by the creativity, courage, and determination of fundraisers and nonprofit leaders who are finding new ways forward. We are seeing renewed interest in local philanthropy, community ownership, partnerships, social enterprise, and collective action. We are also seeing important conversations emerge about power, leadership, and who gets to shape the future.
For many Global Majority organisations, this is not a new reality. Building with limited resources, navigating uncertainty, and finding strength within communities have long been part of the journey. What feels different now is that these conversations are becoming global.
The challenge before us is not simply to replace lost income. It is to build stronger, more resilient systems of support that are rooted in trust, shared responsibility, and our collective humanity.
As we look ahead to IFC 2026, I hope we can move beyond asking how we preserve existing models and instead explore what becomes possible when we have the courage to reimagine them.
The future may look very different from the past. That brings uncertainty. But it also brings opportunity.
And perhaps that is where hope lives.
Want to continue the conversation? Join us at the International Fundraising Congress this October.