Samuel Kavuma
4.8K posts
@skavuma
Child of God, Husband, Father, Public Policy and Governance Expert, Commonwealth Eminent Person, Rotarian, Social Entrepreneur, Founder @corporate_plus.....
Building Beyond Dependency In the last few years, I have been sitting with this call for NGOs to rise above donor dependency. I find myself holding two truths at once. We must move beyond dependency. Not just because it is strategic, but because it is necessary for dignity, resilience, and long-term agency. And yet… I think about the nonprofit leaders I know. The ones staring at balance sheets that no longer balance. At math that no longer maths. The ones writing emails they never imagined they would have to write, letting staff go, closing programs, stepping away from communities that still need them. Leaders carrying not just budgets, but people, relationships, and years of trust. And I wonder: What does it actually mean to “rise above dependency” from where they stand? Because for many this does not feel like a strategic pivot. It feels like being asked to jump from a fast-moving train. In your head, you understand why the jump is necessary. But it is still terrifying. And the train does not slow down to let you land gently. So yes, we must move beyond donor dependency. And we need to be honest about what that requires. Building local giving is not a slogan. It requires trust. Disposable income. Infrastructure. Culture. Transforming institutions is not an instruction. It takes time, investment, and a rethinking of the systems we operate within. And transitions like this are never neat. They come with real costs, and real people at the center. This moment is not only a story about NGOs needing to change. It is a story about systems under strain. And perhaps the real question is not only whether we move beyond dependency, but how we build what comes next, while people are still inside the fall. I assure you that leaders are not standing still. They are experimenting. Adapting. Trying. Some things will work. Some will break. And in that process, we will learn. Moving beyond dependency means being serious about building what comes next. With honesty. With humility. And together. #AfricanPhilanthropy #BeyondDependency #SystemsChange
