By Inyathelo
Funding is a critical contributor, but without the committed people, the NPO sector would not be the engine of civil society we see today. These were the words of Feryal Domingo, Acting Executive Director of Inyathelo, the South African Institute for Advancement, addressing a full house of NGO representatives who gathered at the Inyathelo Civil Society Sustainability Hub in Woodstock to commemorate World NGO Day on 27 February 2025.
Under the theme “Celebrate, Commemorate and Collaborate” this year’s event sought to honour non-profits, their people, and their contribution to society.
World NGO Day was officially declared in 2012 to inspire people to become more actively involved in the NGO sector and encourage a greater collaboration between NGOs and the public and private sectors. It is a day where NGOs around the world share knowledge and experiences with one another, share information on what NGOs are doing for society, locally, nationally and internationally. It is also an opportunity for NGOs to discuss the issues that affect their work, and form partnerships that can resolve a mutual problem.
Domingo, in her opening remarks acknowledged the selfless contribution of a sector where the notion of volunteerism and charity work is too often expected from every person working in the sector.
The line-up for the day included among others an information session on Inyathelo’s Resource Centre and access to its facilities, a session with the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) to assist NGOs with issues of compliance, a National Lotteries information session to facilitate access to this funding source, as well as a tech support session from Phambano Technology Development Centre with a focus on technology solutions and the use of CRM Tools and Cloud Services.
Technology is ever changing and in the pursuit of sustainable operations, NGOs will have to keep up. The use of AI presents opportunities for agile NGOs to benefit from time-saving and efficient administrative support. Inyathelo facilitated an AI training session and many NGOs were champing at the bit to learn more about this dynamic tool and how it can assist in the context of already strained resources.
In keeping with the theme of collaboration, NGO representatives were eager to share stories, learnings, experiences and collectively support each other’s work where they can, all with a common quest to make a difference.
Keith Edwards from Second Canvas, runs a support programme for learners from Lavender Hill, where he moves mountains to take his core group of 30 learners on educational excursions that allow them to dream bigger than their community borders. They opened their doors in 2023, so as a relatively newcomer to sector, he was eager to explore the collaborative opportunities. “As a new kid on the block, mentoring is a big priority for me. So, networking here today was a huge opportunity to unlock mentoring and support opportunities for me to take Second Canvas forward,” he said.
Testament to the value and importance of collaboration, was Priscilla Brown, from Breede River Hospice, a palliative care name that has been around for 27 years, yet she still makes the effort to join sessions like the commemoration of World NGO Day and maintains that longevity and sustainability are constantly worked at. When asked about her advice to new NGOs entering the sector, she had this to say: “The key for any successful NGO is transparency and you need to have a passion for what you do. You need to believe in the service you offer and very importantly, you must act with honesty.”
Many NGOs operate in similar spaces and one sees a trend in the types of community services offered. However, sometimes a somewhat unique intervention comes up and this is exactly what Kofi Danso and Caitlin Jardim from the Ubuntu Learning Community (ULC) do. ULC works in a partnership between Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Department of Correctional Services, to integrate learning and collaboration of students at SU with incarcerated students, in a bid to foster more effective integration into society post incarceration. “This is the only programme of its kind in South Africa today, and goes beyond just academic learning. It runs over one year and the intention is to create young intellectuals who are driven to be the change that is needed in society,” said Danso.
It is conservatively estimated that the total operating expenditure of South African NPOs is currently worth in excess of R40 billion. However, the innate value of the work done, the lives touched and impact made can never be measured only in monetary terms.
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