Author: info

Meet the Advisory Board: Mamadou Biteye on Inclusive Social Investment

Mamadou Biteye is Head of Social Impact at Visa for Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa who started his career as an agricultural economist in Senegal, which, he believes, predestined him to work with lower-income and vulnerable communities, intersecting with corporates, entrepreneurs, and social work.

His first, nearly 30 years ago, was managing and coordinating a financial inclusion programme, aimed at helping people excluded from formal financial services, mainly women, youth, and smallholder farmers. The bank required him to make secure loans while meeting business performance indicators, however, he found he was tasked to help a sector of people who couldn’t fit into this space.

“I saw, very quickly, that the institution I was working at, trying to drive this financial inclusion programme, was not the appropriate vehicle.”

This was when a shift occurred, so he started searching for alternative solutions that could provide more suitable financial services to the unbanked. The process took him back to school, where he earned a Masters’ degree in Rural Finance on a scholarship at Ohio State University, United States.

“This is what has allowed me to be able to make a humble contribution to financial inclusion, by coming up with new programmes, innovative programmes that were more sustainable to the context and needs of populations in West Africa.”

Joining the non-profit sector, Mamadou drove various programmes, like savings-led micro-finance and ROSCA (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations), which helped hundreds of thousands of women access to finance. Formal banks have changed very little in their way of serving low-income individuals, and small and micro-entrepreneurs. While FinTech companies have filled this gap by leveraging technology to provide credit, insurance, and capacity building, they are set up to scale to serve the masses across the globe. The ecosystem has changed, with new players bringing tailored solutions to the communities in need, but their reach and scale are still limited. The role of CAPSI in this field, specifically its research, is especially important.

Today, the private sector and philanthropy sector players have many resources, but the good ideas that can be executed at scale are difficult to find. The theoretical and practical research that CAPSI does provides valuable insights, proof points and experiences that can be shared with the philanthropy community. That also makes necessary the building of a business case for market-based solutions. The corporate world sees that social impact is no longer a ‘nice to have’, not just CSI – it’s about embedding purpose and social impact into their vision, products, solutions, services etc. Much of our space enables philanthropy and social impact from corporates.

“The research generated by CAPSI should also serve governments and policymakers, to make the regulatory reforms and have the right programmes that enable the growth and sustainability of philanthropy, as well as its modernisation.”

Convening seminars, platforms or round tables would do more for advocacy based on the evidence from the research, and also so that the potential consumers of the research results can be engaged. In general, CAPSI focuses on African philanthropy, which is quite different from other more modern or western philanthropy efforts. It’s easy to give money when you have a lot of it, and while this is commendable, there are those that do not have a lot but are always willing to share. The latter characterises a more ‘African’ philanthropy and solidarity.

The way Mamadou sees it, CAPSI has two challenges:

• How to document stories and research of African philanthropy, so it can educate and inspire the world?
• How to make the philanthropy and social and investment field more efficient and accessible for wider learning?

Philanthropy does not only come from the rich. “We are not just recipients in Africa, we give and share with the little we have,” says Mamadou. Indeed all forms of small donations, solidarity and support are more sustainable forms of philanthropy and social investment.

Meet the Advisory Board: Ingrid Srinath on the intersectionality of philanthropy

As the Founding Director of the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) at Ashoka University, Ingrid Srinath seeks to build the body of knowledge on Indian philanthropy and civil society. CSIP is an academic centre that aims to be a convenor across societal divides, and a capacity builder for students, alumni of the university, and also for nonprofit leaders and philanthropists in India.

Self-sufficiency and independence were key goals in Ingrid’s childhood, driving her to complete an MBA. After 12 years in the private sector though, boredom forced her to look introspectively for something more fulfilling, which led her to work with Child Rights and You (CRY), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). In her 10-year journey there, she helped move CRY from a charity to a human rights organisation, leading the campaign to make education a constitutional right. Her subsequent time at CIVICUS in South Africa and at CHILDLINE India and Hivos India, gave her the knowledge and experience to move to the next step, founding CSIP at Ashoka University. She saw it as an opportunity to get answers to the questions about philanthropy and civil society in India that she’d been asking for 20 years.

Philanthropy in India dates back to 3500BC, grounded in local culture and ethos, across all religions and ethnicities. It has evolved over time to address the needs of the nation, such as during the Freedom Struggle.

“Gandhi was amongst the best fundraisers… a fantastic mobiliser of resources.”

During the nation-building phase that followed independence from colonial rule, philanthropy funded by big business and wealthy Indians established education institutions, research facilities, and promoted arts and culture. International philanthropy only came to India in the 1960s with the Rockefeller and Ford Foundation’s Green Revolution initiatives, motivated in part by the need to stem the spread of Communism after China’s revolution. . In the 70s development era, NGOs and large people’s movements were supported by secular philanthropy – ordinary, indigenous people.

“There’s been a philanthropy in India to fit the needs of each phase of our development as a country, and telling that story – it’s a very different story from the story of international philanthropy – needs to be told in its own right.”

The absence of norms is one of the critical gaps in philanthropy in India. Sometimes referred to a ‘norm-free zone’, philanthropy is the last sector untouched by regulations, reporting, transparency, and accountability, which, of course, makes it susceptible to use by all sorts of influential groups. Non-profit organisations like CSIP are caught in the crossfire of governments wanting to limit the role of foreign philanthropy, and the business sector that is really keen to expand its influence on philanthropy. Being able to present reliable data on the sources of money, the way it is being spent and to what purpose, would be a useful counter, evolving the norms of transparency and accountability in philanthropy.

In India, there is a law that makes it mandatory for all businesses above a certain size to contribute 2% of their net profits to social causes. There is a very large and structured corporate philanthropy sector, accounting for one third of all philanthropy in the country. The set of reporting norms mandated by government provides especially useful data. So too the intense monitoring of international funding, which ensures access to regular, comprehensive data. There is a need for private and domestic philanthropy in India to adopt some of these norms, but this has been met with resistance. CSIP works within this sector, with those who are willing to be more transparent, in the hope that peer pressure will compel some of the more resistant ones to follow.

Looking at the work being done by CAPSI, specifically with African philanthropy, Ingrid believes there is a need to tell the story – to correct the perception that Africa is merely a receiver of philanthropy, not a protagonist. Taking control of the narrative is profoundly important. With centres like CAPSI in Africa, and others in Asia and Latin America, there are opportunities for networking and sharing stories and experiences.

CAPSI can be the catalyst for more of these types of initiatives across the world to be founded: to build the field of research in philanthropy, academic centres are vital.

“I call it the four Ns – actually a K and three Ns – Knowledge, Networks, Norms and Narratives; I think we need to do all of these at the country level, regional level and continent level, and then across the globe itself.”

Extending the partnerships, like the one between CAPSI and CSPI, to other academic centres in the world would be of enormous benefit to the philanthropy space. “We would all be able to move that much faster if we did this together.”

Meet the Advisory Board: How Theo Sowa envisions CAPSI as a facilitator of Africa’s future

There is much that we have learnt from our rich and diverse African history that we can use to strengthen our continent for the future.  The importance of nurturing communities, celebrating diversity and being deliberate about documenting the richness of our stories in our own voices, enables us to position the continent to prosper with Africans who are empowered with the tools to succeed.

Theo is a respected voice in international social development, whose work has impacted the lives of women and children across Africa. In addition to serving on international organisations boards, Theo leads the African Women’s Development  Fund (AWDF), the first and largest women’s fund in Africa, that supports women’s rights activism and organisations through access to funding, resources and networks. She is also a member of the CAPSI Advisory Board and recently shared her reflections on why it is critical that Africa invest in developing its own narrative around philanthropy and social investment. She shared with us her reflections and vision for CAPSI.

Giving, as a practice, is deeply rooted in African culture with many of us able to share examples of community care and inter–generational support on quick recollection. Africans can tell stories of how families and social groups came together in times of need with whatever resources they had available that resulted in deep and long-lasting outcomes. This nature of giving has always been done as a core value and has proved very sustainable in its application, passed on from generation to generation. However, even with this rich history, the sector of philanthropy is commonly misunderstood to be a Western practice, particularly with the rise of donor foundations.

More notably and critically, philanthropy is incorrectly perceived to be done to Africans to rather than by Africans.  Theo says, “It’s really frustrating that there is an incorrect perception across the globe that says that philanthropy is done to Africans, yet our experiences and knowledge show us that Africans have been involved in philanthropy for generations upon generations. And while philanthropy can be vertical in the context of larger foundations, in much of Africa it is predominantly horizontal in its operation.’”

Some of the stories of African giving include that amazing generation of grandmothers who stepped in to care for children at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa; the diaspora Africans building communal infrastructure in their home countries; communities that create systems in response to the needs of bereaved members and their families in their time of mourning – almost always a financially and emotionally challenging period. Yet these acts of giving sadly pale when placed next to the volume of  foundations’ giving, despite their deep relevance in daily lives. “Sometimes our African elders  had little in the way of material wealth, yet they continually gave from the core to care for their immediate and extended families and communities. The percentage of their giving, when compared to that of some of the more high-net worth individuals, is worth far more; but they are not celebrated as philanthropists who helped change the trajectory of communities and nations,” says Theo.

This challenges us to proactively begin changing that perception through storytelling, studying more aspects of African history, and encouraging the traditions of giving in current and future generations.

Theo believes that in this context, CAPSI plays a connecting role as a centre that raises the profile of African giving in a way that is authentic, allows for development and can be celebrated. Through this, future generations of Africans will have a gold mine of knowledge to develop and nurture the practice of giving. She continues, “Through CAPSI, we as Africans have the opportunity to tell our stories around giving while studying and developing the practice in authentically African, nuanced ways.”

A major part of what is needed is a change in how society prepares itself for the continual coming of age of its different generations. The meaning of philanthropy as solidarity needs to be deeply understood and practically applied to be relearnt as an integral facet of Africa’s history. CAPSI has the resources and capability to capture the traditions of solidarity and mutual support in a way that uses academic analysis, while highlighting practical action. Theo believes that unless this is done with intention, there is a risk that Africa’s narrative will be distorted and thus make our rich yet meekly documented history, seem like a myth. With growing access to digital communication platforms, the opportunity to disseminate knowledge through creative and engaging mechanisms allows for wider adoption by younger generations.

Further to this, Theo’s wish is to see CAPSI adopt a default mechanism towards human rights where it enables equality in its acts of solidarity. Acknowledging the philanthropy of women, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ communities and other marginalised populations and non-elitist communities will allow CAPSI to be imaginative about how it supports wider issues of equality and diversity. As a progressive institution, CAPSI along with its partners and donors, can play a major role in restoring clarity on giving as a sustainable way of life in Africa, by Africans.

Meet the Advisory Board: How Dion Chang believes CAPSI can serve as an enabler of the future of Africa

Discussions about the world of the future provide us with the opportunity to have progressive conversations but require the right mix of ambition, information and strategy in order to yield meaningful outcomes. Having a conversation with a person who is invested in understanding and conveying what lies ahead, allows individuals and organisations alike to gain clarity of their vision and plans. Dion Chang is one such person.

Dion is the founder of Flux Trends, a trend analysis consulting firm that specialises in distilling data into decision-making tools for business leaders in various sectors. Dion is also a member of our Advisory Board and describes himself as a walking ideas bank and professional cage rattler. He recently shared his reflections and thoughts around how CAPSI can serve as an enabler to the fields of philanthropy and social investment.

You may be asking yourself how philanthropy and trend analysis go hand-in-hand, or how social investment and planning for the future fit in the same sentence. They do so quite fluidly. Dion believes that CAPSI’s mandate of bridging the gap in the study, research and practice of philanthropy in Africa requires us to have an understanding of the continent’s history, while remaining curious of the future that can be built. With this we can develop the necessary skills and competencies to navigate the disruption that the future possibly holds. Furthermore, by leaving the ivory towers that academic and social development institutions once thrived in, CAPSI will be in a stronger position to better achieve its goals and bring about depth of meaning in its solutions.

By being proactively conscious of the future, we are able to operate with a lens that enables us to prepare ourselves and our partners for a rapidly changing world, in a sustainable and responsible manner. The sustainability lens challenges us in the sector to change the way that we approach to access to information in our societies, our channels of giving, mechanisms of distribution, support of advocacy and other supporting pillars. Dion understands that planning for development with the future in mind may allow us to accept the narrative that philanthropy and corporate social investment need to be an internal agenda as opposed to an external community-based series of activities. He challenges that traditional community activities that are executed as a compliance requirement yet do not take into consideration well-being of employees, volunteers and other stakeholders, present more harm than the positive message they convey.

He has spent an extensive amount of time studying Generation Z (Gen Z), the newest generation of citizens born between 1995 and 2015, who are currently between the ages of 5-25 years old. Research shows that Gen Z, the most digitally engaged generation, operate with a different set of values to other generations. For example, Gen Zs believe that brands should have a strong philanthropic mandate in their operations, while most of them desire to pursue entrepreneurial careers in favour of traditional employment. “Africa is a really young continent with enormous potential. By 2030, the Gen Z of today will be the entrepreneurs and business leaders of tomorrow. It’s therefore crucial that we develop new models and reframe philanthropy to drive us into the future.”

The question then becomes how we can use the information that we have about trends at play, the possible near future and the generation that will be leading us. How does this information enable CAPSI as we prepare to expand our competency through research, course work and other interventions?

Essentially, CAPSI is now able to pursue its mandate and progress with context that sustainability as a practice needs to be built into philanthropy while engaging a generation that holds the largest median of Africa that will form part of the philanthropy and social investment sector of tomorrow. “Taking 20th-century ideas into the future is not feasible. The trajectory of philanthropy will be driven by society’s desire to bring about change, seen in community and individual giving, volunteerism and similar activities,” says Dion.

We anticipate the philanthropists and social investors of the future to lead the sector with the blinkers off. To begin enabling the sector today for tomorrow, CAPSI will continue to serve as a source of knowledge, a cultivator of partnerships, and a catalyst for innovation and community engagement. We will do this in a manner that is cognizant of what is to come, in order to prepare the sector and its participants for the world of the future.