Nonprofit Builder

Yesterday we launched AI Apps for Good, so come and visit; it's a library of cool and useful little apps for you, for your org, and for your cause. Use the ones you find here, learn how to make your own with us, and share what you make! Visit: https://aiappsforgood.org/ Where to start? Try one of the personality apps. Do you have what it takes to be a founder, and who is your ideal co-founder? Try "FounderMatch." What is your personality style? And try "Archetype 360"; both will blend classic questions with open feedback to create a report that's just for you! You have an upcoming tough conversation that makes you anxious? How to prepare, or manage the emotions, or come to a clear conclusion? "Tough Conversations" will show you the techniques and apply them for you. You need to educate an audience about your advocacy topic? Play with "Business As Usual Or Regenerative?" to learn about this topic and see how you could make a similar app for your own cause. Do you need a MEL framework for your org? Tell "MEL Builder" it will select the best methods for you and apply your chosen method to your situation. Build, share, learn! But the real purpose of AI Apps for Good is not just to publish a directory of tools; it is to learn together. What kinds of apps are useful? What formats work best? What makes people actually engage? How can we turn frameworks into experiences? How can consultants, nonprofits, and social impact organizations use AI creatively, responsibly, and practically? Anyone can publish here. Anyone can learn from what others are making. Our hope is that this becomes a small but active community of people experimenting with AI in a grounded way, building useful things. If you are a consultant, practitioner, nonprofit leader, social entrepreneur, funder, or just someone with a useful framework in your head, I would love for you to explore the site. The only limit is your imagination. So what are you going to create? What have you already made? Let us know and we'll list it here as a community app. Visit: https://aiappsforgood.org/ Also visit: NLnet foundation Patrick McGovern Omidyar Network Humanity AI Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)

Some of the most important capacity strengthening work happens behind the scenes. Our latest case study features FIMA NGO, a Chile-based environmental advocacy organization, and consultant Steve Sweet. FIMA already had strong grant management practices and a healthy bank balance, but they needed space to step back and look at the bigger financial picture. How much of their funding was truly free reserves? How far were future costs covered by secured or planned income? And what might the next 1–2 years look like under different scenarios? Through a practical financial planning process, FIMA’s finance team worked with Steve to build clearer tools, strengthen their analysis, and gain a stronger view of the organization's overall financial position. The result was not just better financial visibility but greater confidence in decision-making. As Macarena Avilés Saavedra from FIMA shared, definitely the biggest change for us was gaining confidence that what we’re doing is right for the safe administration of our funds. Now we have an improved and validated decision-making tool tailored for our nonprofit model of administration. This allows us to see the bigger picture, adapt our decisions to the current scenarios, and adapt if necessary. This case study is a reminder that financial planning is not just about compliance. It is about giving organizations the clarity and confidence to make thoughtful decisions for the future. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/d9UB83tW #NonprofitBuilder #CaseStudy #FinancialPlanning #CapacityBuilding #NonprofitLeadership #FinancialSustainability

Last month, our capacity-building officer for Europe, Joan Gekonde, attended Africa Xchange 2026 in Nairobi, organized by The Rockefeller Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, for three days, exploring money, markets, and mindsets in the nonprofit and development space. Here are her biggest takeaways: On storytelling: Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli of The ONE Campaign shared a powerful four-step framework: name the problem, establish the stakes, share human proof points, and then present the path forward. Simple, but transformative for any organization trying to move decision-makers. On strategic communications: Know your messengers: insiders, experts, amplifiers, and activists, and know when to activate each one. Impactful work also needs to be heard. On innovation: A live cooking demo by Slow Food Kenya was the unexpected highlight. A lentil burger topped with a sauce blended from tomatoes that would otherwise have been discarded from markets too imperfect to sell but turned into something extraordinary reminded the whole room that innovation sometimes means returning to what communities have always known and presenting it with fresh eyes. Thank you to William Asiko of the Rockefeller Foundation for his thoughtful moderation and to Mark Masai for closing us out with a reminder that's stayed with me: change is constant; embrace it as an opportunity. Thank you to The Rockefeller Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for creating this space. This is where real collaboration begins. #AfricaXchange2026 #NonprofitLeadership #StrategicCommunications #FoodSystems #Africa

A couple of weeks ago, our team based in Kampala, Uganda, had the pleasure of meeting Julian Macharia and Susan Sindani (M.A Gender 'n Development) from Well Made Strategy in person. Their team has been facilitating a communications training for our Segal Family Foundation partners, and it has been such a lovely experience working together. The sessions have been practical, thoughtful, and grounded in the real communication challenges nonprofits navigate every day. They have also brought clarity, thoughtfulness, and strong facilitation to the space, which has added real value to the learning journey. It is always special to meet people in person after experiencing and seeing the quality and professionalism they bring to their work. Thank you, Miles Bredin, Julian Macharia, Susan Sindani (M.A Gender 'n Development), Farida Nzilani, and the wider Well Made Strategy team. #NonprofitBuilder #SegalFamilyFoundation #CapacityBuilding #Partnerships Natasha Umuhoza Ayebare Oprah

Our sixth case study highlights how the right tech support can do much more than improve systems. It can strengthen relationships, protect critical data, and give teams back the time and clarity they need to focus on their mission. This study features Undaunted Consulting and the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, whose fundraising team was being slowed down by manual processes, scattered information, and a CRM that was not fully supporting the way they worked. Through a mix of technical automation and practical coaching, Mike Baker and David J. Dunn helped transform the Alliance’s Salesforce system into a more useful, tailored, and empowering tool. The work included branded templates, donation automations, stronger event and sponsorship tracking, and hands-on support that helped the team build confidence in managing the system themselves. What stands out in this case study is that the shift was not only technical. It was also about autonomy. By moving relationship history out of inbox silos and into a live shared system, the team gained clearer reporting, stronger data integrity, and more time to focus on the relationships that power their work. As Chéri Smith, the Alliance’s president & CEO, shared, having a system that works the way they work has freed the team to focus on what matters most. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/dBxP9HxZ #NonprofitBuilder #CaseStudy #CapacityBuilding #NonprofitTech #SocialImpact

“I know that we have had a good week with my team when I go home on Friday with joy in my heart.” That reflection, shared by Jackie Odhiambo, PhD, founder of Nyanam Widows Rising, came during a recent coaching engagement with Cedric de Beer. Nyanam is one of the grantees we support with organizational strengthening through the Segal Family Foundation, and Jackie’s words became the starting point for a powerful reflection on leadership, development work, and what it means to stay human in the middle of systems and structures. In this blog, Cedric reflects on his experience supporting Nyanam and on how one simple response shifted something in him. In a sector often shaped by logframes, KPIs, and reporting processes, he questions the mechanistic approaches that can define development work and reflects on how bureaucracy can pull us away from the people at the center of it. It is a thoughtful reflection on coaching, on learning from the organizations we support, and on what it means to build something not only effective but also humane. We’re grateful to Cedric for sharing this piece and for the thoughtfulness and expertise he brought to this engagement. We love sharing stories like this because they remind us why we do this work. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/dGE-kckE #NonprofitBuilder #LeadershipCoaching #OrganizationalDevelopment #CapacityBuilding #SocialImpact

It’s wonderful to see this work taking root across the organisation, helping to build shared ownership of Dreaming for Change’s vision, systems, and strategic priorities. Taking up this support as a team is so important, because strong plans need strong teams behind them. A big thank you to Venant Manirakiza for incorporating these in-person engagements, and to Segal Family Foundation for making this support possible. We’re excited to see the progress Dreaming for Change is making.

Our latest case study features Jennifer Clickner and Wikirate and shows how the right support at the right moment can make a real difference. When Wikirate’s communications director went on maternity leave, Thomas Howie, the content and communications manager, then, was asked to step into a high-stakes advocacy role: representing the organization at the European Commission and speaking on a panel alongside established experts on proposed laws addressing slave labor, particularly in fast fashion. It was a moment that called not only for subject expertise but also for strong communication, presence, and confidence under pressure. Through focused support from Jennifer, Thomas worked on persuasive communication, stakeholder engagement, storytelling, and public speaking techniques that helped him step into the spotlight with greater clarity and confidence. What stands out in this story is not just the event itself but the outcome. Thomas shared that the panel went “fantastically well,” noting stronger audience engagement, references to his remarks during the discussion, and a greater sense of effectiveness in how he contributed. This case study highlights what coaching can unlock. Persuasive communication and public speaking are not just innate talents; they are skills that can be developed, and that growth can make a real difference in high-stakes moments. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/dqUiK3WD #NonprofitBuilder #CaseStudy #Communications #PublicSpeaking #CapacityBuilding #LeadershipDevelopment #Advocacy

Post 9 — Safeguarding Safeguarding is not a donor checkbox. It is an organizational responsibility. I think this is one of the most underestimated areas in organizational strengthening. In many organizations, the awareness is there. People care. The intention is good. There is often a real desire to protect staff, beneficiaries, clients or vulnerable groups. But intention is not the same thing as mechanism. And when no clear system exists, even good organizations can remain exposed. Any organization working with people should be asking: ✍ Do we know our key risks? ✍ Are responsibilities clear? ✍ Is there a way to report concerns safely? ✍ Do people know what happens if an issue arises? ✍ Are we protecting data, people and trust in a credible way? Safeguarding is not about bureaucracy. It is about whether an organization is taking seriously the human side of responsibility. Good intentions matter. But systems are what protect people when things become difficult. What do you think makes safeguarding hard for organizations to move from awareness to action? Series: What organizational assessments taught us about growth, structure and sustainability #WhatOrgAssessmentsTaughtUs #Safeguarding #RiskManagement #Compliance #Leadership 3hi Partners Nonprofit Builder Segal Family Foundation Natasha Umuhoza