After consultations at member, Chapter and Board level, we have released our Three Year Operating Plan. As Jeroo Billimoria commented in the January General Assembly, 100% of the members who participated in the over 50 consultation sessions said that we are on the right track.
For the next three years, our focus is fivefold.
1. We want to shift the funding paradigm to be more oriented to social impact and systems change.
2. We want to build the sector, including growing 100 country Chapters.
3. We want to change the narrative so that equity is at the centre of all conversations and the voices of all the people are heard.
4. We want more cross-sector collaborations so that mindsets can shift.
5. We want at least 80% of our members to be actively participating in the network.
Members who attended the General Assembly overwhelmingly committed to make the Three Year Operating Plan exceed all expectations.
Shifting the Funding Paradigm
“When you are shifting a complex system, there is no one thing that makes the difference – what we are finding are a plethora of smaller efforts that need to work in harmony, culminating in widespread adoption” – Tim Hanstad, Chandler Foundation and C2030 Board member.
When we talk about shifting the funding paradigm, we are basing our discussions on the work that our members have been doing since the earliest days of our network. The Embracing Complexity report, produced at the end of 2019, drew on the collective knowledge of our membership at the time. Now, as we have grown exponentially, it is time to ensure that we adequately represent all our dynamic regional voices.
The Report, the Funder Self-Assessment Tool and the Catalyst 2030 Awards are all interlinked and build upon each other. We are stronger when we speak together – we are on the receiving end of philanthropy, so together we can ensure that the principles that we embrace turn into actions that resonate throughout the sector.
One of the ways that we will do this is to work directly with social entrepreneurs, funders and governments, as outlined in our report An Investigation into Financing Transformation and built upon in the development of the Funder Self-Assessment Tool. This innovative approach goes beyond the traditional financing vehicles and has the potential to develop new funding ecosystems.
