DNF & Life Update
Dear NGO Founder,
It's been a while since I last wrote to you. I tried to write sooner, but I was too exhausted. How have you been? How is your organization during this economic downturn? I'm eager to read your responses; this newsletter still responds to emails and comments.
Welcome to the new subscribers! DNF now has 100+ members! You may or may not be wondering, what have I been up to? I've been at the gym, resting, working on partnerships for a Model United Nations Conference in 2024, talking with NGO Founders, and sharing my vision for the Nigerian nonprofit sector to all who care to listen. And I'm about to share part of it with you.
The Nigerian Candid:
Remember the 2024 conference I mentioned? They pushed me out of bed last month to attend Lagos People's Assembly hosted by Nigeria Youth SDGs Network. We discussed achieving the SDGs in Nigeria. During the breakout session, I kept thinking to myself that we have a data problem in the nonprofit space. I mentioned it during the presentations and called it a day.
I woke up one morning searching for an educational podcast to listen to at the gym when I discovered Harvard Business Review (HBR) on Strategy. I took a glance at the episodes and clicked on the title that appealed to me. It was a discussion with Jacob Harold, cofounder of Candid, on Setting a Corporate Strategy for Social Good. I discovered Candid and how her work is similar to what I've been thinking about. Candid provides relevant data on nonprofits, allowing you to analyse and verify nonprofits in the USA. The data provided includes what the nonprofit does, the population served, her leaders, assets, audits and other financial data, geographical data, transparency ranking, etc.
It made me wonder: can we create a similar organization in Nigeria? Trust, transparency, and collaboration would greatly benefit from accurate data. Imagine how easy it would be to invest in nonprofits. Who is going to build the Nigerian Candid? I don't know. I have had people tell me to go ahead and build it. What I do know for sure is that I am willing to volunteer for such an establishment. I am curious: what would you name such an organization in any of the Nigerian local dialects?
Other thoughts
I've been pondering the need for new ideas in the nonprofit sector. Do we need more social enterprises than charities? I might explore this in a future letter.
I'm also considering a physical DNF event for founders to interact and learn from business leaders and investors. No date yet, but we'll revisit this idea.
What do you think about joining a WhatsApp group for NGO Founders?
Lastly, I want to expand the DNF Resource Bank. Any suggestions are welcome.
What's Next?
Starting from November 13th, DNF will resume its biweekly emails. The concluding Founders Interview will also be conducted soon. You can always revisit the old letters and tell a founder to subscribe. See you soon!
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