Nivi Sharma’s Post

Please support the Kenya Red Cross in whatever way you can - the floods this season have resulted in the loss of many lives and many more livelihoods. Organizations like the Red Cross are crucial to saving lives and rebuilding reliance.

Came back from Skoll with a head full of ideas and a phonebook full of new friends. There are so many people and organizations doing important and necessary work. But I haven’t been able to shake one concern that came up often in my conversations in Oxford: The “money” doesn’t get it. In so many cases, there's a disconnect between the deep expertise of implementers and the ambitions of donors. Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies talked about the ambition of donors in her fireside chat with Don Gips: "Power of intent is very often there in the donor community, but many donors I know are usually very wealthy individuals who've done extremely well in the financial sector or the corporate sector and don't necessarily know how to effect social change here. They try, but they bring some of those ideas here which don't necessarily make sense. And it's a journey to reach a point where you finally understand that what works in markets may not work in civil society." Too many philanthropy fund managers and program officers struggle to bring their principles along on this journey. And it isn't only foundations facing this challenge - even Ajay Banga of the World Bank isn't immune from catering to funder will. When asked about the replenishment of IDA resources, he answered - "We are an instrument of the ambition of our donors. I can’t fabricate money out of thin air." For organizations like B2P that are moving to catalyze change in large, entrenched systems, it’s hard to quantify our impact into “hedge fund” terms. Natasha Joshi got me thinking: What is the data-backed, scientific measure for a community no longer living in fear for their safety? How do we measure the cost-effectiveness and squeeze an ROI number out of trust, motivation, pride, love, and hope? And more importantly, why do donors keep forcing changemakers to?

Check out this article by my incredible colleague Eniola Mafe-Abaga. We’ve been talking about the importance of investing in rural infrastructure for economic and livelihood impact since we launched our systems change strategy in 2020. It’s incredibly validating and exciting to see this conversation being amplified by influential voices like Deloitte who have been wonderful partners.

The theme for my #skollwf experience this year is systems change. How can we, as implementors, have an outsized impact? Working with government is a no brainer but also one of the hardest parts of the behavior change needed to change systems. If any of this fascinates you, please join this event on Friday hosted by JustSystems (a Co-Impact spinoff).

I’ll be talking about how we’re staying transparent, accountable, and honest at B2P after making the complicated shift from bridge builder to recruiter/ enablers. Come by if you’re at #skollwf You’ll also hear insights from Natasha Joshi, a thoughtful funder of systems change implementors; and John Kania, a thought leader in how to structure systems change thinking and action. The workshop will be moderated by Søren Vester Haldrup, who has build a sandbox to design and implement M&E frameworks for complex real-world systems.

Hear hear!

I remember a heated argument with my mother about International Women's Day. I was 23 years old and thought I knew it all. I told her she needed to buy cupcakes and flowers for all the ladies in her organization. She told me that was a really stupid idea. My mother remembered growing up in the 50s and 60s when the Government of India was making earnest investments in girls’ education and how exciting it was for her - she was got a new uniform and a new pair of shoes: it meant not having to wear wet clothes to school on cold mornings (because she only had one uniform) and not feeling ashamed of her toes peeping out of the holes in her old shoes (that had once been sister’s). Cupcakes and flowers were a slap in the face of the history of women demanding the right to vote, to own property, to get equal pay for equal work, and to get a dignified education. This International Women’s Day, I’m thinking about my mother and the “radical” demands women worldwide are making: our rights to be safe, respected, and equal. It’s great to celebrate and acknowledge brilliant women everywhere. It’s also important to acknowledge the uncomfortable truths of a world full of systems, and norms, and biases that dim the lights of, and curb the opportunities for, brilliant women everywhere. Today, don’t indulge in the standard attempts of celebrating this day which reduce the demands for equality down to frivolity and consumerism: cupcakes and flowers will not fix the pay gap, sexual harassment, domestic violence, misogyny, or pervasive practices of exclusion and discrimination. We still have a lot to fight for. Rest in power, mama!