ASK Inyathelo fosters non-profit sustainability
ASK Inyathelo fosters non-profit sustainability
Organisational sustainability is a key challenge facing South Africa’s non-profit sector, as well as many non-profit arts organisations.
To address this challenge, Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement, launched an innovative Non-profit Clinic, under the banner ASK Inyathelo, at an event hosted in Cape Town yesterday.
The event was attended by representatives from the non-profit sector, the Western Cape Department of Social Development, as well as various arts organisations like PANSA. "Inyathelo's ASK initiative is just the sort of straight constructive and accessible information we need to develop arts organisations," said Janni Younge, previous Standard Bank Young Artists Award winner for Drama, CEO of UNIMA SA and the Festival Director of Out-The-Box Festival, who attended the launch.
At the launch, products and services offered via ASK Inyathelo were introduced, including one-on-one consultations and advisory meetings, the Attracting Support Kit for NPOs (ASK Toolkit), Inyathelo’s partnership with the USA-based Foundation Center, and Inyathelo's online Prospecting Database. All of these are designed to offer support to non-profits looking to ensure their long-term sustainability towards on-going positive social development.
The event included the launch of the ASK Toolkit, a compact set of six books commissioned by the Western Cape’s Department of Social Development, aimed at guiding non-profit organisations step-by-step through various aspects relating to organisational sustainability.
“The ASK Toolkit provides organisations with a thorough grounding of the basic principles of attracting resources to their cause. This includes organisational governance, building relationships with different external stakeholders, identifying potential sources of support, engaging with prospective donors and ensuring the donor experience is a good one," said Shelagh Gastrow, Executive Director of Inyathelo.
The booklets were developed under the ASK Inyathelo banner in response to an expressed need by the NPO sector for on-going advisory and support services, and “aftercare” that goes beyond once-off workshops and training programmes. “Recognising that English is not everyone’s first language, the ASK Toolkit is carefully crafted for people whose second language is English, but at the same time we have incorporated essential words that are key to fundraising so that readers can learn these concepts as they use the Toolkit," said Gastrow.
The Non-profit Organisations Act 71 of 1997 requires that non-profits register with the Department of Social Development (DSD). The Act provides an administrative and regulatory framework within which organisations can conduct their affairs. According to the 2009/2010 Report from the DSD’s national NPO database, by the end of March 2010 there were 65 633 registered NPOs since 1997. Of those, over one thousand (1 033) NPOs deregistered in 2009/2010, with almost all of these (1 028) deregistered due to non-compliance. This highlights the urgent need for services that support the sustainability of organisations in the non-profit sector.
“The sustainability of South Africa’s civil society is critical for the maintenance and strengthening of South Africa’s democracy. Non-profit organisations and institutions play a central role in developing, maintaining and sustaining our democracy, along with addressing the huge needs within vulnerable communities and groups,” said Gastrow.
ASK Inyathelo, an innovative suite of accessible products and services, was developed to address organisational financial sustainability. With the support of the RAITH Foundation and the FirstRand Foundation, the core work of the clinic is one-on-one advice and mentorship to individuals and organisations that require support. This service is bolstered by training, peer learning and other services, such as access to Inyathelo’s donor prospect database.
The one-to-one advisory services are available at no cost for non-profits seeking support and assistance relating to their sustainability, as well as to social innovators seeking to establish fully operational organisations supporting development in South Africa.
Inyathelo has also just been awarded “Cooperating Collection” status by the US-based Foundation Center. This means that Inyathelo, the first South African organisation to become a Cooperating Collection, can offer on-site access to a range of Foundation Center resources, including its online funder databases and a broad range of Advancement tools and resources.
“The ASK Inyathelo service is essentially a non-profit clinic that provides one-on-one advisory and mentorship services, along with training and peer learning. We are delighted to officially launch this service at the same time as the ASK Toolkit. The latter complements our non-profit clinic and is now a key resource for our services to the non-profit sector," said Gastrow in conclusion.
Contact Information:
To find out more or to book an appointment with ASK Inyathelo, contact Celia Adams on celiaa@inyathelo.org.za or on 021 465 6981. For more information or to access Inyathelo’s resources go to www.inyathelo.org.za
About Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement (Inyathelo) was established as a non-profit trust in October 2002 with two core mandates: to promote philanthropy in South Africa and to develop the capacity of institutions and non-profit organisations (NPOs) to achieve their objectives in a sustainable manner through the development of local advancement knowledge and practice. Inyathelo’s application of Advancement practice is based on an integrated and inclusive approach through which organisations, in partnership with key stakeholders and supporters, move together towards achieving long-term sustainability. Key Inyathelo contact: Lizel Shepherd 021 465 6981.
Organisational sustainability is a key challenge facing South Africa’s non-profit sector, as well as many non-profit arts organisations.
To address this challenge, Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement, launched an innovative Non-profit Clinic, under the banner ASK Inyathelo, at an event hosted in Cape Town yesterday.
The event was attended by representatives from the non-profit sector, the Western Cape Department of Social Development, as well as various arts organisations like PANSA. "Inyathelo's ASK initiative is just the sort of straight constructive and accessible information we need to develop arts organisations," said Janni Younge, previous Standard Bank Young Artists Award winner for Drama, CEO of UNIMA SA and the Festival Director of Out-The-Box Festival, who attended the launch.
At the launch, products and services offered via ASK Inyathelo were introduced, including one-on-one consultations and advisory meetings, the Attracting Support Kit for NPOs (ASK Toolkit), Inyathelo’s partnership with the USA-based Foundation Center, and Inyathelo's online Prospecting Database. All of these are designed to offer support to non-profits looking to ensure their long-term sustainability towards on-going positive social development.
The event included the launch of the ASK Toolkit, a compact set of six books commissioned by the Western Cape’s Department of Social Development, aimed at guiding non-profit organisations step-by-step through various aspects relating to organisational sustainability.
“The ASK Toolkit provides organisations with a thorough grounding of the basic principles of attracting resources to their cause. This includes organisational governance, building relationships with different external stakeholders, identifying potential sources of support, engaging with prospective donors and ensuring the donor experience is a good one," said Shelagh Gastrow, Executive Director of Inyathelo.
The booklets were developed under the ASK Inyathelo banner in response to an expressed need by the NPO sector for on-going advisory and support services, and “aftercare” that goes beyond once-off workshops and training programmes. “Recognising that English is not everyone’s first language, the ASK Toolkit is carefully crafted for people whose second language is English, but at the same time we have incorporated essential words that are key to fundraising so that readers can learn these concepts as they use the Toolkit," said Gastrow.
The Non-profit Organisations Act 71 of 1997 requires that non-profits register with the Department of Social Development (DSD). The Act provides an administrative and regulatory framework within which organisations can conduct their affairs. According to the 2009/2010 Report from the DSD’s national NPO database, by the end of March 2010 there were 65 633 registered NPOs since 1997. Of those, over one thousand (1 033) NPOs deregistered in 2009/2010, with almost all of these (1 028) deregistered due to non-compliance. This highlights the urgent need for services that support the sustainability of organisations in the non-profit sector.
“The sustainability of South Africa’s civil society is critical for the maintenance and strengthening of South Africa’s democracy. Non-profit organisations and institutions play a central role in developing, maintaining and sustaining our democracy, along with addressing the huge needs within vulnerable communities and groups,” said Gastrow.
ASK Inyathelo, an innovative suite of accessible products and services, was developed to address organisational financial sustainability. With the support of the RAITH Foundation and the FirstRand Foundation, the core work of the clinic is one-on-one advice and mentorship to individuals and organisations that require support. This service is bolstered by training, peer learning and other services, such as access to Inyathelo’s donor prospect database.
The one-to-one advisory services are available at no cost for non-profits seeking support and assistance relating to their sustainability, as well as to social innovators seeking to establish fully operational organisations supporting development in South Africa.
Inyathelo has also just been awarded “Cooperating Collection” status by the US-based Foundation Center. This means that Inyathelo, the first South African organisation to become a Cooperating Collection, can offer on-site access to a range of Foundation Center resources, including its online funder databases and a broad range of Advancement tools and resources.
“The ASK Inyathelo service is essentially a non-profit clinic that provides one-on-one advisory and mentorship services, along with training and peer learning. We are delighted to officially launch this service at the same time as the ASK Toolkit. The latter complements our non-profit clinic and is now a key resource for our services to the non-profit sector," said Gastrow in conclusion.
Contact Information:
To find out more or to book an appointment with ASK Inyathelo, contact Celia Adams on celiaa@inyathelo.org.za or on 021 465 6981. For more information or to access Inyathelo’s resources go to www.inyathelo.org.za
About Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement (Inyathelo) was established as a non-profit trust in October 2002 with two core mandates: to promote philanthropy in South Africa and to develop the capacity of institutions and non-profit organisations (NPOs) to achieve their objectives in a sustainable manner through the development of local advancement knowledge and practice. Inyathelo’s application of Advancement practice is based on an integrated and inclusive approach through which organisations, in partnership with key stakeholders and supporters, move together towards achieving long-term sustainability. Key Inyathelo contact: Lizel Shepherd 021 465 6981.