Non-profits play a crucial role in the lives of individuals and communities around the world. This week we would like to reflect on GlobalGiving’s article, “10 Reasons Why Community-Led Non-profits Deserve Your Investment”, two of which we would like to further discuss. GlobalGiving is a leading non-profit that helps thousands of non-profits around the world by connecting them to donors and companies.
The first point we would like to discuss is “Community-led non-profits understand their communities’ needs best.” Here Adler states that since these non-profits are based on local knowledge, relationships, and assets, they have a backstage look into the issues or needs. Moreover, Adler explains that these non-profits succeed from the “proximity to their community.” This proximity is constructed on relationships, which was found to be a key pillar. Personally, I think this reason is a valuable piece of knowledge for anyone out there who would like to make a difference in their own community. It proves how valuable the experiences lived by the locals can be when striving to make a difference.
The second point worth discussing is "Community-led non-profits build trust and ownership in solutions.” The idea that non-profits are just a source of funding shows that instead, they are a “local trusted facilitator” (Adler). Collectively, these sentiments encourage the community to not only get involved in the projects but also continue to develop projects as years go by, maximizing the impact on the community. But why is this worth reflecting on? Well, it is important that the locals gain ownership in the solutions, as it drastically reduces the possibility of projects not being fully developed.
We hope that these points can inspire you to help your community’s needs. Remember, there is no big, nor small act of kindness, but only endless ways you can give back.
Do you know any community-led nonprofits you would like to shout out? Comment below!
Adler, Sami. “10 Reasons Why Community-Led Nonprofits Deserve Your Investment.” GlobalGiving, GlobalGiving, 22 Feb. 2022, https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/why-community-led-nonprofits-deserve-your-investment/.