Community Works

„Development cooperation must stop prioritising the transfer of financial resources and instead focus on transferring knowledge, practical skills and capacities, so that local resources can be turned into wealth and wellbeing. It is essential to promote operational partnerships between local organisations, governments a…"

Dionísio Simões Pereira

President of FORUM CV – Cabo Verdean Civil Society Forum · Adviser to the IPP – Pedro Pires Institute for Leadership, Cabo Verde · Former President of REPAOC – Réseau des Plateformes d'ONG d'Afrique de l'Ouest

„Times are becoming tougher and more polarised: development co-operation now needs a survival strategy, as political support and public funding are dwindling. It must focus on humanitarian aid, effective priorities and fewer overlapping structures. For long-term co-operation, it needs new instruments that strengthen loc…"

Dr. Till Wahnbaeck

Founder & CEO, Impacc gGmbH

„For me, a partnership of equals begins when organisations in the Global South are not merely consulted, but have a say in decisions regarding priorities, resources and risks. Anyone who expects local accountability must also share power, funding and scope for action. In my view, cooperation is sustainable when it empow…"

Serap Altinsik

Board of Directors BRAC (Bangladesh)

„Resilience. Many organisations have learned to deliver excellent programs and have unique capabilities to work effectively in specific contexts, yet they remain extremely vulnerable to the loss of a major donor or contract. They need stronger financial management, more diversified sources of income, adaptable operating…"

Esteban Reyes

Founder & Managing Director, Recursiva Lab | Board Member, Fondo Acción and Fundación Tiempo de Juego (Colombia)

„Non-profit organisations face fierce competition for resources and impact. They can learn from for-profit organisations how to adopt a more results-oriented approach and how to establish professional management structures to achieve this. Conversely, prioritising values and positive social development should also be a …"

Sigrid Scherer

Co-Managing Director Coach@School e.V. (Germany)

„As a sector we tend to have a love-hate relationship with the private sector, with some idolising its apparent efficiency and others branding it as pure evil. Obviously reality is more nuanced. The absolute clarity of the bottom-line does focus private-sector actors in a way that NGOs find difficult. But the danger is …"

Matt Haikin

AI Consultant (Spain)

„The same applies to charitable organisations: the good times are over for the time being. Anyone wishing to remain effective in the face of more challenging political, social and financial conditions must build greater resilience. This involves conducting an honest risk analysis. Charities must identify vulnerabilitie…"

Anna-Maija Mertens

Board of DICO e.V., President of EBD

„A succession process requires both financial resources and supporting expertise, as it is necessary to review and develop the entire system in order to become a sustainable, future-proof organisation that is not reliant on any one individual. When it comes to funding for continuity – which also involves infrastructure …"

Svenja Weber

Managing Director of Dialog Impacc gGmbH

„Something has gone awry in Germany, and democratic civil society is under pressure here as well. In some parts of our country, it is even threatened by well-established far-right extremist structures. Narratives designed to delegitimize it are being systematically spread and are taking hold even in the mainstream of so…"

Alexandra Herzog

Chair of the Board of Transparency Germany e.V.

„Good development work starts with understanding the reality on the ground and bringing the right people and perspectives together to create solutions that can last. I value approaches that go beyond short-term projects and help organisations, communities and partners build the capacity and partnerships needed for susta…"

Aladin Ormanovic

Senior Development Advisor (Bosnia)

„For me, the great challenge is for impact to be one of the most important criteria guiding decisions: what really changes in people's lives, and how much of that change lasts. Sustainable funding is another major challenge. Many organisations face growing needs with more uncertain resources that are often tied to short…"

Pedro Puig Pérez

Presidente Ejecutivo Aldeas Infantiles SOS (Spain)

„What worries me most is the growing division within our society: the number of people who uncritically accept racist and xenophobic narratives, who claim that migration is the root of all problems, and where political hatred – for example, against people with a migrant background and queer people – is becoming an unque…"

Till Rummenhohl

Managing Director SOS Humanity e.V.

„A partnership of equals works when all partners agree on the same strategy and are able to contribute their respective strengths to its implementation. Differing expectations and perspectives must be discussed and clarified from the outset. A genuine partnership means that the partner who contributes more money does no…"

Florian Westphal

Geschäftsführer / CEO, Save the Children Deutschland e.V.