The Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy (CNP) Director, Dr. William Brown, recently traveled to Zimbabwe to complete a four-month engagement with the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe’s Public Diplomacy (PD) program. Brown contributed to the Public Diplomacy program’s ongoing work with leaders of civil society organizations (CSO), non-governmental organizations (NGO), and alumni from civic engagement exchanges to build networks, skills, and motivation and productively engage in the civic space to promote organizations’ sustainability.
Leveraging his expertise in nonprofit governance, strategy, and organizational capacity, Dr. Brown developed six educational sessions for the PD program. Four sessions were delivered online before the visit to Zimbabwe, and two sessions were delivered in-person while in country. Virtual session topics changed monthly and included: Strategy Framework, Customers & Sustainability, Funding Relationships, and Monitoring & Evaluation. In-country session topics included Organizational Capacity and Fundraising Fundamentals. In total, almost forty participants were part of the program.
During his visit, Brown provided an overview session of information shared throughout the four virtual sessions to leaders who were unable to participate. Additionally, he had the opportunity to deepen the knowledge shared in the education sessions and meet with five NGOs to gain valuable insight into their work and provide further guidance on how to operate sustainably. He also met with the newly formed U.S. Embassy Alumni Association board to support the association’s development and growth.
Brown’s impact in Zimbabwe extended beyond his engagements. He was invited to speak on a live television interview with Zimbabwe Television (ZTN) and conducted a news interview with The Standard newspaper. Both interviews were regarding CSO and NGO sustainability and the limitations of nonprofit organizations across the world.
“…Director William Brown commended local non-profit organisations for their “dedication” to transform livelihoods with “limited resources.” “Human resources are typically the next most difficult problem (after the lack of funding challenge) on running non-profit organizations, especially if they begin to rely on volunteers,” Brown stated in The Standard news article.
Dr. William Brown
The timing of Dr. Brown’s work with the PD program is particularly salient as the Government of Zimbabwe is proposing to change the registration requirements and impose funding restrictions on NGOs and CSOs. In addition to Brown’s educational sessions and in-country support, the PD program has been convening participants monthly to share best practices with NGO and CSO participants on how they can be more sustainable and resilient to be ready for new regulations.
Overall, PD program participants reported high satisfaction and appreciated the insight and education sessions to strengthen their work. Additionally, the program participants valued the opportunity to discuss organizational sustainability and learn how to operate more efficiently. Similarly, the newspaper and television interviews distributed and accelerated important messages about NGO sustainability in Zimbabwe. CNP is proud to have a director making an extraordinary impact in the nonprofit sector in Texas and beyond. To read more of Brown’s article in The Standard, click this link: https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021615/cbos-key-to-countrys-development-us
