Greater Good South Africa

As a collaboration of connectors, we want to see...

1. Every South African giving whatever they can to good causes. 

Starting with a National Day of Giving on 21 November, South Africans find a great cause and give: online, by SMS, in cash, at an ATM, by debit order, at a shop, at a bank, through the payroll.  Every donation, no matter the size, is a contribution to the success of non profit organisations.

Supermarkets, cell phone companies, banks, non profit websites and online donation portals and communities make giving quick, easy and secure. South Africans are so inspired by the National Day of Giving that they start to give more regularly. And this makes non profits independent and no longer reliant on international aid or corporate handouts to stay afloat.

2. Companies investing in significant, multi-year partnerships with effective organisations.

Much CSI is project-based and funding decisions are often made year-by-year, leaving organisations unable to plan properly for the future. Developing long-term funding relationships that fund core costs (utilities, salaries and administration) ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the sector.

Community services are a person-based sector, employing more people than mining and agriculture combined. Civil society cannot meet the needs of its beneficiaries without staff – nurses, social workers, educators, fundraisers, bookkeepers, managers. They cannot provide services effectively without electricity, water, phone lines and office supplies. 

Along with staff volunteer days, companies organise staff giving and fundraising days – matching money raised for causes and multiplying their impact.

3. Government working across departments, at all levels, to create an enabling environment for non profits.

One of the biggest barriers for organisations trying to access public funding is the red tape and inconsistencies of government processes. If the social cluster (departments of health, social development and basic education) coordinates its funding, civil society engagement and development policies – from national government right down to local municipalities – we could make huge strides in addressing our key challenges together.

The regulatory framework for non profits is too complex – with multiple systems that don’t speak to, or reference, each other. We want to see the whole of government consulting with civil society to make it simpler and easier for organisations to register, comply and access public sector funding and service provision opportunities.

4. Organisations operating efficiently and planning for their own sustainability.

We are no longer a purely voluntary sector, begging for scraps from the big table of business, international aid and government. Non profits are becoming more business-like, rising to meet the challenges by diligently keeping their costs down and investing in systems and human resources that make them more efficient, effective and transparent. They play their part in the giving equation by being the very best stewards of the money they receive from the public.

Organisations will have a good spread of income – donations from individuals, CSI and public sector funding, income-generating activities and endowment income. The donations they receive from the public allow them to build reserves and invest wisely to carry them through the lean times. They have the breathing space to collaborate meaningfully with each other and government to deliver the best, most transformative solutions to South Africa’s problems.

5. The media sharing the many stories of hope and change, responsibly.

Those of us that work in the non profit sector hear the stories of success every day but the public are often unaware of the valuable contribution non profits make delivering services and incubating innovative social solutions. Every media house and channel in the country will devote space to covering what’s working – and what’s not – in social development, responsibly and meaningfully. Tabloid hype may sell newspapers but it is not going to change the world.

We want to share our stories of township schools punching above their weight, of rural community organisations prolonging the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS, of homelessness charities coming together to virtually eliminate the problem of street children in cities, of counselling organisations empowering rape survivors, of hospices helping people to die with dignity, of affordable communal housing for pensioners, of early learning centres helping children to shine... and so many more.

> Download the MANIFESTO (PDF)

Find out how to get involved: go to Facebook.com/GiveSouthAfrica or follow @iGiveSA on Twitter.

Post your support on the Facebook page or in comments below.