Shirley Abedi-Boafo is an award-winning CEO and Founder of NCVOGHANA (National Consortium for Voluntary Organisations) Ghana and Support for the Family Foundation UK. She is Director at Superior Customer Service Training Ghana and has extensive experience in community engagement as well as brokering effective partnerships, notably through her work with Barking & Dagenham Faith Forum and Heartfelt Philanthropy Network.
Shirley is passionate about improving the NGO sector in Ghana and helping non-governmental organizations transform lives and make a huge impact in their communities.
In 2014, after staying over 30 years in the United Kingdom, she decided to come home and start what is now one of the biggest non-governmental organizations in Ghana.
below is all about Shirley and her mission;
Charities and voluntary organizations in developed economies such as the UK, where I have lived for the past 30 years, are able to mobilize huge funds for projects and charity. In Ghana, philanthropy and all forms of voluntary organizations, including social enterprises, are largely unstructured and informal, making access to sustainable funding a major challenge, especially for youth and women-led organizations.
“Every day, I see a number of young chaps starting interesting organizations but struggle to survive. For the many, they close the organizations in debt and soiled reputation that hurt them for the rest of their lives. I have seen young people killing themselves because of such incidents. At the macro level, these are not just individuals or organizations being lost but great potentials that could have built the Africa we have all been desiring over the years”.
In 1987, Hansman wrote extensively about the non-profit sector, arguing that the formation of these organizations occurs as a response to the failure of the market or the state. Today, his position is still relevant, which I widely agree with, only adding that the sector has evolved so rapidly beyond markets or states into a universal action call that demands all-hands-on-deck.
STORY
I partially moved to Ghana from the United Kingdom in 2014 with almost nothing in hand but a stronger will to build a formidable non-profit sector that represents the aspiration of the very weak and vulnerable in society in light of all the manifold challenges ranging from broad-based policy and legal frameworks to inadequate professional knowledge on the part of founders.
I have lived, witnessed, and often become discouraged by our systems, but we cannot simply bow out of this call without victory. The successes and failures of the past years have deepened my resolve to go a step further with the consortium, NCVO GHANA.
About
As you may be aware, the term consortium is derived from the Latin words “cons,” which means “together,” and “sors,” which means fate. This name highlights NCVO’s deeper commitment to creating life-long partnerships between organizations, civil societies, corporate bodies, governments, and believers like you to train, mentor, and fund non-profit organizations across Africa, starting from Ghana.
What’s Ahead
In the coming days, we will be launching the single largest partnership backed by a huge funding portfolio for the non-profit sector. We will be launching The Non-Profit Leaders Fellowship Academy program with an investment portfolio of up to USD $1,000,000.00 (one million US dollars) in the short term.
Founders and leaders of selected organizations will be guided through our tailor-made training courses crafted by senior consultants with over 40 years of combined experience and extensive knowledge in the areas of policy, governance, NPO management, and development finance, aimed at providing solutions to the knowledge exigencies which affect sustainability and funding.
Our partnerships will create trust and opportunities for mentorship and funding. And, our academy will provide training for leaders in the sector
Built On Trust
Trust can never be sacrificed for successful fundraising and growth in the non-profit sector. A 2016 study from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that at least half of the variations in entrepreneurial spirit across countries are driven by trust considerations. This means how investors trust a system influences their investing decisions.
In Ghana, it has become very hard for organizations to raise funds through donations from the public or corporate bodies because of trust-based issues. With the right knowledge and systems, I strongly believe NCVO Ghana can build an ecosystem characterized by trust to give investors, corporate bodies, and the general public that confidence to realign with social-focused organizations. Due diligence, accountability, marketing, and branding have come to be an essential part of our sector that will help for good. With the right exposure and resources, we can build a generation of resilient young people, full of energy and creativity, to solve the multi-angled problems of Africa.
I want to end by upholding my strong belief in Africa, declaring that the Africa we all desire exists, it is real, and it can be won.
Join Ghana Non-Profit Professionals Network for free: https://bit.ly/3Jh9QrS
Source http://www.ncvoghana.org/
Credit: ncvo ghana
