Meeting Causes Where They Are
By Stephanie Makhlouf, Programme Manager at forgood
In the world of corporate social investment, there is a temptation to design one programme and roll it out everywhere. It looks efficient on paper. But anyone who has spent time with grassroots Causes knows that what works in a boardroom in Sandton doesn’t always land in a community hall in a rural village.
I’ve been reminded of this through a capacity building programme we’re currently running with one of our clients, supporting community-based Causes in the North West. Some of the organisations in the room don’t even have an NPO certificate yet. And that’s okay! It simply means we have to meet them exactly where they are.
From emerging to efficient
The programme brings Causes together for full-day, in-person workshops close to where they work. Our facilitator, Bokang Mokoena, Social Impact Leader and Executive Director of Phakamani Young Minds Academy, builds each session around one simple question: are you fundable?
Bokang Mokoena opens the session: “Building organisations funders can trust
Before a single slide goes up, we ask the room what they hope to take home. The answers are refreshingly honest: how to operate an NPO, how to get donations, how to market ourselves, how to find a space to operate from.
The Causes’ own expectations shape the day
From there, Bokang walks everyone through a practical journey:
Legal foundations: constitutions, NPO, NPC and PBO registration, and BEE affidavits
Governance: what a board does, minutes, safeguarding policies and annual reports
Fundraising fundamentals: types of funders, building donor relationships and the basics of a winning proposal
Telling your story: turning the problem you solve into outcomes and impact a funder can see at a glance
Strategic positioning: a SWOT exercise linking each Cause’s strengths to real funding opportunities
From problem to outcomes to impact: making the story clear for funders
One message doesn’t fit every community
The Causes in the room are as varied as the communities they serve: aged clubs and old-age homes, soup kitchens, home-based care, youth sports clubs and organisations supporting people with disabilities. Each one needs the message shaped to fit them.
Representatives from community-based Causes
A closer look: caring for our elders
Many of the Causes we work with care for older people, and their feedback has been some of the most powerful so far. Their needs are practical and immediate: safe facilities, clean water, a food garden, and fire and emergency training for the people who care for residents.
They also ask for something simpler: to be seen. Again and again, elders told us they would love their partners to visit them where they work, and to keep the learning going with more workshops.
Many of the people running these organisations are elders themselves. Online forms, emails and digital fundraising can feel like a closed door, and requests for basic computer lessons come up time and time again.
Every Cause had a story to share
Bring a young person with you
That’s why one of the most practical tips we share is this: bring along a young person.
A grandchild, a neighbour or a young volunteer who can manage the inbox, the platform profile and the online applications. Pairing an elder’s deep knowledge of the community with a young person’s digital skills makes a Cause stronger and more fundable. It also grows the next generation of leaders.
It’s a small change, but it only makes sense once you truly understand who is running the organisation.
What Causes are telling us
The programme is still unfolding, but the early feedback has already shaped how we think about capacity building.
The information is landing. One participant wrote: “This lesson really opened my eyes.” Another said simply: “I learned a lot.”
Compliance is a real need. Several organisations want help getting back on track: refreshing their boards, reopening bank accounts and getting their registration in order. Some even suggested bringing government departments into future sessions.
They want to measure their own growth. One Cause asked for site visits “so that we can see if we are improved. Compliance and governance is so important to us.”
They want more. Requests range from bookkeeping and HR to marketing, computer literacy, caregiver training and sign language. Every one of them is a clue to where corporate volunteers can add real value through skills-based volunteering.
Better programmes, better relationships
The biggest shift has been in the relationship itself. When Causes see that a partner has taken the time to understand them, trust grows. Conversations become more honest, needs become clearer and support goes further.
As one Cause founder put it:
“Continue with the good work you are doing. Give Causes space and opportunity.”
Quick tips for meeting Causes where they are
Start with a baseline. Ask where organisations are before deciding what to teach.
Keep it practical. Causes need to know which document to get, who to call and what to write.
Know your audience. An aged club, a youth sports club and a soup kitchen face different challenges. So do rural and urban Causes.
Remove the barriers. Language, transport, technology and time all matter. Go to them, and encourage them to bring a young person along.
Keep showing up. One workshop opens the door. Site visits and regular check-ins build trust.
Capacity building isn’t a once-off event. It’s a relationship, and ours is only just getting started. When we give Causes the space, the tools and the opportunity, they don’t just survive. They grow.
Looking to elevate how your company supports its community partners? Get in touch with the forgood team and let’s build a programme that meets your Causes where they are.
