Thought Leadership

Explore the latest articles by Humentum staff on topics spanning decolonizing aid, developing financial reporting standards, the future of NGOs, and more.

How funders are trapping local NGOs in a ‘starvation cycle’ (March, 28, 2022)
In their grants to local NGOs, funders are not providing enough money to cover projects’ administration costs, according to a new report. As a result, many organizations can’t build capacity to take on bigger projects. David Ainsworth of Devex discusses Administration Costs Research Project report released by Humentum.

Project Grants Need Not Be the Enemy—A Three-Part Series: Part 2 (March 28, 2022)
This Chronicle of Philanthropy article introduces results of the Administration Costs Research Project  report from Humentum commissioned by Funders for Real Cost, Real Change. It focuses on the impact of funders’ indirect cost recovery practices on international NGOs in ten countries across five regions of the globe.

New Findings Show How Funders Need to Break the NGO Starvation Cycle (March 28, 2022)
Humentum, in partnership with Funders for Real Cost, Real Change, a collaborative of private foundations, released a groundbreaking research report revealing inadequate coverage of administrative costs by funders. The data demonstrates how international funders are trapping their grantees in a “starvation cycle” by not sufficiently funding their administrative or so-called overhead costs.

WATCH: Operationalizing Locally-Led Development: Debunking the Myths (March 24, 2022)
View the recording from this webinar series.

Operationalizing Locally-Led Development: Debunking the Myths (March 24, 2022)
In the second installment of this webinar series moderated by Humentum’s CEO, Dr. Christine Sow, panelists unpacked three of the more prevalent myths surrounding locally-led development and offered their insights on how the sector might dismantle these harmful narratives. Cynthia Smith and Jenna Thoretz share an overview.

Opinion: Locally led development — what it means to me (February 28, 2022)
What does locally-led development look like in practice? Humentum’s new director of Locally-led Development, Ennie Chipembere Chikwema, discusses this in today’s Devex article.

Creating an environment where fraud cannot thrive (February 17, 2022)
Samantha Musoke, Project Director of IFR4NPO, discusses preventing, detecting, and responding to fraud, as well the importance of cultures and values. Organizations can take steps to ensure it doesn’t thrive—find out more.

WATCH: Locally-Led – Operationalizing USAID’s New Vision (February 1, 2022)
View the recording from this webinar series.

Locally-Led: Operationalizing USAID’s New Vision (February 1, 2022)
Humentum’s new webinar series, Operationalizing Locally-Led Development, will delve into the myriad operational challenges of realizing locally-led development. Humentum’s Jenna Thoretz shares an overview of the first installment, moderated by our CEO, Dr. Christine Sow, which unpacked the structural barriers to realizing USAID’s new vision for global development.

Section 889: US Chinese telecoms clause causing chaos for NGOs (December 2, 2021)
Read David Ainsworth’s latest Devex article on one of the latest challenges for NGOs, Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act, featuring Humentum’s own Cynthia Smith.

Operationalizing USAID’s New Vision for Global Development (November 29, 2021)
Earlier this month, USAID Administrator Samantha Power outlined “A New Vision for Global Development,” which places inclusive development at the fore of the Agency’s agenda. Humentum’s Cynthia Smith and Jenna Thoretz discuss what is required to turn policy propositions such as these into reality.

One INGO’s Journey to Work Themselves Out of a Job (November 19, 2021)
In October 2021, Health Alliance International announced its intentional dissolution. From the decision-making process and the conditions that enabled it to happen, join Humentum’s Kim Kucinskas as she sits down with Tracy Woodman to learn more.

What Implementing Partners need to know about the USAID Office of Inspector General (November 17, 2021)
We recently hosted a webinar with the USAID Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to explore its current priorities, including misuse of funds, digital fraud and preventing PSEAH. Join Jessica Walker and Cynthia Smith as they walk Implementing Partners through the OIG’s approach.

Opinion: How INGO CEOs are acting their way into the future (October 22, 2021)
Our CEO Christine Sow along with a cohort of other INGO CEOS have been discussing the future of leadership in international development. Learn more in this morning’s opEd with Devex.

SEAH Safeguarding: Operationalizing Preventative Measures (September 20, 2021)
Sonam Penzo and Humentum’s Cynthia Smith discuss the importance of safeguarding measures to prevent SEAH abuses, outlining the proactive steps organizations can take. Learn more about the support Humentum offers to help build an organizational culture that values safeguarding.

Global Development: Reassembling our World of Work (August 3, 2021)
Humentum’s Kim Kucinskas shares our OpEx365 zine—a visual storyboard offering recommendations for acting our way into the future. What does it mean to truly re-imagine our world of work?

Spotlight: Decolonizing Development (July 6, 2021)
Humentum’s Government Affairs and Advocacy Intern Jenna Thoretz examines and unpacks the current dialogue on decolonizing development and offers suggestions for sectoral change.

Opinion: Nonprofits need an international standard for financial reporting (Devex – June 28, 2021)
The existing system is fragmented and working for no one, writes Samantha Musoke, Humentum’s Project Director for the International Financial Reporting for Non-Profit Organisations initiative.

Watch: Who Represents Whom? Decolonizing Humanitarian Governance (June 22, 2021)
The Center for Global Development and Humentum’s CEO Dr. Christine Sow bring together representatives from across the sector to share experiences and lessons learned about why diversity and representation at governance level matter, and how to improve them.

Watch: How the past year will shape NGOs of the future (Devex – June 21, 2021)
In this Devex Live event, we hear from NGO leaders, including Humentum’s Tim Boyes-Watson, about how COVID-19, racial justice movements, and funding challenges in 2020 could be the spark for much-needed change.

Opinion: Benchmarking race, inclusion, and diversity in US dev orgs (Devex – June 2, 2021)
Humentum’s Kim Kucinskas discusses the BRIDGE survey results, which provide a benchmark of diversity, equity, and inclusion among headquarters staff of international development and humanitarian assistance organizations in the United States.

The Post-Pandemic NGO (Devex – May 5, 2021)
A pandemic, an international racial justice movement, and calls for decolonizing aid mean the development sector is changing fast. Devex’s William Worley explains what’s on the horizon.