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Lusoma Notes
Welcome to Lusoma Advisory Services’ Field Notes. A collection of thoughtful, practical insights on the realities and shifts within the social sector. Rooted in our work alongside NGOs, Non-Profits, community-based organizations, and donor partners across the world, these reflections capture emerging trends and real-world experiences in the social impact sector. From strengthening program strategy to navigating meaningful partnerships, our Field Notes offer clear, context-aware guidance that supports sustainable, community-driven change. Explore the ideas shaping impact where it matters most.
Field Notes
Our stories from the work itself. What we're seeing in the field, what's working, what's shifting our thinking, and what it looks like in our clients' own words.
The design decision most programs get wrong
It happens before the workplan. Before the budget. Most teams never notice it. There is a moment in every program design process that most teams rush past. It happens early, usually in the first planning meeting, when the energy is high and the financing has just come through. Someone opens a laptop, pulls up last year's workplan, and says: "Let's start with what we know works," and just like that, the most important design decision has already been made. Without anyone reali
2 min read
Movement Building - A Response To Addressing Social Issues
Building a movement is a challenging but rewarding endeavour. Movements aren’t spontaneous uprisings but carefully cultivated ecosystems of shared purpose, collective action, and unwavering determination. They take time, effort, and strategic planning, but the rewards (real, impactful change) are worth it. The fight for justice has a rich history, filled with movements that have shaped our world. Let's explore the evolution of movements and the inspiring lessons they offer. G
6 min read
Insights into facilitating social change processes.
Recently, I've been busy facilitating team reflections, learnings, and conversations that aim to reskill, adapt practices, and establish common agendas for significant social impact at both individual and collective levels. Facilitation is an emerging profession that relies on the art of promoting collective thought and action and the science of acquiring knowledge while appreciating learning. While it seems easy to balance these aspects, the truth is that different sessions,
2 min read
The Future of Work in Social Impact and the Development Industry
Another year-round, the sun begins; it is another opportunity to grow, build, and strengthen social impact work. The world of social impact and development work is constantly evolving, and the future of this field is likely to be even more dynamic and challenging than the present. The future of social impact and development work is bright, but it will take work. We need to be prepared to embrace change, learn from our mistakes, and work together to provide solutions to develo
2 min read
The Value of Giving
'Let's create the value chain that makes giving today an investment for tomorrow's change.' As we actively and generously get into the giving season, one is marvelled and impressed with the diverse and innovative ways in which our giving practices, indigenous and modern, have continued to draw attention to the importance of generosity in promoting social change. Year in, and year out, giving campaigns like Giving Tuesday, and religious events like Diwali and Christmas continu
1 min read
Equipping gender-based AYT Gender Agenda
Equipping gender-based institutions in East Africa with the required skills toward social and economic reintegration. • Advising and engaging the government on socio-economic strategies that will address current hindrances of women and the girl-child’s engagement in development. • Encouraging the government to incorporate women in leadership and decision-making positions. • Advocate for the creation of laws and policies that will protect the girl child from social injustices.
1 min read
Building Strategies for Long-term Citizen Engagement
Building Strategies for Long-term Citizen Engagement Citizen engagement is not just about informing citizens about their rights and responsibilities, it's also about supporting citizens to identify strategies for sustained involvement in governance processes. According to Afrobarometer’s Round 8 findings in Kenya, while 73% of citizens believe that active participation in governance is essential, fewer than half feel empowered to influence government decisions. This gap highl
2 min read
Strategies to Strengthen Community Engagement in Social Accountability
Strategies to Strengthen Community Engagement in Social Accountability "The wearer of the shoe knows where it pinches." This adage resonates deeply when we consider the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) in addressing societal challenges. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to solving the problems facing their communities. They have a deep understanding of their context, the needs of the people, and the available reso
1 min read
The Elasticity of CSOs
Recent conversations on building resilient organisations @partnersglobal brought this proverb to life. Recognizing that as non-profit actors, we have relied on our past experiences, and our context of working – in addressing the changing dynamics we face in addressing social challenges and injustices. Well rightfully so, as this is what has grown our work, built our legitimacy, and established our brand. Emerging issues present new challenges, that neither our past experience
1 min read
What is your organisation’s anatomy? Integrating new learning's in organisation strategy
In the last few months, I have had the opportunity to facilitate processes to support non-profit organisations to integrate key learnings, knowledge, and skills into their organisations #resiliencepractices #socialaccountability #MELpractices. In my reflections on the conversations and concerns raised, it is evident that we need to be cognizant of our organisation’s structure and how decisions are made. Organizations have the structure of a board, senior management, and staff
1 min read
Exploring alternative models for Civil Society Resourcing
Do you think that the development aid system at its core is disempowering? We began discussing this question at the 8th East African Philanthropy Conference. The breakout session “From the system we have to the system we want: how can community philanthropy pave the way for fostering people power?” was a conversation spurred by Foundations' research on Re-imagining civil society resourcing in Tanzania.No anonymous agreement… Some felt yes because it does not benefit the const
2 min read
Networking as a tool for advancing policy advocacy
Networking has been used for years to advance development agendas. Increasingly, it has moved from being an option to a must-have tool for engagement. The demand for better policies, which lead to better management of resources, has been partly responsible for this paradigm shift. Act! recognizes networking as a key tool for policy advocacy and continues to support its partners in establishing effective advocacy networks. While the role of non-state actors in working with com
2 min read
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