Legacy Project: NGO Leadership Development

Marking 30 years of the Zenex Foundation by investing in the next generation of education NGO leaders.

Introduction

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have long played a vital role in South African education. Before 1994, a large and vibrant NGO sector worked mostly outside the state. After 1994, many organisations moved into a supporting role alongside the new government. Over the past decade, education NGOs have worked ever more closely with government to support education delivery and improve learning outcomes. The National Development Plan’s call for collaboration between stakeholders has made their role even more important.

Even so, the sector faces serious leadership challenges. Many experienced NGO leaders are nearing retirement, which could leave a leadership gap. Most donor funding covers project costs, so little goes into organisational or staff development. Limited resources make succession planning hard. Uncompetitive salaries and few chances for career progression make it difficult to attract and keep strong candidates.

The Legacy Project was started as a special initiative to mark Zenex’s 30th anniversary. It is part of Zenex’s wider capacity-building portfolio, which also supports researchers, evaluators and education associations.

Project Overview

The Legacy Project is a two-year accelerated leadership development programme for 10 senior leaders of education NGOs. Participants are new CEOs, heads and senior managers of organisations that support basic education. The programme was shaped by a review of other capacity-building initiatives and by consultations with NGO leaders. It combines five components:

Short courses: Each participant chooses four short courses that match their needs. Areas include finance, fundraising, people management, communication, strategy, governance and partnership management.

Work-related project: Participants design, carry out and review a project that tackles a real challenge in their organisation, with support from a specialist mentor.

Leadership coaching for personal mastery: One-on-one coaching, both online and in person, builds self-awareness and self-management, and helps leaders recognise behaviours that may hold back their effectiveness.

Professional Learning Community: Participants meet regularly online to share experiences and solve problems together, and each one facilitates a session. The programme ends with an in-person reflection retreat.

International immersion visit: A 10-day peer learning visit to similar organisations abroad gives participants the chance to engage with leaders working on similar challenges in different contexts.

Over the two years, participants take part in about 35 days of activities.

Objectives

• Strengthen the leadership and management capabilities of education NGO leaders
• Help leaders turn their learning into practical results for their organisations
• Build self-awareness and confidence in leaders
• Create lasting networks of peer support among NGO leaders

Outcomes

• Improved knowledge, competence and attitudes among participating NGO leaders
• Stronger and more sustainable education organisations
• Lasting peer-to-peer support networks across the sector