FunDza staff members and iGold Consultants
What is excellence? What does innovation look like? And, how can we build these two concepts into the fabric of our organisation?
These were questions that the FunDza team have been thinking about since the start of the year. And, we were lucky enough to have three iGOLD Consultants available to help us work through it all over two sessions in January.
FunDza has started the year on a hugely positive note: with sufficient core funding in place for the next two years that it can concentrate on building the systems that will ensure it is ready to grow and scale its impact and reach our long-term and audacious goal of reaching a million young people a month in the next five years.
But to do this, we need a solid organisational structure that is managed by a passionate and highly competent team, able to work with an eye for excellence and innovation in all that they do. And, this does mean change. Change can be hard…
FunDza has been a values-first organisation. Our six values – honesty, equality, diversity, respect, potential and compassion – have helped us to make decisions and navigate tough times. We don’t want to lose these values, but we do want to use them to help us all to reach higher and deeper in our work so that we can become the innovative and excellent organisation that our beneficiaries and our country need us to be.
The iGold Consultants helped us to unpack these concepts in a typically FunDza heart-driven and story-powered way. The first afternoon was spent sharing our stories of FunDza and how each of us became part of the organisation and what it has meant to us personally; the second session, was spent interrogating our future plans, particularly in terms of these concepts of excellence and innovation – and then exploring how they slotted in to our overall strategy for future growth.
Here is some feedback from the team on the two sessions:
“One of my blindspots is assuming that if something has been explained then we’re all on the same page! These two sessions were a wonderful opportunity for me to really look at my own assumptions as the leader, and to explore practical ways of getting everyone involved and on board with our future plans. I’m so looking forward to this year… and I am so grateful to the iGOLD consultants for their wisdom and input. It was an enriching way to start the year.”
~ Mignon Hardie
“It was good to reflect and take a moment to step back and see what it is we are doing, how we started and where we are heading. It was informative and I learned a lot about the company as a whole.”
~ Tamica Mopp
“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops facilitated by iGold Consultancy. As an organisation we are going through a period of transition; we are growing in many ways and there are some changes afoot. This can feel very exciting and quite scary at the same time. I felt quite privileged to have the iGold consultants, with their years of experience and levels of expertise, help us tease out and work through a few issues surrounding this anxiety. The sessions allowed us to connect as a team as well, which was very special because I do believe we are an organisation that cares about its people; something the consultants recognised too. I felt supported and held throughout the workshop and I came out of the sessions with a greater understanding not only of where FunDza comes from but also of where we want to go.”
~ Marche Arends
“The workshop was very informative and I learnt a lot. I got to understand the relationship between funders and NGO’s better. In my understanding, before Mignon’s explanation, funders lay terms and NGO’s must agree to all their demands for them to receive funding. iGOLD consultants gave me a space to learn more about our organisation and colleagues’ activities before joining FunDza. I felt proud to be part of FunDza and hopeful for the future.”
~ Lukhanyo Matshebelele
“The facilitators created a safe space for engagement. Everyone’s voice, ideals, views and opinions was treated with the utmost respect. This was extremely encouraging for both the “young ones” and the “old ones”. There was no sense of hierarchy whatsoever thus we were all equal. Their flexible facilitation methods made it really easy to go down memory lane of the organization as a whole. Being able to see how far we’ve come somehow brought about a sense that we can achieve our next milestones or goals. Through the reflection we were also able to see how we have development on a personal capacity or level. I really enjoyed the entire experience and the timing was just perfect as we kick off the new decade.”
~ Nandipha Tshabane
“I particularly enjoyed going down memory lane once more – hearing FunDza’s story of inception is always heartwarming. We are at a point where the trajectory of the organisation is changing slightly yet still certain on getting books into the hands of young people across South Africa, helping them fall inlove with reading and writing…to mention but a few. I felt the consultants came at the perfect time – early in the year – while our energies are still high to absorb new information that will help us to continue being a good team.”
~ Zilungile Zimela
“The workshop was really informative. I learnt so much about our organisation and how things work. I now have a clear understanding of what is expected of us as an organisation with all the changes taking place, and in the beginning it was very scary but now it feels doable and I am excited about the changes.”
~ Alonzo Naude
“I quite enjoyed the workshop with iGold, the women seemed so full of wisdom and knowledge. I liked the little activities we did and how that allowed everyone a chance to speak. It was really informative and I learnt a lot about FunDza.”
~ Amber Solomons
“The first session we had with iGold was more of an ice-breaker as it was light in content, we got to introduce ourselves and reflect on our journey at FunDza. It felt good to learn about how people joined the organisation, and I noted some commanilities in our narratives. The second session was more insightful as everyone seemed composed and ready to tackle the job at hand. It was insightful and informative as we worked in groups to resolve various tasks, and had the chance to ask questions of clarity. We unpacked new concepts and paved the way forward as we’re steering into the expansion phase. A huge thanks to the iGold facilitators for lending us an ear to listen, and for the professionalism they displayed in that two day period.”
~ Ndibulele Sotondoshe
We are happy to have had the training to help us chart our way forward as an organisation. A special thank you to the facilitators from iGold Consulting for their knowledge and expertise.