Understanding from a practitioner’s perspective how SFD organizations can more effectively manage themselves for sustainability and meaningful impact in the field, whilst attracting more funders.

Global representation of SFD organizations from 28 countries and 6 continents.

SFD practitioners who are active in the field, from high and middle-income countries, and who offer a variety of programmes.

Status and pressing issues for SFD organizations entail three critical areas:

• Debates of evidence –
  • avoid anecdotal or evangelical views that overstate positive outcomes;
  • be realistic and use objective evaluators for robust evaluation and evidence.
• Develop and sustain quality partnerships –
  • engage with multiple private and public partners to reach (shared) objectives;
  • find an enabling environment for programme implementation;
  • be aware of power relations between partners.
• Organizational capacity –
  • ‘…refers to the organization’s ability to reach its planned objective or social mission through
    the use of internal and external resources.’ (p. 39)
  • need for professional training and managerial skill set, also (in-house) leadership training.

• Enhance sustainability of organization, delivering of sustainable quality programmes and evidence to build a case for the field of SFD.
• Have passion for sport and for development work (for the cause and target groups),.
• Gain experience before action – consider options in context and learn from others (do not try to reinvent the wheel) and build networks.
• Engage with professional development – mentorship, leadership and HR training, plan for succession.
• Establish academic partnerships – for education and training, evaluations and research.
• Development of a professional and entrepreneurial mind set – have a business orientation and skills.
• Optimise usage of online resources – use technology, access online platforms and tools, connect with other organizations and role players in the field. Use social media to reach supporters.

Successful and professional SFD organizations:

• have multiple, diverse partners to ensure sustainability and success, whilst having to manage different partners differently;
• have an entrepreneurial orientation to navigate change and gain access to funders;
• engage with academia to ensure objective learning, optimal programme management/delivery and design;
• engage in networking with others and share learnings and information;
• find real evidence of how programmes work and what make them successful in a particular context, while considering management and programme delivery as important for social change.

As a practitioner, how do you see the future to be of SFD work in your environment (locally), in your country and globally?

What advice would you give other organizations in the field on lessons learnt about “better” management?