Some conversations don’t just spark ideas — they ignite a movement. At the South-West Philanthropy Summit, one question hit home in a way that refused to let go:
“How can foundations collaborate — truly collaborate — to move beyond well-meaning intentions and deliver lasting, ground-up impact?”
That question didn’t just linger. It demanded an answer.
Because if philanthropy is going to matter in this decade and beyond, we must do more than show up — we must dig deep, connect the dots, and build systems that outlast us.
This is about more than funding, it’s about ecosystems. Job creation is our opportunity to shape the future — not just respond to it. As Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.’ Let’s act, together, and make it real.” and the answer requires us to confront both the complexity and the opportunity before us.
We Must Go Deeper Than the Surface
Too often, philanthropic collaborations stop at the surface. There’s energy, goodwill, and even funding — but little understanding of the realities on the ground. And without that understanding, even the best intentions can miss the mark.
At the Oladiran Olusegun Adebutu Foundation (OOA), our mission is clear: we support single or double orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), particularly those between the ages of 4–14, living in remote, hard-to-reach areas and affected by HIV/AIDS. But our model of care wasn’t built from assumptions. It was built by listening.
We discovered quickly that education, while essential, wasn’t enough. What good is a school uniform if the child hasn’t eaten? What’s the use of school fees if they’re too sick to attend? This led us to expand our work, from education to nutrition, from learning materials to healthcare, from child support to household stability.
That’s what it takes to go deep.
Collaboration Requires Cultural Intelligence
If you’re going to enter a local community, whether you’re a donor, a foreign foundation, or a government agency, you must respect the culture. You need to understand how the people live, what they value, how they learn, and where their trust lies.
For example, in some rural areas we work in, teachers instruct in Yoruba, but national exams are in English. That creates a silent disadvantage that no amount of surface-level intervention can fix. If we’re preparing young people to compete for real opportunities, our strategies must be aware of these realities, and designed to overcome them.
Collaboration, then, must begin with humility. Ask the people doing the work. Ask the teachers, caregivers, youth mentors, and grassroots leaders. What do they need? What’s working? What’s broken? And then — build together.
Ecosystem Thinking: Connecting the Dots for Lasting Impact
One powerful lesson we’ve learned at OOA Foundation is that addressing only one issue in isolation rarely brings lasting change. Our experience shows that true, sustainable impact requires us to think in terms of ecosystems, not just interventions.
This means designing our programs to be interlinked, where education, clean energy, mobility, enterprise, and community development support and reinforce one another.
- Our bicycle-to-school program doesn’t just provide transport, it improves school attendance, enhances health, and creates ripple effects for families.
- Training in clean energy isn’t just a skill program, it prepares young people to meet future workforce demands and power their communities.
- Providing small grants or equipment to caregivers connects economic empowerment to child well-being.
Every initiative becomes part of a wider support system, not a stand-alone solution, but a vital node in a network of impact.
Ecosystem thinking helps us move beyond fragmented efforts to create something deeper, more resilient, and truly transformative. And the best part? It invites others to plug in where they can add value, making collaboration not only possible, but powerful.
From Talk to Tools: What True Collaboration Looks Like
To move from good conversations to unified, impactful action, I believe every collaboration should include these core elements:
- Shared Listening Before Shared Planning
Start by identifying what’s already being done at the grassroots level. Not to take over, but to align. Foundations like ours have invested years in relationships and systems. We’re not looking for saviors, we’re looking for synergy. - Invest in Infrastructure, Not Just Events
A summit, a bootcamp, a training — they’re good. But what happens the day after? Sustainable impact requires long-term infrastructure: curriculum development, teacher training, mentorship pipelines, accessible funding for youth-led businesses, and evaluation frameworks. - Co-Design Curriculum with Employers in Mind
It’s one thing to help a young person apply for a job. It’s another to ensure they can do the job well. Collaborations must include conversations with private sector players:
What skills are you looking for?
What kind of talent do you need in 5 years?
Let’s train children now to meet that future. - Bridge the Transition from Learning to Earning
Education is just the beginning. What happens after high school? Are there internships? Summer programs? Entrepreneurship grants? Without real bridges, we leave young people stranded between hope and reality.
What Others Should Emulate
The most impactful initiatives I’ve seen are not the loudest. They are the most grounded. They come from organizations that build patiently, focus on human dignity, and stay long enough to see the work through.
I admire partnerships that:
- Support whole-person development: education, health, economic empowerment
- Engage local talent to deliver solutions
- Prioritize accountability and learning, not just reporting
- Stay flexible and responsive to evolving community needs
In Conclusion: The Real Work Begins Now
Impact is not just about the projects we launch, it’s about the lives we shape. That means putting people before programs and purpose before publicity.
If we want to build unified efforts that go beyond talk, we need to build with, not just for.
Let’s listen deeply.
Let’s build intentionally.
Let’s collaborate with humility and clarity.
Because the future we want is not going to happen by accident — we must design it, together.