The session aimed to build understanding of future choices and responses in South Africa, identify key capacities and actions, and highlight skills within the group. Appreciative inquiry and open space technology were used. Discussions focused on initiatives like social media networks between NGOs, leveraging strengths and skills, de-politicizing collaboration, and generating solutions through open sharing. Next steps include taking discussions forward, connecting organizations, and implementing proposals like a collaborative fundraising concert. The session sought to foster shared leadership and community among NGO representatives.

1. RMB NGO LEADERSHIP NETWORK SESSION OUTPUT
Workshop Objectives
 To build a shared understanding of our future choices and responses in
South Africa
 To identify key capacities and actions in order to pursue our preferred
future options
 To highlight those skills, capacities and interests which exist in this group
to help us move in this preferred direction
 To create an environment, to share these valuable contributions to the
benefit of all participants
 To clarify the way forward in order to sustain and build on this sharing,
and create a community of practice
Workshop Principles
 The leadership and capacity we need is already in this room
 We encourage listening with curiosity, and being ok with not necessarily
knowing the answer
 Ask for what you need and offer what you can
 There are no experts, only learners and practitioners
Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry is a strategy for intentional change that identifies the
best of ‘what is’ to pursue dreams and possibilities of ‘what could be’; a
cooperative search for strengths, passions and life-giving forces that are
found within every system and that hold potential for inspired, positive
change. (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987)
Assumptions
 In every community something works
 What we focus on becomes our reality
 Reality is created in the moment—there is more than one reality
 The act of asking questions influences the community in some way
 People have more confidence and comfort to journey into the future
when they carry forward parts of the past
o If we carry forward parts of the past, they should be what is best
o It is important to value differences
o The language we use creates our reality
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2. Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry
“Felt Need” identification of the Appreciating and valuing the best of
problem “what is”
Analysis of causes Envisioning “what might be”,
Dialoguing “What should be”
Analysis of possible solutions Innovating “What will be”
Basic assumption: an
Basic assumption: an organisation is a
organisation is a problem to be
mystery to be embraced.
solved.
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3. General flow of an Appreciative Inquiry process:
Appreciative inquiry can be done as a longer structured process going
through phases of:
 Discovery: identifying organisational processes that work well.
 Dream: envisioning processes that would work well in the future.
 Design: Planning and prioritising those processes.
 Delivery: implementing the proposed design.
The basic idea is to build organisations around what works, rather than trying
to fix what doesn't.
Resource: http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/
Dialogue Interviews
The aim of the dialogue interview is to try to come to see through the eyes of
the other person, and to create connection. In the best dialogue interviews,
the interviewee comes to realize they know something they didn’t know
they knew, or they come to realizations about
what they must do – they have A-ha
experiences.
Guidelines for Dialogue Interviews
 Invite their story
 Connect heart to heart
 Monitor your listening
 Seek to understand patterns
 Notice energy and go with the flow
 Generative silence
 Leave the door open
Appreciative Dialogue Questions
People engaged with each other in pairs around these questions
 Think of a story of your work, when you felt happy/excited/fulfilled
 What was it about your own leadership that made that story what it was?
 As you consider this story and what you do now, what do you think you
might have to offer this network of people contributing to the Walk
Together Scenario?
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4. Open Space Session Technology
The goal of an Open Space Technology meeting is to create time and space
for people to engage deeply and creatively around issues of concern to
them. The agenda is set by people with the power and desire to see it
through. Typically, Open Space meetings result in transformative
experiences for the individuals and groups involved. It is a simple and
powerful way to catalyze effective working conversations and to truly invite
organisations to thrive in times of swirling change.
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5. Principles of Open Space:
 Whoever comes are the right people
 Whenever it starts is the right time
 Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
 When it’s over it’s over
The Law of Two Feet: If you find
yourself in a situation where you
are not contributing or learning,
move somewhere where you can.
PASSION & RESPONSIBILTY
The four principles and the law work to create a powerful event motivated by
the passion and bounded by the responsibility of the participants.
Roles in Open Space:
 Host—announce and host a workshop
 Participant—participate in a workshop
 Bumble bee—“shop” between workshops
 Butterfly—take time out to reflect
General flow of an Open Space meeting:
The group convenes in a circle and is welcomed by the sponsor.
The facilitator provides an overview of the process and explains how it
works. The facilitator invites people with issues of concern to come into the
circle, write the issue on a piece of paper and announces it to the group.
These people are "conveners." Each convener places their paper on the wall
and chooses a time and a place to meet. This process continues until there
are no more agenda items.
The group then breaks up and heads to the agenda wall, by now covered
with a variety of sessions. Participants take note of the time and place for
sessions they want to be involved in.
Dialogue sessions convene for the rest of the meeting. Recorders
(determined by each group) capture the important points and post the
reports on the news wall. All of these reports will be harvested in some way
and returned to the larger group.
Following a closing or a break, the group might move into ‘convergence’, a
process that takes the issues that have been discussed and attaches action
plans to them to "get them out of the room."
The group then finishes the meeting with a closing circle where people are
invited to share comments, insights and commitments arising from the
process.
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6. Resource: www.openspaceworld.org
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7. Our open space question:
What idea do you have that you wish to explore with others here in support of the ‘Walk Together’ Scenario?
Round One
1. If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat
2. Time is against all of us
3. Leveraging off the pain
4. Initiating social media networks between NGO’s
5. I want to start a drop in centre for kids. I need help
6. What of SA’s past should we take forward and what should we leave
behind?
Round Two
1. How do we bring together different interests?
2. Database of organisation strengths & needs
3. De-politicize the walk together?
4. Generosity of spirit to share lessons will bring about appropriate solutions
5. Collaborating all our skills together in a performances/concert and create
a fundraising platform for all NGO’s
Round 1
1. If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat
Convenor: Inge Walters
Participants: Erica, S’bo, Karla, Theo, Janet, Stacey, Thérèse,
Karen
Key insights:
 Trust the impossible
 Be bold, get out of the comfort zone not for you but your cause = put
fears aside
 Power of people’s stories = smaller groups + people
 Passion makes the difference, belief, trust, persistence & take the first
step
 Act as if you already have the courage
 Not all about me - sometimes we don’t try because …
 Focus on the positive
 Leave life jacket at home
What needs to happen next?
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8.  Share your “impossible” story and if you don’t
have one think of what yours could be
 Use social network to share good news = Facebook
profile for this group
Who is responsible?
 Each person
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9. 2. Time is against us (Leveraging off the pain)
Convenor: Oupa Mabena
Participants: Dawn, Elizabeth, Jerry
Key insights:
 Sometimes we need to take a step back to reassess
versus rushing in. Other times we need to take risks
 “Time is against us” - Problem
 Therefore “Make the most of every opportunity.” Future state
 With awareness of time pressures
 Invest differently/ use time differently
 Make time profitable/ fruitful
 Focus more on solution vs blaming- it wastes time
 What you do with time doesn’t’ just impact on you- consider the impact
on others as well. How can we collectively use our time
 There are certain things that we cannot challenge time on (i.e. months to
have a baby; if a baby comes 6 months; chances of survival are
decreased)
 It takes 100 years to grow an oak tree & 6 months to grow a butternut!
Which do we want (want others) to be
What needs to happen next?
 Corporate need to get involved with learners while they in school VS only.
Who is responsible?
 Each of us - as it is relevant to our lives
4. Initiating social media network between NGO’s
Convenor: Simangele Mabena
Participants: Sharanjeet, Ann, Jillian, Gerard, Peter, Jillian, Francois
Key insights:
 If they’re so many social websites, which do you use?
 Facebook more accessible but open to abuse
 Long-term plan to privatise our Facebook account
 Linked-in / skills universe
 Intentional social media platform-
only open to NGO’s
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10.  How do we sustain the momentum? We need to share in the process
 Are we promoting ‘Walk together’?
 What type of communication do we need?
 We need to have intentionality in media activist
 Look at how Obama used social media into real context
What needs to happen next?
 Get email addresses of NGO’s @ RMB to send out to feelers- are people
keen to join?
Who is responsible?
 Simangele (to initiate) and get Sharanjeet to send me stories about her
organisation in relation to real stories/reports
 Anni (to sustain) - to keep us in contact of what is going on in the
fundraising world
6. What of SA’s past do we take forward and what do we leave behind?
Convenor: Victoria
Participants: Kelvin, Dave, Melusi, Pontsho, Ilka, Mokibelo, Nonhlanhla
Key insights:
 What gets communicated about the past e.g. Youth day - drunken parties
(missed the point)
 Need to build a deeper understanding of the past and how it affects us
today
 Have we forgotten our past? (complacency now)
 Today’s struggle - poverty/unemployment/hopelessness – develop
peers to share messages (role models for the youth)
 How do we counter negative role models e.g. criminals
 We need to keep the stories alive
 Education is key (need to get that right)
 Identify the strengths/potential within poor
communities
What needs to happen next?
 Take the knowledge of the past (strengths) to take
things forward
 A family structure is key if we are to succeed
 Motivate the kids
 Time frame?
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11. Who is responsible?
 All of us
 Our NGO community work- we can make the difference
Round Two
1. How do we build together different interest?
Convenor: S’bo Vilakazi
Participants: Debbie, Jerry, Keri, Jillian, Francois, Melusi,
Loura
Key insights:
 Common denominator- integrated process
 Forums bring different interest together- look for pockets of opportunity
 All have the same goal
 Trust- big challenge/limited resources (we’re in survival mode)
 Working together – leverage resources, increase reach, share skills –
stronger voice eg lobbying government (strength in numbers)
 Don’t know what other organisations are doing
What needs to happen next?
 Keeping this discussion going/ practice outside of the
workshop
 Networking /connect to each other/opportunities
including social networks/ databases
 Share skills - learning from each other
Who is responsible?
 Everyone of us: accountability
 Talk to each other! Private enterprises also need to talk to each other
2. Creating a Database for NGO’s
Convenor: Peter France
Participants: Karla, Yvette, Ilka
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12. Key insights:
 Experiences
 Skills
 Communication
 Cross pollination
 Links in common interest
 Needs
 Geographical situation
 NGO’s to upgrade their info
What needs to happen next?
 Research existing databases. To establish database where NGO’s input
their info in light of above & to keep base relevant. ‘Walk together.’
Who is responsible?
 Need a volunteer to run with the idea & implement
3. De-politizing the walk together
Convenor: David Rossouw
Participants: Theo, Mokibelo, Stacey, Elizabeth,
Judy, Oupa
Key insights:
 We need a collective voice as NGO’s
 Get info out as to what we are doing
 Focus on being the mutual voice, resistance force (we need to play an
advocacy role)
 Politicians will do what politicians do
 We need to set the youth thinking critically
 Education is key to the process
 Share methodologies (knowledge etc. collaborate)
 What divided us in the past needs to be used to unite us
 What is stopping us today to work against the weakness
that we see
 Sometimes political issues need to be faced
 Look for the good
 None of this walking together can happen unless SA
develops as a true democracy
What needs to happen next?
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13.  Develop advocacy role - politics won’t disappear
 We need more acute engagement
 Advocacy development to humankind (become upon to
one another)
Who is responsible?
 As NGO’s – ‘to prove’ – we can walk together
 Make sure what we preach is what we practice
4. Generosity of spirit in sharing lessons will find appropriate solutions
Convenor: Sharanjeet Shan
Participants: Janet, Gerard, Pontso, Smangele, Erica, Kelvin
Key insights:
 Dilemmas/when we leave, sustainability- great concern
 Civil society/ Government state departments have not come to the party
 Take a government official to work day
 Humility & Openness
 Change – thank you
 Fundraising relationship
building. Engagement
 Social media website
 SETA’s are very difficult to
talk to
 Strength in numbers
 Collective
 ISASA lobbies government member pay for the rights to secure
 More budget on research, independent reviews- publish - Foreigner do
this well
What needs to happen next?
 Media/ Twitter/Facebook/Ning- talk to each other
Who is responsible?
 Everyone; Simangele & Annie
5. Collaborating of skill for a concert performance and create a
fundraising for all RMB NGO’s
Convenor: Anni Wolf
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14. Participants: Yvonne, Simangele
Key insights:
 Collaborating between all performing arts companies sponsored by RMB
in an RMB concert.
 Showcasing the good work RMB is supporting it will showcase all NGO’s
talents e.g. Collaboration of The Black Tie Ensemble, Sibikwa, JHB
Orchestra, Vuyani Dance, SA Ballet Theatre etc.
What needs to happen next?
 Contact NGO’s
 Approach RMB
 Create Proposal
Blank Slate (a meeting of butterflies)
Convenor: Dawn Phillips
Participants: Inge, Thérèse, Karen
Key insights:
 WWF South Africa- would like Inge & Dawn to facilitate on insights
workshop for all NGO reps ( this group)
 WWF- needs change management
o What about RMB imparting their knowledge i.e. someone like
Dawn can come & teach CM or assist in some way
o WWF can then also impair knowledge from an environmental
perspective
What needs to happen next?
 Dawn & Inge are accredited through insights
 Yvette & Ilka arrange another workshop so we can do it!
 Dawn, Yvette & IIka to discuss
Who is responsible?
 Dawn to facilitate
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15. 15

16. NEEDS & GENERAL FEEDBACK:
Needs
 Workshop in Governance
 Networking
 60 donated used white shirts (please contact Yvette, whoever made this
request?)
 Fundraising: I would really love to know more about the how’s, where
we go & what we do
 Maybe do a short 5 minutes slot on what RMB funds, and why?
 Please can you share everyone’s contact details & copies of the
PowerPoint
 Branding (our) company and bridging the gap in different NGO’s: Share
skills
Feedback – Thank you very much! No really… Thank YOU… No really…
 An enriching, stimulating and engaging workshop. So much to think
about, so much to take forward...walking together...
 The opportunity to attend your very well organised and well put together
NGO session... I thoroughly enjoyed it, found it most thought provoking,
very interactive and when I left I was more positive than when I arrived on
Wednesday morning about where we as individuals and as a country
should be heading… Also for the Jim Collins book which I am looking
forward to reading in due course.
 The awesome training, meals and networking with others. Thanks for
making a difference.
 The sessions are very empowering – keep them coming. We are moving
closer to the real “walk together”.
 It is awesome to get to know other NGO’s who are not involved in feed.
WOW thanks.
 The food and camaraderie is very encouraging and makes one feel very
excited about our NGO. I love the buzz, excitement, challenges. Most of
all to think outside the box get out of the boat and walk on the water.
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17. Thank YOU, our Partners, for your continued support of this ever changing
RMB NGO Leadership Network initiative! Your attendance, participation,
enthusiasm and commitment to this process, and more importantly to your
respective organisations and the good work you do, is what makes each
programme a success. See you again in the not-too-distant future! ~ Ilka,
Happy & Yvette ~
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