Last week our speaker was Sebastian Africano, the Executive Director of Fort Collins-based non-profit Trees, Water & People (TWP). This organization was founded in 1998 by two foresters, Richard Fox and Stuart Conway to address deforestation in Latin America. Their geographic focus began in Central America where much of the family cooking is done indoors with firewood, accelerating deforestation and serious attendant health hazards (especially premature respiratory disease). Their earliest project was the development of clean (locally produced) cookstoves. Recently, published studies done with CSU have scientifically demonstrated the health benefits of this stove as women reduce their daily exposure to smoke.
During the first part of his presentation, Sebastian took us through the difficulties and changes at the organization when he became the CEO. Although TWP made it through the pandemic largely unscathed, it experienced significant growth ($1 million to $2 million budget), increased costs, resumption of travel, expanding and changing donor-beneficiary relationships, and accelerating climate change. The organization was at a crossroads and needed to pause and redefine their priorities and how to manage growth going forward. A slide showed how the rapid growth of a nonprofit can be visualized as a ball of yarn with “too many strings attached”. This can lead to - confused messaging, competing priorities, overwhelmed staff and burnout, larger administrative structure, partner conflicts and LESS IMPACT.
The answer to recalibration and redirection seemed to be Trust Based Philanthropy which is rooted in a set of values that help advance equity, shift power, and build mutually accountable relationships. A model is the New Mexico Foundation which has successfully shifted power to grantees (Native Americans). Using this model, TWP can be driven by the stakeholders while it continues to have an open conversation between the grantees and the philanthropists.
Today TWP’s priorities are characterized by - equitable partnerships, equitable funding relationships, thought leadership and influential local organizations. The organization’s priorities are youth development, dignified livelihoods, indigenous sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and gender equity and inclusion.
Switching to more details of TWP finances, a graph illustrated the rapid growth in total revenue and payroll numbers. Expense by location reveals the focus on Central America but also projects in the US (CO, NM &SD). Management uses only 5.7 % and fundraising 10.3%.
Current and ongoing projects -
- Improved cookstoves
- Rainwater catchment
- Tree nurseries and reforestation
- Sustainable agriculture
- Dry compost latrines
- Watershed restoration
- Ecotourism