Our Partnership Philosophy

At First Web Foundation, we believe that meaningful development requires meaningful partnerships. Since our inception, networking and partnership building have been central to our mission of empowering nonprofits across Africa with essential digital tools and skills.

Our approach to partnerships isn’t just about finding organisations that can help us achieve our goals. Instead, we focus on building relationships that create mutual value, advance shared missions, and ultimately serve the under-resourced nonprofits we’re all committed to supporting.

In this article, you’ll discover how we’ve built our current network of partnerships, what we look for in potential collaborators, and how our networking and partnership approach has enabled us to reach thousands of nonprofits across Africa. You’ll also learn about our key partners and how their missions align with ours to create greater impact together.

Our Mission and the Need for Strategic Partnerships

First Web Foundation exists to bridge the digital divide that prevents African nonprofits from reaching their full potential. We provide free websites, digital skills training, and ongoing support to small and under-resourced nonprofits across sub-Saharan Africa.

However, we recognised early on that no single organisation could address all the challenges facing African nonprofits in the digital space. This realisation drove us to develop a comprehensive networking and partnership strategy that would multiply our impact and create a supportive ecosystem for the organisations we serve.

Why Networking and Partnership Matter for Our Mission

The nonprofits we work with face complex challenges that require diverse solutions. A women’s cooperative in Kenya might need not just a website, but also digital marketing training, access to cloud-based tools, and leadership development support. No single organisation can provide all these services effectively.

Through strategic networking and partnership building, we can offer comprehensive support that addresses nonprofits’ varied needs. When we partner with organisations like Executive Edge Coaching and Training, we can provide leadership development alongside digital skills training. When we work with TechSoup South Africa, we can offer discounted software solutions alongside our website building services.

Creating Sustainable Impact Through Collaboration

Our networking and partnership approach also ensures that our impact is sustainable and scalable. By working with established organisations that have their own resources and expertise, we can serve more nonprofits without simply expanding our own staff and infrastructure.

This collaborative model has allowed us to support over 2,000 nonprofits while maintaining our focus on quality and personalised service. It’s a model that we believe can scale to reach our goal of supporting 10,000 nonprofits by 2030.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation’s mission to support African nonprofits requires strategic partnerships that provide comprehensive solutions and create sustainable impact. Our collaborative approach multiplies our reach while maintaining quality service.

How We Build Meaningful Networking and Partnership Relationships

Building successful partnerships requires more than just finding organisations with similar missions. At First Web Foundation, we’ve developed a systematic approach to networking and partnership building that focuses on creating genuine value for all parties involved.

Our Partnership Selection Criteria

We look for partners who share our commitment to supporting under-resourced nonprofits and bring complementary expertise to our network. The most successful partnerships are those where both organisations can contribute unique strengths whilst benefiting from the relationship.

When evaluating potential partners, we consider several factors. Does the organisation have a proven track record of supporting nonprofits? Do they share our values around accessibility and inclusivity? Can they provide services or resources that complement our offerings? Are they committed to long-term collaboration rather than just one-off projects?

Building Trust Through Shared Values

Trust is the foundation of all successful partnerships. We’ve found that the strongest partnerships develop when organisations share similar values and approaches to supporting nonprofits, even if their specific services differ.

For example, our partnership with Google for Nonprofits works well because both organisations are committed to making powerful tools accessible to nonprofits regardless of their size or budget. This shared commitment to accessibility creates a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration.

Starting Small and Growing Gradually

We prefer to start partnerships with small, low-risk collaborations that allow both organisations to learn about each other’s working styles and capabilities. This approach reduces the risk of misunderstandings and helps build the trust necessary for larger collaborations.

Our partnership with Microsoft for Nonprofits began with a simple referral arrangement where we directed nonprofits to their donation programme. As we learned more about their services and they understood our approach to supporting African nonprofits, we developed more comprehensive ways to work together.

Maintaining Long-term Relationships

Building initial partnerships is just the beginning. The most valuable partnerships are those that evolve and deepen over time. We invest significant effort in maintaining relationships with our partners through regular communication, mutual support, and shared celebration of successes.

We schedule regular check-ins with key partners, share relevant opportunities and resources, and look for ways to support their work even when we’re not actively collaborating on specific projects. This ongoing investment in relationship building has created a network of trusted partners who are always ready to collaborate when opportunities arise.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation builds meaningful partnerships by selecting organisations with shared values, starting with small collaborations, and investing in long-term relationship maintenance. Trust and mutual benefit are the foundations of our networking and partnership approach.

Our Key Partners and Their Missions

Over the years, we’ve built partnerships with several highly respected organisations that share our commitment to supporting nonprofits with technology and capacity building. Each partnership brings unique value whilst advancing our common goal of strengthening the nonprofit sector.

The Power of Collective Impact

While each partnership brings unique value, the real power comes from the collective impact of our entire network. When nonprofits work with multiple partners in our network, they receive comprehensive support that addresses various aspects of their development needs.

Consider the story of Amara, a nonprofit leader in Ghana who participated in our website building programme. Through our partnership network, she also accessed discounted software through TechSoup South Africa, received Google Workspace training, learned to create professional graphics with Canva for Nonprofits, connected with volunteers through Aid Hub, and had her organisation’s success story featured in ThisAbility Newspaper. She also participated in leadership development sessions with Executive Edge. This comprehensive support helped her organisation grow from serving 50 women to reaching over 300 women in just eighteen months.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation’s key partnerships with TechSoup South Africa, Google for Nonprofits, Microsoft for Nonprofits, Executive Edge Coaching and Training, Canva for Nonprofits, Aid Hub, and ThisAbility Newspaper create a comprehensive support ecosystem for African nonprofits. Each partner brings unique value whilst advancing our shared mission.

Facilitating Knowledge Sharing Through Networking and Partnership

One of the most valuable aspects of our networking and partnership approach is the knowledge sharing that occurs between organisations. By bringing together diverse partners and the nonprofits they serve, we create opportunities for learning and innovation that benefit the entire sector.

Collaborative Workshops and Training Sessions

We regularly facilitate workshops, seminars, and training sessions that bring together our partners and the nonprofits we serve. These events create opportunities for knowledge sharing, relationship building, and collaborative problem-solving.

For example, our quarterly digital skills workshops often feature presentations from multiple partners. TechSoup might present on software donations, whilst Executive Edge shares insights on digital leadership. These collaborative sessions provide more comprehensive learning experiences than any single organisation could offer alone.

Cross-Partner Learning Opportunities

Our networking and partnership approach also creates learning opportunities for the partner organisations themselves. When partners work together on joint projects, they learn from each other’s expertise and approaches.

This cross-partner learning has led to innovations in how we support nonprofits. For instance, our collaboration with Google for Nonprofits and Executive Edge led to the development of training modules that combine digital skills with leadership development, creating more effective capacity building programmes.

Creating Communities of Practice

Through our partnerships, we’ve helped create communities of practice where nonprofit leaders can learn from each other’s experiences. These communities provide ongoing support and networking opportunities that extend beyond formal training programmes.

Our partners often participate in these communities, sharing their expertise and learning from the nonprofit leaders they serve. This creates a virtuous cycle of learning and improvement that benefits everyone involved.

Sharing Best Practices and Innovations

We actively document and share best practices and innovations that emerge from our partnerships. This knowledge sharing helps other organisations improve their own programmes and contributes to the broader nonprofit sector’s development.

For example, our partnership with TechSoup South Africa has generated insights about how to effectively introduce technology to under-resourced nonprofits. We’ve shared these insights through blog posts, conference presentations, and peer-to-peer learning sessions.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation’s networking and partnership approach facilitates knowledge sharing through collaborative workshops, cross-partner learning, communities of practice, and best practice documentation. This creates ongoing learning opportunities that benefit the entire nonprofit sector.

Measuring Success in Our Networking and Partnership Efforts

Successful partnerships require ongoing evaluation and improvement. At First Web Foundation, we’ve developed approaches to measuring the success of our networking and partnership efforts that help us understand what’s working and what needs adjustment.

Quantitative Impact Measures

We track several quantitative measures of our partnership success, including the number of nonprofits served through each partnership, the value of resources provided, and the reach of collaborative programmes.

Through our partnership with TechSoup South Africa, we’ve helped over 400 nonprofits access discounted software worth more than $2 million. Our collaboration with Google for Nonprofits has resulted in over 300 nonprofits receiving free Google Workspace access and advertising grants worth over $500,000. Our partnership with Canva for Nonprofits has enabled over 200 nonprofits to access professional design tools, whilst Aid Hub has connected dozens of our partner nonprofits with essential resources and volunteers.

Qualitative Partnership Outcomes

Numbers tell only part of the story. We also evaluate partnerships based on qualitative outcomes like improved service quality, enhanced organisational capacity, and strengthened relationships within the nonprofit sector.

Our partnership with Executive Edge has led to more effective leadership among the nonprofits we serve, resulting in better strategic planning, improved staff management, and more sustainable operations. These improvements are harder to quantify but create lasting value for the organisations involved.

Partner Satisfaction and Engagement

We regularly survey our partners to understand their satisfaction with our collaboration and their ideas for improvement. This feedback helps us strengthen existing partnerships and improve our approach to future collaborations.

The feedback we receive consistently emphasises the value of our collaborative approach and the quality of the nonprofits we bring to partnership programmes. Partners appreciate working with organisations that are committed to learning and growth.

Long-term Relationship Development

We also measure success by the longevity and depth of our partnerships. The strongest partnerships are those that evolve and deepen over time, creating increasing value for all parties involved.

Our partnerships with TechSoup South Africa and Google for Nonprofits have both grown stronger over three years of collaboration. We’ve moved from simple referral arrangements to co-designed programmes that leverage each organisation’s strengths.

Sector-Wide Impact

Finally, we evaluate our partnerships based on their contribution to broader sector development. The most successful partnerships are those that create benefits beyond the immediate participants and contribute to positive changes in the nonprofit sector as a whole.

Our collaborative approach to supporting African nonprofits has influenced other organisations to adopt similar partnership models. Several funders have specifically mentioned our partnership approach as a factor in their funding decisions.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation measures networking and partnership success through quantitative impact measures, qualitative outcomes, partner satisfaction, long-term relationship development, and sector-wide impact. This comprehensive evaluation approach helps us continuously improve our collaborative efforts.

Expanding Our Networking and Partnership Network

As we work towards our goal of supporting 10,000 nonprofits by 2030, we’re actively seeking to expand our network of partnerships. We’re particularly interested in connecting with organisations that can help us reach more nonprofits, provide additional services, or enhance the quality of our existing programmes.

Identifying Partnership Opportunities

We continuously scan the nonprofit support landscape for organisations that share our values and could contribute to our mission. This includes technology companies, capacity building organisations, funders, and other nonprofits working in complementary areas.

Our ideal partners are organisations that demonstrate a genuine commitment to supporting under-resourced nonprofits, have relevant expertise or resources to contribute, and are interested in long-term collaboration rather than one-off projects.

Geographic Expansion Goals

While we’re proud of our partnerships in South Africa and globally, we’re particularly interested in developing more partnerships with organisations based in other African countries. These partnerships would help us better understand local contexts and provide more culturally appropriate support.

We’re actively seeking partnerships with organisations in countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania, where we serve significant numbers of nonprofits but currently lack local partner presence.

Sector-Specific Partnership Opportunities

We’re also interested in developing partnerships with organisations that specialise in specific sectors where many of our nonprofits work. For example, partnerships with organisations focused on healthcare, education, or environmental conservation could help us provide more targeted support.

These sector-specific partnerships would allow us to develop specialised training programmes and resources that address the unique challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits in different fields.

Innovation and Technology Partnerships

As technology continues to evolve, we’re seeking partnerships with organisations that can help us stay current with emerging tools and trends. This includes partnerships with tech companies developing nonprofit-specific solutions, research organisations studying nonprofit technology use, and innovation labs exploring new approaches to social change.

How to Partner with Us

If you believe your organisation could contribute to our networking and partnership network, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always open to conversations with like-minded organisations that share our commitment to supporting nonprofits.

We look for partners who can demonstrate alignment with our values, bring complementary expertise or resources, and are committed to long-term collaboration. We prefer to start with small pilot projects that allow both organisations to learn about each other before committing to larger partnerships.

Contact Information:

• Email: partner@firstwebfoundation.org
• Phone: +27 (0) 61 407 5200

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation is actively expanding our networking and partnership network through strategic identification of opportunities, geographic expansion, sector-specific partnerships, and innovation collaborations. We welcome conversations with organisations that share our commitment to supporting nonprofits.

Do you also want to join us in building a network with like-minded partners? Please feel free to email us.
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The Future of Our Networking and Partnership Strategy

Looking ahead, we see tremendous opportunities to expand and deepen our partnerships whilst maintaining the quality and values that have made our current collaborations successful. Our networking and partnership strategy continues to evolve as we learn from our experiences and adapt to changing needs in the nonprofit sector.

Evolving Partnership Models

We’re exploring new models of partnership that could create even greater impact. This includes developing multi-partner programmes where several organisations work together on comprehensive capacity building initiatives, and creating formal networks where partners can collaborate directly with each other.

We’re also interested in developing partnerships that include nonprofit leaders as equal partners rather than just beneficiaries. This approach would ensure that our programmes are truly responsive to the needs and priorities of the organisations we serve.

Technology-Enabled Collaboration

As technology continues to advance, we see opportunities to use digital tools to enhance our partnerships and create new forms of collaboration. This includes developing shared platforms for resource sharing, creating virtual collaboration spaces, and using data analytics to better understand partnership impact.

We’re particularly interested in exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning could help us match nonprofits with the most appropriate partners and resources, making our networking and partnership efforts more efficient and effective.

Sustainable Partnership Funding

We’re working to develop sustainable funding models for our partnerships that don’t rely solely on donor support. This includes exploring fee-for-service arrangements, shared revenue models, and corporate sponsorship opportunities that align with our values.

These sustainable funding models would allow us to expand our partnerships without constantly seeking new funding sources, creating more stability for both our organisation and our partners.

Global Knowledge Exchange

We’re excited about opportunities to facilitate knowledge exchange between our African partners and organisations in other regions. This could include creating exchange programmes, facilitating virtual collaboration, and developing joint research projects.

These global connections would help our partners learn from best practices in other regions whilst sharing their own innovations and insights with the international nonprofit community.

Chapter Recap: First Web Foundation’s future networking and partnership strategy includes evolving partnership models, technology-enabled collaboration, sustainable funding approaches, and global knowledge exchange. These developments will help us create even greater impact whilst maintaining our commitment to supporting African nonprofits.

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Recommended Resources

To learn more about effective partnership building and nonprofit collaboration, explore these valuable resources:

• Donorbox – A comprehensive online fundraising platform for nonprofits.
• TechSoup South Africa – Technology solutions for South African nonprofits.
• Google for Nonprofits – Free tools and resources for eligible nonprofits.
• Microsoft for Nonprofits – Donated and discounted Microsoft products for nonprofits.
• Executive Edge Coaching and Training – Leadership development for African nonprofits.
• Canva for Nonprofits – Free design tools for eligible nonprofits.
• Aid Hub – Platform connecting nonprofits with resources and volunteers.
• ThisAbility Newspaper – South African publication focusing on disability and inclusion.

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Support the Work of First Web Foundation

Our networking and partnership activities are central to our mission of supporting nonprofits across Africa with digital tools and resources. You can help us continue building these valuable collaborations in several ways:

Make a Donation: Your financial support helps us maintain our partnerships and develop new collaborations that benefit thousands of nonprofits. Visit our official donation page to make a secure online donation.

Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel: Watch our latest videos featuring our partners and their work by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

Follow Us on Social Media: Stay connected with our networking and partnership activities by following our Facebook page and our LinkedIn page.

Share Our Story: Help us reach potential partners by sharing this article and our other content with your network. Every share helps us connect with organisations that could contribute to our mission.

Become a Partner: If your organisation shares our commitment to supporting nonprofits, contact us at partner@firstwebfoundation.org to explore partnership opportunities, or just use our contact form here and select the subject line “Partnership & Networking.”

Your support helps us build a stronger, more connected nonprofit sector across Africa through meaningful partnerships and collaboration.

With gratitude for your partnership,
The First Web Foundation Team