One of our challenges is being based on an island without a viable private sector , population and available Human Resources. So, the work to sustain is a truly uphill battle. For me, I’m a creative leader , I’ve worn many hats in the organisation, we needed a grant writer and operations lead. One mistake is focusing more on the outcomes and failing at building sustainable revenue streams. Failing to win government partnerships or contracts or getting support for business cases that could help subsidise operations. Our objectives were not nationally aligned which also posed a challenge.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Veta. It’s so important that you’ve been able to pinpoint not just the external challenges, but also what wasn’t working internally. A lot of organizations never even get to that level of reflection, so that’s a real strength.
One practical thing that might help going forward is thinking about how to position your work as part of the solution to the government's challenges. Sometimes it’s not just about aligning with national priorities on paper — it’s about clearly showing how what you’re doing helps them meet their own goals or solve a pressing problem they’re facing. That can open more doors for partnerships, contracts, and even policy support.
Really appreciate you sharing your journey — these are the real conversations we need to be having.
A wise suggestion. We could always do a better job at highlighting mutual benefit for sure. It becomes a little tricker when there is some future foresight work involved and the potential partner has not yet seen how critical certain work might be for generations to come. This allows us to be more creative in highlighting where we might fill a gap. Something to think about, and Thank you too for creating space for such discussions.
One of our challenges is being based on an island without a viable private sector , population and available Human Resources. So, the work to sustain is a truly uphill battle. For me, I’m a creative leader , I’ve worn many hats in the organisation, we needed a grant writer and operations lead. One mistake is focusing more on the outcomes and failing at building sustainable revenue streams. Failing to win government partnerships or contracts or getting support for business cases that could help subsidise operations. Our objectives were not nationally aligned which also posed a challenge.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Veta. It’s so important that you’ve been able to pinpoint not just the external challenges, but also what wasn’t working internally. A lot of organizations never even get to that level of reflection, so that’s a real strength.
One practical thing that might help going forward is thinking about how to position your work as part of the solution to the government's challenges. Sometimes it’s not just about aligning with national priorities on paper — it’s about clearly showing how what you’re doing helps them meet their own goals or solve a pressing problem they’re facing. That can open more doors for partnerships, contracts, and even policy support.
Really appreciate you sharing your journey — these are the real conversations we need to be having.
A wise suggestion. We could always do a better job at highlighting mutual benefit for sure. It becomes a little tricker when there is some future foresight work involved and the potential partner has not yet seen how critical certain work might be for generations to come. This allows us to be more creative in highlighting where we might fill a gap. Something to think about, and Thank you too for creating space for such discussions.