Summary of Today's Training Many grassroots leaders feel their local relationships are not enough to fund their program, so they need outside donors. The best way to meet outside donors is networking, which means meeting ...

Summary of this Fundraising Training Most grassroots fundraising begins with relationships, not strangers. Large nonprofits often fundraise for years from an existing donor list. If you do not have a list like that, start with ...

Summary of This Fundraising Training Many community leaders feel intimidated by fundraising or discouraged by past attempts. Confidence comes before skill. It is the foundation of becoming a successful fundraiser. Learn fundraising by observing other ...

As Cultivate celebrates 10 years of equipping local leaders for community-led social change, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on what comes next. Over the past decade, conversations about localization have gained ...

Localization is the process of shifting decision-making power, resources, and responsibility to local actors, ensuring that communities have the lead role in shaping their futures. Community-led development empowers local people to be the drivers of change, rather ...

In recent years, the international development sector has seen a significant shift towards what is known as “localization.” This movement focuses on transferring decision-making power, resources, and responsibilities to local actors and communities in the ...

The movement toward localization has been gaining momentum, driven by the belief that community-led development and decision-making should be at the heart of effective aid. However, localization isn’t without its critics. Some argue that certain ...

For localization to truly take root, community-led organizations in the Global South must be prepared to operate within the standards, norms, and expectations of the Global North - until they have enough power to change ...

As the movement for localization continues to grow within the international development sector, the emphasis on empowering local actors and transferring decision-making power to the Global South has sparked necessary change. However, there remains a ...

Localization is not just about improving the effectiveness of aid; it is also a crucial part of the broader movement to decolonize the aid sector. Decolonization, in this context, means examining and addressing the historical ...

One of the key benefits of localization in international development is its ability to break cycles of dependency that can trap communities in a perpetual state of need. Too often, aid programs follow a model ...

For too long, the international development sector has been built on a model where people in positions of power, often located far from the communities they aim to help, have decided what happens to everyone ...

In today’s rapidly advancing world, access to knowledge is often regarded as the key to power. For centuries, marginalized communities have faced obstacles in obtaining that knowledge due to systemic injustices, lack of infrastructure, and ...

Poverty tourism, often called “slum tourism” or “voluntourism,” has become a trend where tourists visit impoverished areas to witness hardship firsthand. The motivation behind this practice may vary; some are drawn by curiosity, while others ...

Storytelling is a powerful tool that shapes how we view the world. When we share the stories of others, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized, we carry a responsibility. Whether we are deciding how ...

At Cultivate, we believe in thriving communities that are empowered to fight poverty and injustice on their own terms. Our vision is to create an environment where communities in the Global South have the knowledge, ...

The Injustice of Words The terminology we use can significantly impact how we perceive and engage with different parts of the world. Terms like Global North and Global South have become more prevalent, replacing older terms like third world and developing nations. Changing ...

Many community leaders approach Cultivate asking for financial support. Though we cannot give grants or other financial support to people in our program, we do help them find a fiscal sponsor. Fiscal sponsorship is an ...

If you are an ally, donor, supporter or advocate for social change, please take the time to grow your understanding and capacity for transformative partnerships. We suggest the following to get you started. Courses Cultivate’s Introduction ...

Digital is not always best. Since our start in 2016, Cultivate’s programs have been offered online, so that anyone, anywhere, can access them. But nothing can replace true human connection, the kind that can only ...

We like to look at heroes and point to the leaders who “changed everything for the better.” If you take a moment to think of a few heroes, you might come up with names throughout ...

Robert addressing the Twegeme Walala Women's Group Robert did not have any formal training on how to effectively serve his community until working with Cultivate. His community organization is working to address extreme poverty in ...

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were given step by step instructions for our life? If we could just follow a preset plan each day? For some of us, that sounds like a dream. Wake ...

There are many challenges international development organizations face. Often, they work in a context where poverty and oppression are commonplace for most members of the community, and where the lack of infrastructure, good governance, and ...

In our community development course, we talk about asset-based community-driven development. Within this course, we explore how to best work with communities and their members to produce lasting change. As outsiders to a community, we ...

In the last few months, I have had deep and fulfilling discussions with our trainees about dependency, helplessness and empowerment. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring to look at the complexities of why people and entire ...

How Do You Manage Your Time? In our intro course, we ask our trainees to evaluate their time management. Whether you are in a culture that highly values time, or in a culture where time is ...

Africa’s potential is great and its ability to take charge of its own destiny is foundational to the continent’s future success.  However, we live in a globalized reality where power still is in the hands ...

We exist to empower and serve community leaders across the globe. They have the vision, passion, and dedication, we simply help them with the resources, knowledge and skills to help make it a reality. Learn ...

Today is a day of remembrance and mourning in the USA for the terrorist attacks that happened 18 years ago. The world changed after this event in so many ways, not only for Americans, but ...

This weekend I had the opportunity to collaborate with some very intelligent and insightful people, and was reminded that two are always better than one. A dozen is even better! On Friday night, I was ...

Perseverance is a tough lesson to learn, but in the end, it is one of the most valuable ones. It makes you stronger, more patient, and helps you embrace what is most important. For the ...

Gasilda is an 11-year-old Mozambican girl who is already pregnant by her 70-year old husband. Her story is horrific, but it must be told. Consider if she was your child. What if your poverty forced ...

Working towards something that has not yet arrived is tough. You must have a strong vision to keep you moving, and when your energy falters, you must have something to cling to just so you ...

Our Executive Director was recently featured on The Twin Cities Wellness Collective's podcast. Click below to listen! Here are a few of the topics discussed: There are so many community insiders who have potential, the commitment ...

It's all about community. Lately, I've been struggling through both personal and work issues, and this weekend I was reminded once again how it's all about the community surrounding me. When you have people who love ...

Recently I've been experiencing many life difficulties, and it makes me question my ability to continue giving all of myself to Cultivate when life pulls me in so many directions. I ask myself if I ...

When things don't go as you planned, will you lose your patience? When you have to do something you don't understand, will you get mad at yourself? These are the questions I've been asking myself ...

In the kind of work that I do, I often have to think about how language can either harm or help someone. When I'm talking to someone or come across a statement that says third ...

One of my biggest struggles as a leader is confidence. I question whether I am capable of being the kind of leader Cultivate needs me to be, and whether I can live up to the ...

I am Grace, a 27 year old Ivorian woman, who received the opportunity to come to America to study International Relations and Public Administration. My plan has always been to go back to my country ...

I was born in a small village in a Chinese southern place that was quite poor. I lived there until I was 4, when my parents moved our home to a small city, later to ...

I recently returned from a two week trip to Rwanda, where our partners Fred (Rwanda), Padox (Kenya), and Martinho (Mozambique) joined me for an intensive training focused on leadership, community development, and project sustainability. Our ...

As a new intern with Cultivate, I have been on a steep learning curve over the course of the past month. I am currently in the process of finishing my undergraduate degree in International Community ...

Intimate knowledge of a community is key. Development is an ongoing process. Commonly mistaken as charity to the “third-world” (a term we at Cultivate avoid), development, in fact, occurs in nations of all economic levels. However, ...

When I was young, I experienced some pretty terrible growing pains. My legs hurt so badly, nothing could subside the pain. But those pains led to my physical growth, which is something that I needed ...

For International Women's Day (March 8, 2017), we were able to share our stories on KFAI and are so excited to share it with you as well! Listen to hear how a history of war, ...

A few years ago, Brand South Africa ran an ad campaign about South Africa with the slogan “Alive with Possibility.” “Alive with Possibility” meant that my country still had a long way to go but ...

Dependency is not something that can be easily talked about.  It's not anything that anyone truly wants to own up to. You definitely don't brag about it. I'm sure that few ever say "I'm so ...

I just recently returned from a visit to some of the most beautiful parts of the country that I've ever seen. During this time I was able to be up close and personal with God's ...

In this journey of starting a non-profit organization, I've had to learn a lot of lessons, many of them that I did not want to have to learn. An important lesson that I'm still working through ...

Today I was listening to a podcast on childhood, and though it was not particularly addressing it, I began to think of the implications that childhood has on someone's ability to be a strong leader. The ...

A few years ago, someone pointed out to me that we all have a need, a drive, to create and bring life into the world. This deeply resonated with me, as I was struggling through ...

I’m often asked what Cultivate is, what we do, and what is my foundation for this work.  I’ll share more on this soon, but to begin I’d like to explain a bit of the theory ...