Donors Ourselves

by Janet Mawiyoo, Kenya Community Development Foundation

Download this section in .PDF form.

In 2007, KCDF will celebrate the tenth anniversary of opening its doors as a community foundation. From the beginning, it established a good base with excellent continuity and managed to retain most of its original staff for the greater part of that period at both the executive and governance levels. Consequently, KCDF successfully put in place the major elements of its operations such as an active and engaged board, a strong grantmaking and capacity building program, and a number of community endowments. KCDF illustrated that community development foundations, including the challenge of endowment building, can succeed in Africa.

During the same period, the Foundation established good systems and procedures for managing grants and donor funds. This has enabled KCDF to diversify its donor base and be recognized as a very promising institution that is committed to filling a unique gap unoccupied by any other organization in Kenya. The Foundation continues to foster a learning environment, taking stock of its achievements and challenges, consulting various stakeholders and working toward improving its operations rather than resorting to a ‘business as usual’ attitude. In late 2004, the Foundation reviewed its major operations as part of a strategic planning process, which ultimately produced a three-year strategic plan (2005-2007). This plan describes in detail where the Foundation seeks to be by the end of 2007. Following are some key elements the Foundation hopes to achieve over the coming years.