Local grassroots organisations play an important role in Dominican society. They address critical social needs such as protecting our unique wildlife, supporting children’s mental health, and building support networks for marginalised communities, such as single mothers. Yet these organisations face many challenges to their operations, not least because raising funds is very difficult with teams that are entirely made up of volunteers.
To support these groups, Island Impact Ltd, a local consultancy focused on helping NGO solve local problems more systematically and sustainably, created the NGO Accelerator programme. Launched in June 2024, the NGO Accelerator has journeyed to the end with four dynamic Dominican NGOs—WildDominique, You R Queen, Breadfruit House Dominica Foundation, and the Waitukubuli Artists Association—through an intensive journey of capacity-building. The program covered essential topics such as team management, fundraising strategy, activity design, digital communications and monitoring and evaluation, while also fostering a strong spirit of collaboration and innovation among the participants.
The programme culminated on Wednesday, 2nd April, with a Strategic Networking Day, during which the four NGOs presented their strategic plans and ongoing initiatives to potential partners and supporters. Invited representatives from Republic Bank (EC) Ltd., the National Development Foundation of Dominica, and the Rotary Club of Dominica had the opportunity to meet the NGOs for constructive conversations, opening up channels for future partnerships, funding opportunities, and shared resources.
“What’s really important to us is that funders and NGOs see each other as valuable partners working toward shared goals,” said Christianna Paul, Island Impact’s Evaluation and Partnerships Manager. “Too often, NGOs are seen as just asking for help, but the truth is they’re professional organizations doing critical work. We wanted to highlight that they bring real value to the table, and that support from companies can help them do even more.”
“This kind of event is a very unique experience,” shared a board member of WildDominique. “It’s not a purely transactional interaction; it’s about finding opportunities to collaborate and use the resources, skills and expertise that exist in funders and in NGOs.”
Island Impact is looking at more innovative ways to support local grassroots organisations. Since its founding in 2021, the agency—run by a passionate two-woman team—has supported over 14 local organizations and is now setting its sights on scaling its impact even further.
