By Foresee Foundation
4C Foundation is proud to announce the launch of NPOwer Saba to strengthen Saba's nonprofit and community-based organizations. This expansion is made possible through the Strengthening Families Together program, financed by Oranje Fonds and Stichting Kinderpostzegels.
NPOwer Saba is being launched by the Sea Fan Society Foundation in collaboration with Project Bureau Saba. It builds on the NPOwer model and the experience of the 4C Foundation in St. Maarten, while adapting that knowledge to Saba's own needs and context.
In Saba there’s a small but very active nonprofit sector. One of its greatest strengths is the strong sense of community on the island. Organizations, community groups and volunteers are committed to addressing needs and improving the wellbeing of the people they serve.
The NPOwer Saba team explained that because Saba is a small community, people are often very close to the issues they are trying to address. They know the families, young people, elderly residents and communities they serve, which creates a very personal commitment to the work.
Nonprofits also play an important role alongside government, particularly in youth engagement, elderly support, cultural and community activities and support for vulnerable households. There is a great deal of knowledge and experience within the community. NPOwer Saba creates an opportunity to connect that knowledge and make organizations stronger together.
Many of Saba's organizations have very committed people behind them, but commitment does not automatically give an organization all the capacity it needs. Current challenges include governance and administration, accessing and managing funding, coordination between organizations, making better use of digital tools, and recruiting and retaining volunteers.
On small islands, many people wear several hats. The person developing a project is also fundraising, writing reports, communicating with volunteers and handling administration. This is why capacity building is so critical. The team emphasized that the aim is not only to fund good projects, but also to invest in the organizations and people responsible for delivering them.
NPOwer Saba is intended to become a practical support network, offering capacity building in areas such as governance, board development, financial administration, compliance, grant writing and reporting. Equally important is creating stronger connections so organizations can share information, coordinate better and learn from one another.
The approach does not require reinventing the wheel, but it does require making the wheel work for Saba.
The recent launch brought together 12 representatives of Saba's nonprofit and community sector, community members and partners, representing more than 15 organizations involved in making NPOwer Saba possible.
It was followed immediately by the first capacity-building activity, "Intro to AI: Why AI Matters," the opening session of a four-part workshop series. Participants were introduced to a practical prompting approach based on Context + Task + Tone + Format + Constraint. They were also reminded that AI output must be checked and that personal-, donor-, client- and other sensitive-information should not be shared carelessly.
For NPOwer Saba, the goal is not technology for technology's sake, but to give small organizations practical tools to use their limited time and resources more effectively. Participants were encouraged to take one real task from their work, create a prompt, try it and refine it. This practical learning is the spirit NPOwer Saba wants people to carry back into their organizations.
A year from now, the hope is that organizations will feel more confident and better equipped to do their work. Success would mean stronger boards and governance, better administration, greater confidence in applying for and managing funding, and more collaboration and information-sharing between nonprofits. It would also mean a stronger culture of collaboration, where an organization facing a challenge knows it does not have to figure everything out alone.
The 4C Foundation and NPOwer St. Maarten wishes NPOwer Saba much success and will be looking forward to opportunities to collaborate and support nonprofits on both islands.
The NPOwer Saba team invites Saba's organizations and community members to be part of it. Organizations do not need to have everything perfectly in place before participating. The purpose of the network is to learn and grow together.
Representatives of established foundations and small community groups, volunteers and anyone with skills and knowledge to contribute are welcome.
NPOwer Saba has officially launched and is now committed to strengthening Saba's nonprofit sector and the people of Saba.
