Assuming that a Civil Society Organization (CSO) has successfully measured their impact, then the next step for them could be (or perhaps should be) to upscale.
Upscaling in non-for-profit organizations is about increasing their social impact. To embark on this endeavour, a few preconditions must be in place which the most important one is organizational sustainability. And to achieve that, organizations need to arrange certain conditions among which are diversifying funding resources and increasing self-financing. In this Lunch & Learn session, Somaye Dehban – founder of Your Funding Network – walks us through the types of upscaling and elaborates on funding diversification and means of self-financing. This session is a build upon the previous session on fundraising titled “Fundraising Revisited – The hidden treasure(s) in our existing set up”; yet, if you have not attended that session, you can still benefit from the knowledge shared during this session. Throughout the session, there are opportunities for interaction, so bring along your questions.
Equal Opportunity to Thrive!
Somaye wants a world in which everyone has the equal opportunity to thrive – to realize this, she has devoted her life and career for the next decade to significantly and systematically contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. She does that by connecting unlikely allies to upscale their impact. As one of the forces and pillars for achieving the 2030 Agenda, Somaye believes in the collective power of Civil Society Organizations and through Your Funding Network provides the means for their organizational sustainability. That is an absolute requirement for them for having the ability to upscale their impact.
Somaye is currently pursuing a part-time PhD at Rotterdam School of Management in CSOs Impact Measurement and Impact Scale Up. Prior to this, Somaye has studied Applied Mathematics in Computer Sciences, Comparative Women’s Studies in Culture and Politics, Global Education: Human Rights Dimension which has equipped her with the ability to perceive challenges from multiple and diverse angles.
Somaye is actively engaged with the Dutch and Iranian political contexts: she is an ambassador of Sustainability Think Tank (Liberaal Groen) of the Dutch People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie – VVD); and works with Iranian Civic Activists on how to bring about change at their personal and local environments through Change Management.
Since 2017, Somaye has been an IVLP fellow (International Visitors Leadership Program – the premier program of the U.S. Department of States) in NGO Management & Civic Engagement. She has also been recognized for her efforts in empowering women throughout her career by Erasmus Centre for Women and Organizations and receiving the International Women’s Day Award in 2017.
Somaye serves as a member of the advisory board of several organizations such as RUG/Campus Fryslan, Nederland Filantropieland (merged with Goede Doelen Nederland), Spark Women and Netwerk VN-Vrouwenverdrag.
Somaye lives with her partner Remko and their two sons, Jeso and Robert, in the east of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
