Strengthening Ecosystems of Care for Children and Families

Project Overview

Even Ground is a philanthropic organisation that partners with community-based organisations across South Africa working in early childhood development, education, health, disability inclusion, and youth leadership. For more than two decades, its partners have supported thousands of children and families through programmes rooted in long-term community relationships and local leadership.

Pivot Collective began working with Even Ground in 2024 to support the organisation through a period of strategic reflection and organisational development. The collaboration focuses on strengthening Even Ground's ability to support its partner organisations while advancing more equitable and effective approaches to international giving.

Together, the work aims to strengthen Even Ground as both a funder and ecosystem steward, supporting community-based organisations not only through financial investment, but also through learning, knowledge sharing, and long-term relationships grounded in trust.

Our Role

Pivot works closely with the Even Ground board and partner organisations to support the organisation across several interconnected areas of strategy, learning, and communications.

The collaboration began with an initial phase focused on addressing urgent organisational needs, including partner engagement, development of storytelling and media assets for a major fundraising campaign, and strengthening Even Ground's website and communications materials. Subsequent phases have focused on deeper organisational development work, including facilitating a participatory strategic planning process, developing donor engagement systems, and working with partner organisations to design a more meaningful approach to impact measurement and learning.

A central part of this work has involved building stronger relationships across Even Ground's partner network. Pivot facilitated site visits, partner consultations, and a multi-organisation retreat designed to create space for shared reflection, peer learning, and collaborative problem-solving across the network.

Alongside this work, the Pivot team has supported Even Ground in developing storytelling and communications strategies that highlight the voices and experiences of partner organisations and the communities they serve. These narratives help demonstrate how sustained investment in community organisations creates an “ecosystem of support” in which care, knowledge, and opportunity ripple across families and communities over time.

What We're Learning

This collaboration has surfaced important lessons about how philanthropic organisations can better support community-based partners working in complex social contexts.

One key insight is that support is multidimensional. Partners consistently emphasised that meaningful support extends beyond financial resources to include relational trust, opportunities for learning, practical infrastructure support, and spaces where organisations can speak openly about challenges without fear of jeopardising funding relationships.

The work has also reinforced the importance of shifting from compliance-driven reporting toward learning-focused reflection. Partners highlighted that reporting processes are most valuable when they support adaptation and shared understanding rather than simply documenting activities. Approaches such as learning conversations, reflective check-ins, and storytelling can often generate deeper insights than traditional reporting formats.

Finally, the collaboration is highlighting the potential for philanthropy to act as a connector within ecosystems of care, facilitating peer learning and collaboration across organisations facing similar challenges. By creating space for organisations to exchange experience, reflect together, and support one another, philanthropic actors can help strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the wider community development ecosystem.