The WomanityFoundation enters the 2015 Top 500 NGOs ranking. Yann Borgstedt, founder andchairman, tells us what he believes makes for a stellar social developmentorganisation.

“In January 2015, Womanity entered the Top 500 NGOs  as devised by Global_Geneva. The ranking identifies social development and humanitarian non-governmental non-profit organisations (NGOs), who excel in innovation, impact and sustainability.

The search for new, effective solutions to address social problems, and the ambition to build on them to foster durable, systemic change are key drivers for the Womanity Foundation’s work. We continuously strive to identify innovative ways that create sustainable progress for women and girls around the world, particularly in the areas of
·  economic empowerment, to allow women to gain autonomy
and to prosper;
·  girls’ education, to improve the girls’ lives as well as the well-being of their families and communities;
·  giving voice to women in the media to consolidate their presence and leadership in society;
·  protection to make the world safer for women, to the benefit of all.

In the 10-year journey since our creation in 2005, we learned a lot about how to identify and support interventions that will truly transform communities. We also became more confident about the role we could play, with our specific skills, attributes and resources, within an eco-system of partners that are collaborating to achieve change. Importantly, we realized that it is a continuous journey, where we need to be alert to new approaches; collaborate with a wide range of partners; and stand ready to take risks. The willingness to take risks is a strong impulse for creativity and innovation, while forthcoming and purposeful collaborations mitigate the hazards and improve the chances for success.
However, the catalytic power of calculated risk-taking is largely under-rated in the field of social development. Often, we come across those who promote their funding of innovation for NGOs, but are actually uncomfortable with funding the research and development needed for creating new solutions. We would do well to remember Edison, and how his scores of failed experiments lead to an invention that revolutionized human development.
Being among the Top 500 NGOs provides an opportunity for Womanity to connect with others who are keen to push for social justice. We are truly honoured to be in such great company, and we commit to the highest possible level of creativity and impact, so as to be an asset for the whole NGO community, and beyond. To achieve this, we will continue to invest in inventing and piloting models that challenge our thinking, in collaboration with like-minded partners. Because this is the only way we can ignite the light bulb momentum that will truly empower women and girls and drive progress world-wide.”

About Global_Geneva and Top500 NGOs

Global_Geneva was launched in 2011 by Jean-Christophe Nothias, former editor of The Global Journal. In 2014, following the 2012 and 2013 Top 100 NGO rankings published by The Global Journal, Global_Geneva took over the expansion of the ranking. As the home of the Top 500 NGOs ranking, Global_Geneva will monitor the growth of the non-profit sector, looking for ideas, values and models that challenge normal approaches to policy and the market.
By ranking NGOs, Global_Geneva seeks to: showcase the diversity and scale of organizations encompassed by the ‘NGO’ label; compare NGOs using criteria that transcend geography and field of activity; stimulate inquiry and debate about NGO impact, innovation and sustainability; and present a wide range of exemplary NGO work so that sector-wide trends can be observed year to year and annual rankings adjusted over time.
 Global_Geneva’s network of NGOs is built from over 1,800 organizations. NGOs500 is poised to become not just the definitive ranking of NGOs but also a forum for discussing trends, ideas and innovations related to the non-profit sector.
http://www.top500ngos.net