Shifting the Balance: Centering Local Leadership in Global Nonprofit Partnerships

“True local leadership…involves decision-making power, resource control, and accountability residing within the community.”

In the nonprofit sector, there is strength in numbers. Merging resources and talents often provides the most effective path forward, especially when tackling complex issues across borders. This has led many nonprofit leaders to partner with local organizations abroad to expand access to education, strengthen community health, and support economic resilience.

When approached thoughtfully, these collaborations can empower communities through sustainable, community-led initiatives. But when power imbalances go unaddressed or local context is overlooked, even well-intentioned partnerships can fall short or cause lasting harm.

To better understand what makes these partnerships work, NPQ spoke with nonprofit leaders from around the world who shared lessons learned, practices to prioritize, and values that guide ethical collaboration. “True local leadership,” remarked Ugandan social entrepreneur Emmanuel Trinity to NPQ, “involves decision-making power, resource control, and accountability residing within the community.”

Four principles that surfaced as themes are detailed in the interview responses highlighted below.

Lead with Humility, Learn from Experience

When nonprofits begin international partnerships, their intentions may be rooted in impact, but real progress starts with humility. That means listening more than directing and showing up with curiosity, not assumptions.

Carla Niña Pornelos, general manager of Wardnasse, an arts nonprofit based in Southeast Asia that centers storytelling and cultural exchange, still remembers when her organization first partnered with an arts nonprofit from the United Kingdom. What stood out wasn’t the funding or recognition; it was the partner’s willingness to ask questions and learn. “They showed up not with answers, but with open ears,” she told NPQ. That mindset paved the way for a lasting partnership built on trust.

Pornelos believes humility is essential. “With it, we co-create solutions rooted in lived experience,” she said. “Without humility, partnerships skew into saviorism.”

Yoriely Villalobos, commercial manager of agricultural company PROBIO Costa Rica and board chair for the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC), agrees. “Too often, international organizations arrive with predesigned solutions,” she told NPQ. “And while these come with the best intentions…it is crucial to consider local culture, existing barriers, and traditional practices.” She added, “Without this tropicalización or contextualization of initiatives, it becomes very difficult for the local community to truly internalize them or sustain them over time.”

That perspective is echoed by Jordan Ashley, founder of Souljourn Yoga, a nonprofit that raises awareness and funds for young women’s education worldwide through yoga retreats and yoga teacher training programs. She recommends researching the partner organization’s leadership, digital presence, and public reputation before engaging. “That means seeing who is on their board, what their social media is representing, and also what other people are saying about the work the organization is doing, especially if it involves vulnerable communities, children, or animals,” she told NPQ. Most important, she adds, is ensuring that the group prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of its community.

Build Trust Through Respect and Transparency

Respectful collaboration depends on mutual trust, open communication, and a joint purpose. But trust doesn’t happen quickly—it takes time and consistency.

Emmanuel Trinity, the founder of era92, a Ugandan social enterprise that has trained and connected more than 2,500 young creatives to global opportunities, has partnered with a number of international nonprofits and emphasizes that respect and trust create space for authentic storytelling. As he said in our interview, “When partners share goals, challenges, and even setbacks transparently, it creates a safe space for collaboration and innovation.”

Sustainable partnerships require patience and time to evolve. This work is not about getting quick wins.

Trinity believes trust should begin with shared decision-making. “A truly collaborative and respectful partnership is characterized by mutual trust, transparency, and shared decision-making,” he noted. That means international nonprofits must be willing to listen first, co-create solutions, and support the priorities of local partners.

Michael Smith, founder and executive director of the international service organization Hayah R.I.S.S.E. Foundation, and Ashley of Souljourn Yoga both stressed to NPQ that trust must be earned over time. For Smith, that means showing up consistently and doing what you say you will do: “Over time, as local organizations witness this consistency, they begin to trust your words more deeply.”

Villalobos added that transparency balances power dynamics and strengthens local dignity. “Even the best-designed projects can fail without respect, trust, and transparency,” she said.

Commit for the Long Haul

Sustainable partnerships require patience and time to evolve. This work is not about getting quick wins.

Dr. Silvia Bino believes lasting partnerships are structured for continuity. With decades of experience in global health, she serves as a professor of infectious diseases at Tirana University, head of the Control of Infectious Diseases Department at Albania’s Institute of Public Health, and the lead partner for Albania in the Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives. “The partnership should support ongoing development and resilience of the local organization,” she told NPQ. That includes planning for sustainability beyond the duration of the partnership itself.

Ethical partnerships don’t just support local leadership—they invest in it.

She emphasized the importance of clearly defined roles and accountability from the start, as well as the ability to adapt. “Ensuring sustainable change requires adaptability to shifting circumstances and patience with the pace of progress.”

Smith has seen this firsthand in Ghana, where his foundation has supported the same village school since 2015. “Making a lasting impact will likely require more than a singular touch,” he said. “It takes time to develop the kind of relationships with locals that make for effective and efficient work.”

Kelsey Morgan, cofounder and CEO of anti–human trafficking organization EverFree, echoed this in her remarks to NPQ, stressing that open communication and lived experience need to be the guide for relationship building. That means staying flexible, learning continuously, and allowing for feedback that shapes direction.

Share Power by Empowering Local Leadership

Ethical partnerships don’t just support local leadership—they invest in it. It’s crucial to recognize local knowledge as expertise and allow local leaders to guide the way.

Trinity believes autonomy is essential, noting: “Granting autonomy to local partners empowers them to make decisions that best suit their communities.” This builds innovation, accountability, and ownership. It also ensures that local organizations can continue their work independently, long after the international partnership ends.

Villalobos agreed: “Sustainable impact is only possible when local actors are not just implementers, but decision-makers.”

Morgan has applied this in her organization’s work with survivors of human trafficking. Rather than replicate EverFree’s model abroad, they partner with local leaders and offer adaptable tools. This way, the solutions are culturally relevant and owned by those closest to the work.

Scott Frank, the executive director of intermediary organization InteRoots, sees this as the truest measure of success. In his organization’s work with the Kasasa community in Uganda, the goal, he told NPQ, is always to create something self-sustaining. “The project is now serving thousands and on track to achieve complete financial autonomy,” he said. “When InteRoots was no longer needed—that was the greatest testament to the success of the partnership.”

Why This Work Matters

Ethical partnerships are not just a means to greater impact—they’re a moral commitment to show respect, humility, and long-term solidarity. When international nonprofits listen first and support local leadership, they help build solutions that last far beyond any one project.

Susan M. Blaustein, the founder and board chair of WomenStrong International, a global nonprofit that supports women-driven solutions for advancing rights and wellbeing, told NPQ that she believes that ethical partnerships begin with responsibility, not control. “The humanitarian dictum of ‘do no harm’ should be at the top of our minds,” she said. “Our role should be all about service and empowerment.”

That ethos demands more than good intentions. It requires trust, shared vision, and the humility to follow someone else’s lead.