Collaboration is hard. But not as hard as achieving impact at scale alone.

Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO of Girls Not Brides, shares how coordinating efforts across multiple levels, from local communities to global policy stages, allowed their team to build an alliance of over 1400 organisations worldwide to end child marriage.

Here are a few of the gems she shared on how she’s shifted her mindset to ‘Never Scale Alone’ and how she’s avoided losing her mission in the process:

DON’Ts:

• Avoid power hoarding. Having someone dominate kills collective power.
• Don’t let the collective mission be hijacked by individual agendas. This goes for your agenda too.
• Avoid mission drift. Be wary of individual agendas leading to lost focus.
• Don’t let donors determine the agenda. Instead, bring them on the journey and make it clear how they can support your agenda.

DOs:

• Create a crystal-clear of the shared direction of travel. But let partners choose their own strategies to get there.
• Utilise individual contributions, resources, and skills. The strength of the approach lies in everyone bringing their unique contribution to the table.
• Build leadership skills at all levels. Local, national, and international.
• On your bad days, remember that you’re not alone. Thousands of people are waking up alongside you to fight the injustices we face.

To learn more about the Never Scale Alone mindset and Girls Not Brides’ incredible journey, watch Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell’s #ScalingMindsets video here.