Simone Moodley

Global Fund for Community Foundations (South Africa)

"Starting out at my new job in June 2015, I was looking for a growth opportunity…boy was I in for a surprise! From my first day at the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF), I learned very quickly that I had landed somewhere unique. The GFCF has just a small team, but aims to reach community philanthropy organizations around the globe - in other words, a tiny organization with a big goal!

Since starting I have been enriched and empowered in so many ways. In the 17 months I have been with the GFCF, the main focus has definitely been the Summit. The Global Summit on Community Philanthropy has already afforded me a great learning opportunity, as I was able to intern at the European Foundation Centre Annual General Assembly and Conference this year in Amsterdam, in preparation for playing an active role in the organizing of this Summit. The Summit, and my time in Amsterdam, has also helped me to begin learning the “language” of this field…and I’m getting the hang of it. But I feel most fortunate to be meeting so many different people from around the world: in preparations for the Summit I’ve already been in contact with participants from more than 50 countries!

It’s really exciting to be part of this global conversation about the roles we can play in building stronger communities. There is definitely something extraordinary about organizations and institutions employing the “teaching a man to fish rather than feeding him” tactic. I’m thrilled to be so young, but to be given this chance to contribute towards, and to be a part of, something so much bigger and more powerful than myself…to be a part of this movement to #ShiftThePower!"

People Behind the Summit