Inyathelo | The South African Institute for Advancement

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Inyathelo | The South African Institute for Advancement

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Inyathelo | The South African Institute for Advancement, Charitable organisation, 2nd Floor, Armoury, Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town.

Our vision is a vibrant democracy in South Africa with a robust and sustainable civil society supported by a strong local philanthropic movement, rooted in the African cultural heritage of sharing.

16/06/2026

Inyathelo says there are opportunities for today’s youth to significantly impact the non-profit organisation (NPO) sector through volunteerism and social enterprise innovation. Decades into a democratic South Africa, the youth face a different, yet deeply challenging, socio-economic battlefield characterised by high unemployment, economic exclusion, and limited structural opportunities.

Feryal Domingo, Inyathelo Acting Executive Director, explains that amidst these systemic hurdles, volunteerism is a vehicle for active citizenship and personal growth.

“Far from being merely an act of charity, volunteering within the NPO sector serves as a powerful catalyst for critical skills development. By stepping into civil society spaces, young people can acquire essential workplace competencies, ranging from project management and digital literacy to strategic communication and leadership, equipping them with the practical experience necessary to navigate a highly competitive job market and enhance their long-term employment prospects,” she said.

Read more in "Inyathelo calls on youth to drive NPO sustainability through volunteerism and social enterprise innovation" --> https://www.inyathelo.org.za/mediacentre/newsandopinions/inyathelo-calls-on-youth-to-drive-npo-sustainability-through-volunteerism-and-social-enterprise-innovation

15/06/2026

One of SA’s biggest child feeding schemes was once a small Cape Town soup kitchen.

Danny Diliberto started a small Cape Town soup kitchen outside his Italian restaurant 12 years ago and fed 70 homeless people. Today, Ladles of Love is one of South Africa's biggest suppliers of food to pre-school children.

Read their story on News24 --> https://www.news24.com/life/food/news/one-of-sas-biggest-child-feeding-schemes-was-once-a-small-cape-town-soup-kitchen-20260525-0352

🧡 Support Ladles of Love via their website: https://ladlesoflove.org.za/

12/06/2026

🖥️ Join us for our upcoming webinar, “Agentic AI for NPOs: Building Simple AI Helpers for Everyday Work”, where we will explore how non-profit organisations can use AI to reduce repetitive work, improve team consistency, and support everyday operational tasks without needing coding or technical expertise.

In this practical and interactive session, participants will learn how to design simple AI helpers for tasks such as meeting summaries, donor communication, reporting, and organisational workflows using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, ChatGPT GPT Builder, and Copilot Agent Builder. We will also demonstrate how AI can help you build better AI assistants by guiding you through the instruction and workflow design process conversationally.

Whether you are completely new to AI assistants or already experimenting with AI in your organisation, this webinar will help you think about AI in a calm, practical, and human-centered way.

📅 Date: 23 June 2026
⏰ Time: 10h00 – 13h00
📍 Platform: Zoom
🎟️ Cost: R349 per person

This is our final webinar of our 4-part series.

👉 Register here: https://us.list-manage.com/AgtjGyJKpW3?e=5e720d89a7&c2id=314f976e00de607f65bed4fbe2297d0e

10/06/2026

We recently wrapped up an intensive, dynamic 2-day workshop with the Woolworths Community Inclusive Justice Initiative (CIJI) team, helping to shape their transition from a foundation into a registered NPC. It is a privilege to support them as they strengthen their institutional resilience to continue their amazing work in the sector!

This session kicked off a broader team-strengthening journey focused on weaving Inyathelo’s specialised Advancement framework right into the core of how Woolworths CIJI operates.

Milton Fredericks, Support Specialist, said that this was “An amazing learning opportunity. It increased my confidence level, and has given me the insights and I feel so much stronger to liaise with other departments around compliance matters.”

Find out more --> https://www.inyathelo.org.za/mediacentre/newsandopinions/strengthening-civil-society-leadership

09/06/2026

The Gauteng Department of Social Development has introduced new funding clauses barring organisations from using provincial grants to pay non-South African staff. The department says social work is not a scarce skill and it has a database of 2,000 unemployed South African social workers.

But the Gauteng Care Crisis Committee says the problem is government’s failure to create employment pathways for graduates, not immigrants taking jobs. People Opposing Women Abuse say the consequence of such a clause is that a Zimbabwean social worker who has served the organisation for 15 years, is fully documented and eligible for permanent residency, now faces losing her job.

Read more on --> https://groundup.org.za/article/gauteng-cuts-funding-for-non-south-african-social-workers/

08/06/2026

South African universities have experienced a massive post-pandemic surge in philanthropic funding, collectively raising a record-breaking R2.4 billion in a single academic year, according to a major new report.

The findings, published by Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement in its latest Annual Survey of Philanthropy in Higher Education (ASPIHE) reports, cover the 2023 and 2024 academic years. The data reveals an extraordinary long-term trajectory for the sector.

However, the celebratory figures mask a deeply entrenched structural crisis. The reports warn starkly over the persistent inequalities between historically advantaged and historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs), particularly as a rapidly accelerating digital revolution threatens to leave underfunded universities behind.

Read more in Argus --> https://iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/2026-06-02-south-african-universities-raise-r24-billion-in-philanthropic-funding-amid-challenges/

05/06/2026

Nonprofits aren’t just asking for money. They’re increasingly providing jobs. Will SA count them in its jobs strategy?

The March 2026 study by the Wits Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (Capsi) found NPOs are an under-recognised source of employment, particularly for young people.

Capsi worked with researchers in 16 African countries to show that NPOs are not just doing “good work” on the side – they are helping to keep people employed. The study across countries highlights entrepreneurial support, skills-development programmes, and advocacy for policy changes.

Read more in Explain --> https://explain.co.za/2026/06/04/nonprofits-arent-just-asking-for-money-theyre-increasingly-providing-jobs/

04/06/2026

🧡 Cassandra Smith: A Retirement Tribute

Twenty annual audits.

It's a phrase that sounds procedural, almost routine… until you stop and think about what it really holds.

As Cassandra retires from Inyathelo after almost 22 years, she leaves behind far more than completed audits. She leaves behind systems that worked because she made them work, relationships that mattered, and a standard of care and dependability that will continue to be felt long after this final audit cycle closes.

Read our staff's warm tribute to a dear colleague. 👉 https://www.inyathelo.org.za/mediacentre/newsandopinions/cassandra-smith-a-retirement-tribute

03/06/2026

Inyathelo extends its warmest congratulations to Wits University on being ranked No. 1 in Africa in the 2026 Center for World University Rankings.

Placing 200th globally out of more than 21 000 universities, and firmly within the top 1% worldwide, is a remarkable achievement, and a testament to the University's enduring commitment to academic excellence, research, and the advancement of the public good.

We celebrate this milestone with pride. 👏

Read more in the Daily Maverick --> https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-01-wits-university-tops-africa-in-global-rankings-showcasing-academic-excellence/

02/06/2026

Inyathelo has released the findings of its latest Annual Survey of Philanthropy in Higher Education (ASPIHE) reports, revealing a landscape of significant growth and persistent challenges for the country’s higher education sector.

Covering the 2023 and 2024 academic years, the reports highlight a robust recovery in philanthropic support following the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside a stark warning regarding the structural inequalities between historically advantaged and disadvantaged institutions.

Key Findings:
✅ Donor Growth - The number of donors reached 9,106 in 2023, more than double the 2013 baseline of 4,355.
✅ Geographic Shifts - While South African sources remain critical, international private funding continues to play a vital role, particularly for research and infrastructure.
✅ Institutional Performance - The highest amount received by a single institution in 2024 was R856 million, up from R783 million in 2023.

Dr Michael Cosser, author of the reports, explained that despite the overall increase in funding, the reports underscore a troubling digital divide that risks further marginalising historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs).

“While the digital revolution is firmly underway, HDIs often struggle to play catch-up in a society increasingly driven by technology. The huge disparities in philanthropic income between historically advantaged universities and their disadvantaged counterparts therefore remain a core concern.

“The challenge ahead lies in galvanising fundraising activities at HDIs and capacitating them to establish fully-fledged Advancement Offices that can collect accurate data and attract significant private investment,” he said.

🔗 Read more and download the report: https://www.inyathelo.org.za/mediacentre/newsandopinions/south-african-universities-show-resilience-in-philanthropic-giving-despite-widening-digital-and-structural-divides

Address

2nd Floor, Armoury, Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock
Cape Town
7925

Telephone

+27214656981

Website

http://www.inyathelo.org.za/

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