Collidescope.io’s 5 in 3 Non-Profit Leadership Series: Okeke Chidi, Co-Founder & Chairman of Helpers Social Development Foundation

Welcome to Collidescope.io’s 5 in 3 non-profit leadership series. We ask non-profit leaders all over the world to answer 5 question about their non-profit experience to create this 3-minute piece. Collidescope.io’s mission is to empower organizations to thrive, inspire, and serve the world. Though we primarily do this through technology, providing a platform to share the stories and experiences of leaders in the non-profit space is also an important part of executing on that mission.

I am pleased to introduce Okeke Chidi. Okeke is the co-founder and chairman of Helpers Social Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Nigeria. He established this nonprofit organization to offer education, quality health care and economic empowerment to the less privileged. In a country like Nigeria, unemployment is very high, which has led to widespread poverty among the youth and women. He saw the urgent need for a well-rounded initiative that would ensure that youth and women engage in profitable ventures by aiding them to acquire needed skills for self-enhancement and development. Who he is and his journey has so much depth, that I strongly urge our audience to reach out to learn more about him and the important work he is doing.

How did you get your start in the non-profit space?

I was lucky to meet a like-minded woman by the name of Okeke Amarachi Sophia. Amarachi had been providing free education to children who could not go to school through the support of her father since 2003. Our goals in life were similar and we decided to get married and together make a difference in the lives of underprivileged Nigerians. From here, we established a nonprofit organization that would offer education, quality health care and economic empowerment to the less privileged.

What is one challenge you’ve encountered that you didn’t expect while working for a non-profit?

One of the major challenges we encountered was that it’s been difficult to get donor agency and partners to work with us to implement some of the problems we’ve identified in the communities we serve.

What is one opportunity you’ve identified because of the changes due to COVID-19?

We discovered new and creative ways to share Covid-19 prevention education through the use of our social media handle and WhatsApp, to educate those who have access to the internet on how to prevent Covid-19 pandemic. We also encourage people to donate to our foundation through our social handles and WhatsApp platform. All the new strategies we used were successfully achieved.

What is your most effective fundraising medium?

Website

What is one fundraising rule you live by?

Educate your donors. We educate our donors through our social media handles, showcasing how their donation will make a difference. Our supporters continue to trust us because we stay in touch with them and let them know, by sending pictures and videos, what their donations have achieved.

Thank you for sharing your story Okeke.

You can learn more about Helpers Social Development Foundation and Okeke below.

Helpers Social Development Foundation: www.helpersfoundation.org

Okeke on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2WcfNiT