Consultants as connectors: strengthening civil society through knowledge transfer

In the complex landscape of civil society organisations, knowledge often remains trapped within institutional silos. Charities, non-profits, community groups, and advocacy organisations frequently operate in isolation, reinventing approaches and missing opportunities for collaborative learning. Within this fragmented ecosystem however, consultants occupy a unique position – moving between organisations, carrying insights from one context to another, and facilitating connections that might otherwise never occur.

This paper explores the role of consultants as connectors within civil society, using biological metaphors to understand how they transfer knowledge and learning between institutions. More importantly, it examines what principles and values are necessary for consultants to perform this connecting work authentically, in ways that strengthen the entire civil society ecosystem rather than merely serving narrow commercial interests.

Allan Moolman is the director of a small consultancy, dala!, based in Durban, South Africa. He has more that 25 years of experience in the development sector in multiple countries and regions in a broad range of thematic areas. dala! Consulting Services helps non-profit organizations get better at what they do, understanding that every organization is different and need customised solutions to address their specific challenges. dala’s approach focuses on utility and is flexible, adaptive and participatory.