The Power of Connection in Harnessing Local Momentum for Global Impact

A surprise conversation. Networking. Feeling a spark. Finding your kindred spirit.

Connecting with others is what makes us human. And, it is central to the Skoll Foundation’s approach to supporting social entrepreneurs and social innovators around the world. Cultivating community and seeding connections have been among our top objectives since our founding in 1999, as our partners have voiced the value of thoughtfully curated spaces to gather and learn with others.

Philanthropy now has a unique opportunity to support these connections. At a time when so many in the philanthropic and nonprofit fields are wrestling with social and political upheaval, an evolving funding landscape, and an environment marked by uncertainty, we heard a potent desire to connect in person.

So, in recent months, we supported several partners to imagine and implement regional gatherings to extend the dialogue and amplify the impact of the 2025 Skoll World Forum—held in April in Oxford, U.K.—by making connections in new and existing communities.

The first, called Impact Connection, was hosted and organized by TEDxAmazônia and Profile in São Paulo, Brazil. Right on its heels was Changemakers in Focus, hosted and organized in Nairobi, Kenya by Docubox. Our partners shared that these events helped strengthen a shared commitment to social change across sectors and weave together a colorful, multilayered fabric of support and solidarity.

“Bringing the regional gathering to life was a powerful and relevant way to give more people access to the knowledge and connections fostered [in Oxford],” says Rodrigo V. Cunha, the CEO of Profile. “It brings the energy, spirit, and inspiration of the Forum into a local context.”

Speakers at Changemakers in Focus. Photo courtesy of Docubox.

Where the Magic Happens

Though conceptualized as opportunities to continue the Skoll World Forum dialogue in new locations, these two events went far beyond so-called “regional watch parties,” opening new pathways for learning and camaraderie.

Our partners designed original gatherings that brought together new people, new ideas, new solutions, and new approaches. Both the Kenya and Brazil events engaged over 250 change leaders from each region, including Awardees, Fellows, and others in the Skoll network, as well as many more.

Regional events like these offer a profound opportunity to deepen relationships anchored in local context and understanding. And deepening relationships is ultimately what drives greater impact. Cultivating authentic connections unlocks new ways of thinking about problems and solutions; creates additional pathways for accessing financial, human, and other resources; helps us construct strong webs of support that can buoy changemakers during challenging times; and surfaces new opportunities for shared learning.

Yet to be most fruitful, we believe it’s important to cultivate connections at a localized level within place-based ecosystems, as well as at a global level.

Every year, innovators bring their unique perspectives and expertise to global events like the Forum. It’s an important opportunity for leaders from diverse geographies and sectors to share solutions with one another face-to-face. This year, we also heard from our network that they would derive significant value in gathering with others in their region who work on different issues—the media and storytelling community in East Africa, for example, mingling with entrepreneurs and innovators in the climate action community. It’s about connecting across local ecosystems to forge partnerships with less obvious collaborators who are physically proximate.

Attendees at Impact Connection. Photo courtesy of Profile.

“[One of my takeaways was] the importance of reaching out and bringing different audiences to our events,” says Susan Mbogo, the Programs, Partnerships, and Fundraising Director at Docubox. “As a film fund, most of the audiences at our events are creatives and art lovers. This was an eye-opener: One filmmaker who runs storytelling audits for organizations left this event having booked four organizations.”

The next step? Continuing the virtuous cycle by bringing the conversations and brainstorms from regional gatherings back to the global community—both through upcoming events and via communication channels like this one.

Speakers at Changemakers in Focus. Photo courtesy of Docubox.

The Power of Proximity

The Skoll Foundation played only a light supporting role in agenda development. We were excited to see our partners lead the way in designing programs that explored themes most relevant to their ecosystems.

Organizers also deftly incorporated popular global topics—for example, the need for blended capital to finance the next generation of innovations, or the urgency of shoring up changemakers’ mental health—applying them to their local contexts. The result was rich, nuanced discussions that attendees said felt both highly specific and aligned with the zeitgeist in the broader social impact field.

This hands-off approach created a profound learning opportunity for the Foundation. It enabled us to learn from proximate leaders about how they frame the challenges in their community, the solutions that resonate with them, and the approaches they find most authentic.

Here’s what we heard:

1. Collaboration is paramount. Our partners engaged additional organizations (more than 20 for the Brazil event alone), who ensured key stakeholders were present and engaged.
2. Branch out. Mbongo shared that because challenges and solutions can vary greatly within one country, reaching out to as many organizations as possible increases the depth of learning.
3. A balance of formal programming and unstructured time deepens connections. Both events integrated art and creativity into the agendas, with live music, dancing, happy hours, and other moments focused on sparking joy.
4. Curate the content carefully. Cunha shared: “Blending experienced voices and rising stars helped spark new ideas and exposed the audience to respected leaders and fresh perspectives.”

“The impact was truly substantial,” Cunha says. “This event created a strong sense of belonging and community, which, to me, was its most powerful takeaway. We heard things like, ‘Thank you for making this happen. It made me feel part of a community and reminded me I’m not alone.’”

The lesson? Making time and creating space simply to connect with others is easy to overlook amid the urgency of driving systemic change. But organizers and attendees shared that doing so is not a nice-to-have; it’s essential.

Philanthropy has a powerful role to play in investing in building connective tissue within and across contexts—geographies, sectors, identities—to better nourish the change leaders who pour their full selves and deep expertise into the work.

Attendees at Impact Connection. Photo courtesy of Profile.

“What will stay with us is the power of connection,” Cunha says. “Gatherings like this are essential to nurturing communities and helping people and projects thrive. At Profile and TEDxAmazônia, we feel honored to co-create this kind of space. It was a peak moment in the year for our teams—a celebration of shared purpose.”