WASHINGTON – Three organizations serving the international development community have announced that they are joining forces: InsideNGO, the Washington, DC-based member association of international non-governmental organizations; LINGOs, the virtual not-for-profit capacity building organization specializing in eLearning; and Mango, the UK-registered charity and social enterprise that specializes in financial management. The new organization will be known as Humentum.
Humentum combines all three organizations’ complementary areas of expertise—particularly in learning, capacity building, and essential operations capabilities—to create an expanded, global presence with offices in Washington, DC, and Oxford, UK, as well as regional hubs in Africa and Latin America. Humentum will serve development, humanitarian, civil society, and other international social sector organizations with a focus on supporting operational excellence for its members, clients, and customers.
“The development community is undergoing tremendous change and disruption, and our new organization will enable us to better serve the professionals conducting this work worldwide,” said InsideNGO President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Dente, who takes on the same role at Humentum. “Our three organizations have been providing services to NGOs and other organizations working in this sector for a combined total of 65 years, supporting them in their efforts to end poverty, reduce inequality, and improve the health and welfare of vulnerable communities. We have often collaborated in the past, and by bringing together three strong and successful organizations, our members, clients, and customers have better access to the deep expertise in operations so essential to mission success.”
The CEOs of both LINGOs and Mango will be continuing in new roles in Humentum. Former LINGOs CEO Chris Proulx transitions to Humentum as the global director of learning and product development; and former Mango CEO Tim Boyes-Watson will serve as the global director of alliances and advocacy.
“Since 2004, LINGOs has been ensuring that individuals and organizations in this sector have had the right learning at the right place and right time,” said Proulx. “As Humentum, we will be able to deliver a wider range of learning products and services, enabling us to dramatically extend our reach globally, with more to offer local NGOs operating in the south.”
“The demand for greater transparency, accountability, and localization in humanitarian and development work has been growing rapidly, while the risks and complexities of the operating environment are also making this harder to achieve,” said Boyes-Watson. “By combining our capacity building capabilities and client services, Humentum is better positioned to respond to the challenges we are facing.”
Combined, the three organizations have a team of more than 60 people in the US, UK, Uganda, Guatemala, and Spain, as well as a globally distributed network of delivery partners and affiliated experts. They deliver nearly 400 learning events a year, both face-to-face and online, around the world, and offer consulting and recruiting services to the sector.
With the launch of Humentum, a new Board of Directors has been created, drawing from board members serving the three different organizations. The new board is chaired by Richard Collier-Keywood, currently a trustee of Mango and until recently the global vice-chairman of PwC.
“We understand that those working to serve their communities—locally and globally—face great challenges due to the tension between growing social needs and shrinking resources,” said Collier-Keywood. “Yet they continue to strive to deliver programs and services to meet these needs. The creation of Humentum gives us greater scale and reach to serve our members and clients as they deliver on their missions. I also hope that our merger acts as a model for our sector, where in many areas more consolidation can be an opportunity to achieve greater impact for social good.”
Humentum will begin operating as one organization immediately. InsideNGO and LINGOs will be combined to create a single US-registered not-for-profit company and legally affiliate with Mango, which will retain its status as a registered charity in England and Wales. The three organizations will be maintaining their existing services and learning products under their current brand names through the end of 2017, as they transition to one new website.
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About LINGOs
LINGOs is a not-for-profit capacity building organization that provides world-class learning opportunities that are appropriate, accessible, and affordable for people working to reduce poverty and alleviate suffering in the developing world. We believe higher skilled workers deliver programs that produce greater impact and better results for beneficiary communities and individuals. Learn more at https://lingos.org/
About InsideNGO
InsideNGO is a membership association of 330 international non-governmental organizations and sector experts in the international development and relief community working together to achieve global impact. The organization provides training and learning opportunities, peer-to-peer exchange, sector expertise, and links to industry partners to help members build their operational and management capacity. Learn more at www.insidengo.org
About Mango
Mango’s mission is to strengthen the financial management and accountability of development and humanitarian NGOs and their partners, through training, capacity development projects, and a range of advisory services for its clients. Since 1999, Mango has trained more than 20,000 people from NGOs around the world; recruited and placed professionals into more than 600 NGO finance roles; provided more than ₤1 million of consultancy advice and contributed to the development of new international financial management standards for the not-for-profit sector. Learn more at www.mango.org.uk