María Villalpando, GlobalGiving’s Mexican social sector expert, shares her predictions for Mexico’s philanthropic progress in 2019.
The social sector in Mexico is a reflection of the country’s complex social structure, diversity, and determination to face challenges. After more than a year of rebuilding—literally and metaphorically—the damages left by the Sept. 2017 earthquakes, I believe 2019 will show the resilience of the social sector in Mexico—and highlight its consciousness of the power of the people. Here are five trends to look out for in the sector in 2019:
The social and environmental issues that most nonprofits are dealing with in Mexico are rooted in problems that the State fails to solve. The generous commitment of individuals willing to help their communities is finding a way through volunteering, and thus involving people into the development of creative solutions. Volunteering in Mexico helps raise awareness of the urgent need to become a more egalitarian society and a better-informed public.
My prediction for 2019 is that more nonprofits will turn to fight the inequality and injustice many women face in Mexico. There already is a growing number of nonprofits working towards the empowerment of women. Most of these were born from the need to offer equal opportunities to all women and permeate a male-dominated environment. From the capacity building courses CREA offers to women in vulnerable situations to the many women-led grassroots organizations Fondo Semillas supports throughout Mexico, working with women is bound to stay as a trend.
Many indigenous communities in Mexico are governed by principles that promote the co-creation of visions and goals and engage all community members in participatory decision-making processes. The social sector is finally turning to look to indigenous wisdom on community organizing. Rather than providing a quick fix to an issue, my prediction is that more nonprofits will try a more bottom-up methodology. Many of these communities have demonstrated that the best and most effective solutions come within themselves. Consider Psicología y Derechos Humanos (PSYDEH), a nonprofit co-led by their native women partners. Their team ’s mission is to engage as equals in order to empower their partners’ innate capacity and co-create a development agenda to solve community challenges.
In the wake of the 2017 earthquakes, the nonprofit sector faced unprecedented challenges that called for unprecedented solutions. Although a tragedy, the September earthquakes were a wake-up call for the urgent need for effective collaboration between nonprofits throughout Mexico. They also demonstrated the need to help communities prepare for future natural disasters and become more resilient after a crisis strikes. In 2019, I expect the solidarity shown within the nonprofit sector and the shared learning experiences will continue to strengthen the social sector.
As technology facilitates access to information and internet penetration in Mexico increases, my prediction for 2019 is that online giving will gain popularity. Individuals are rapidly becoming more aware of the issues Mexican society faces and thus are becoming more interested in participating in its solutions. As donors become more informed and exigent, crowdfunding and online giving allows them to choose their own reasons for supporting a project or nonprofit. The challenge for 2019 will be to promote online transparency and accountability within the social sector to promote online giving and diversify Mexican nonprofits’ streams of funding.
Explore more 2019 hopes, predictions, and trends from philanthropy leaders across the globe.
Featured Photo: Educate Indigenous Women Leaders to Defeat Poverty by Psicologia y Derechos Humanos PSYDEH A.C.Find exactly what you're looking for in our Learn Library by searching for specific words or phrases related to the content you need.
