The Funding Will End But Your Impact Doesn’t Have To

Emmanuel Okafor Chimaobi

Communications Assistant, Skill Hub Consulting

There is a deep kind of fulfilment that comes from knowing your work made a lasting difference. When a community takes full ownership of a program you helped start, when they no longer need your presence for it to survive, that is the real victory. At that point, it stops being your project and becomes their way of life. That is when you know the impact is real.

In Nigeria, many of us working in the development space are filled with genuine passion. We launch projects that heal wounds, support communities, educate children, and protect vulnerable groups. But sometimes we get so caught up in activities, reports, and deadlines that we forget what truly matters. It is not just about running a successful project. It is about building something that can stand on its own.

Source: Linda Ikeji blog. An abandoned hospital in Nariga local government Area of Niger State

Sustainability is not only about funding. It is a way of thinking. It is the ability to ask difficult but honest questions. If we pack up today, will the community continue what we started? Will that youth centre keep training young people? Will the women still gather to save, learn, and grow together? These questions are at heart of real development. Such picture above say a lot about our concerns.

This is not about trying to be perfect. It is about being intentional. It is about designing programs that prepare communities to lead, grow, and thrive long after the spotlight fades. That is the kind of work that leaves footprints long after we are gone.

Here's how to build sustainability into your initiatives from the ground up.

1. Engage the Community from Inception

The best ideas are not imposed. They grow from within. When people are part of the conversation from the beginning, they develop a sense of ownership that cannot be taught or outsourced. Their involvement is not just helpful. It is essential.

Think about the work done by the  CLEEN Foundation in Lagos. Their community policing initiative did not just bring in officers to enforce laws. It brought residents into the process. Local people sat at the table, shared their concerns, and became part of the solution. The result was not a quick fix. It was a new way of working together on security especially for the community, that lasted well beyond the project’s timeline. That is the power of early and genuine community engagement.

CLEEN Foundation brief citizens on police reform policy and accountability

When communities feel like they are the drivers of change, they’re more likely to continue the work long after the project’s official end. This is how programs can truly thrive in Nigeria.

2. Co-Funding

Every project starts with a spark and often, that spark is funding. But money is never the full story. What really lasts is the change we inspire, the people we empower, and the systems we strengthen.

We can’t rely on one source of funding forever. Like leaning on one crutch, it works for a while, but it won’t carry us the whole way. That’s where co-funding and local ownership come in, not just as financial strategies, but as ways to make our work truly rooted in communities.

Take the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC). Yes, they’ve had international support from the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. But what’s even more powerful is how they’ve built trust within their communities. They’ve partnered with local leaders, religious and traditional to speak up about gender-based violence and maternal health. That local voice, that local action, is what keeps the work going.

A cross-section of women leaders, rights advocates, and civil society representatives gather in solidarity during a strategic meeting organized by WARDC, supported by the European Union and UN Women.

Funding ends. But when people take ownership, when communities believe in the mission, the impact lives on. That’s the kind of sustainability that matters. That’s how your work keeps breathing long after the cheque is cashed.

3. Institutionalize What Works

Some of the most powerful change happens when good ideas become part of everyday systems. When a programme is woven into laws, policies, or community structures, it stops being a project. It becomes a way of life.

Young Nigerians rally in Abuja, calling on President Buhari to sign the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill into law. The protest highlights growing demands for youth inclusion and lower age limits in political leadership.

YIAGA Africa’s Not Too Young To Run campaign is a clear example. What started as advocacy turned into a movement. And that movement led to a constitutional change that opened up political space for young Nigerians. It was no longer just a call for inclusion. It became the law of the land. By embedding the change into the nation’s legal framework, YIAGA created something that will serve young leaders for generations.

4. Keep Listening, Keep Improving

Communities are not frozen in time. Needs evolve. Circumstances change. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. That is why it is important to keep listening and keep adjusting.

Launched in 2014 by BudgIT, Tracka is a social platform of/for active citizens who are interested in monitoring public projects in their communities thus enhancing budget performance across Nigeria.

BudgIT understood this when they launched Tracka, a platform that gives ordinary Nigerians the tools to monitor public projects in their communities. People can share updates, raise concerns, and hold leaders accountable in real time. It is not just about data. It is about trust. It is about making sure the people have a voice, and that voice is heard. This kind of feedback loop helps development efforts stay relevant and responsive. It keeps the work alive.

5. Build Structures You Can Return To

Sustainability also means creating structures you can come back and work with. It also mean creating systems and networks that keep the mission alive long after your initial exit.

That’s exactly what GAT - Gender Awareness Trust did in Down Quarters, Kaduna State, Nigeria. With support from Amplified Change, they formed a group of Male Allies, local men engaged in promoting gender equality. Two years later, when a new opportunity emerged through Pathfinder funding, that same network was ready. This time, they delivered a stigma reduction and economic empowerment project for women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence. The Male Allies didn’t just reappear, they had never stopped working.

GAT - Stigma Reduction and Economic Empowerment for Women and girls survivors of Gender Based Violence in Kaduna State, Nigeria

That’s the power of building structures with long-term vision. You don’t have to start from scratch every time. You can return, tap into what already exists, and deepen the impact. The Male Allies network continues to mobilize around initiatives that serve their community to this day.

If you build with foresight, you’ll always have something solid to return to. Set up structures you want to work with again. Leverage past gains to fuel future progress.

Conclusion: Let It Outlive You

In the end, it is not about us. It is about what we leave behind. A youth centre that still opens its doors. A group of women who still gather to save and support each other. A classroom still filled with learning. These are the quiet victories of sustainable work.

We must be bold enough to ask the hard questions. Will this survive without us? Have we prepared the community to carry it forward? Are we building something that will grow when we are gone?

Because development should not fade when the spotlight fades. It should grow roots, find its own rhythm, and become a part of people’s everyday lives. That is the kind of work that lasts.

That is the kind of work that matters.