Development cooperation and philanthropy rethought: joyoountu shows new ways

Guest post - Sharing power, shaping locally: How we live Shift the Power at joyoountu

How can decision-making power be shifted to where the impacts of global crises are most keenly felt - and where the best solutions often emerge?

This is exactly what the global movement Shift the Power demands: shifting decision-making power and resources to where those affected act and shape solutions.

📚 Table of Contents

1. Why development cooperation needs real change

2. What does Shift the Power mean in practice?

3. What we do differently

4. Who we are

Why development cooperation needs real change

In traditional structures of state development cooperation and philanthropy, power and money often remain concentrated in the Global North. Decisions about what is funded are often made by people who are only limitedly familiar with local realities. Consequently, projects that seem sensible from the outside have better funding prospects, and aligning with the language and logic of the Global North is rewarded.

Local initiatives that possess knowledge, creativity, and networks, but do not speak the language of international cooperation, are often less visible and hardly included in decisions, even though it is about their future.

Despite a growing awareness of these problems, finding solutions is not easy for actors in both development cooperation and philanthropy:

• State development cooperation (DC) aims to promote partnership on an equal footing and involves governments in partner countries in setting priorities. In practice, however, it often remains trapped in hierarchical and colonially shaped patterns: donor organizations heavily determine the design of measures, tight guidelines restrict the scope of action, and control flows predominantly from the Global North to the Global South. Reporting requirements continue to exist almost exclusively in one direction – from the Global South to the Global North.

• Philanthropy wants to do good, but in practice, it also reaches limits. It often collaborates with partners who are visible and established in the Global North. As a result, local actors who are rooted on the ground are excluded due to funding conditions. In addition, the prevailing project logic is usually short-term and rarely strengthens the organizations themselves in the long run. Finally, philanthropy can seem paternalistic when external solutions - even with the best intentions - are prescribed instead of placing local priorities at the center.

Co-creation by local actors is in both cases still often very limited.

joyoountu is founded on the conviction that sustainable change cannot be dictated from the outside. Sustainable change can emerge then and there, where people act with their knowledge, experience, and self-organization.

What does "Shift the Power" mean in practice?

Shift the Power is a global movement that questions – and rethinks – power relations in development cooperation and philanthropy.

The key principles:

• Shifting decision-making power - to the local actors whose future is at stake.

• Trust instead of control - instead of one-sided monitoring of implementation partners, there is shared responsibility for the projects and mutual accountability

• Partnership on an equal footing - local knowledge matters.

• Strengthening participation and transparency - throughout the entire process.

The Shift the Power principles can also be broken down to the level of individual donors: Donating to build a school or health facility is concrete, and the benefit is easy to imagine, which is why it is very common.

But the question arises: Am I really in a position to evaluate what is needed locally? Does this project correspond to local priorities? Or is the school proposed because it is easier to explain to donors than other measures that could have a much greater impact? Would I also be willing to donate if the people themselves (in a transparent and comprehensible process) decided on the use of the money at a later date, and I only found out afterward what the funds were explicitly used for?

What we do differently

joyoountu makes shifting power possible in practice. Our goal: to open up spaces for decision-making for young activists, indigenous communities, and local organizations. Shift the Power brings both together by moving decision-making opportunities and resources to where people shape things themselves.

In practice, this means:

Working in local systems (so-called ecosystems): We do not fund individual projects, but accompany communities in developing joint solutions.

👉 Example Northern Benin: Youth groups, women's initiatives, elders, and other key groups deliberate together on ways toward a better future for their communities.

Opening up spaces for decision-making: We create the opportunity for collective reflection on values and decision-making mechanisms before funds are allocated.

👉 In Northern Benin, inspired by Igbèru and Kawtal, traditional forms of collective decision-making.

Participatory grantmaking: Decisions on the funds are made by the communities themselves.

👉 In Northern Benin, local actors decide how funds, for example, for peace promotion and local economic development, are used – according to the previously established rules.

Sharing knowledge instead of evaluating: We do not assess progress from the outside through independent experts, but reflect on experiences together. This makes insights visible and usable.

👉 From Northern Benin, we document what strengthens joint decision-making over funds and what does not, and share this with ecosystems in India and Central America.

Following initiatives, not the other way around: Our funding logic aligns with what is needed locally.

👉 In Northern Benin, there are a variety of impressive initiatives and organizations. Participatory grantmaking decides what will be supported with the additional funds.

Shaping together: We shape new paths for philanthropy and development cooperation – together

👉 In our work in Northern Benin so far, we develop joyoountu a little further every day in dialogue with local organizations and peace activists. Together, we want to inspire international debates.

Whoever decides on resources shapes the future. That is why decision-making power must shift - permanently. At joyoountu, we understand change as a collective process, carried from within - with open ears, an open heart, and an open outcome.

Who we are

joyoountu is a non-profit platform that redistributes power, knowledge, and resources in development cooperation and philanthropy. It emerged from the strategic consultancy joyn-coop, carried by the conviction that we must first live Shift the Power ourselves in order to be able to contribute to it.

The gGmbH, currently in the process of being established, is based in Munich and will be accompanied in the future by an independent Supervisory Board in the spirit of Shift the Power. This board critically reflects on our work and maintains the connection to local ecosystems.

The organizational culture is mindful, the organizational structure is agile and lean: a small team in the Munich office handles coordination and fundraising, while colleagues in each ecosystem support the administrative requirements from Germany. This keeps the responsibility where the decisions are made - on the ground in the communities. Together we shape a culture where we can all contribute.

joyoountu is supported by the growing ecosystems in Benin, India, Guatemala, and El Salvador, as well as numerous volunteers. The founders bring experience from consulting, community work, funding, activism, and international cooperation. They are united by the realization: Sustainable change does not arise through external guidelines, but through shared creation and learning.