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| The Little Big Fund Facilitators and Fellows’ Power Pose. From Left to Right: Andrea, Vanessa, Kuol, Abhinav, Aisha, Erioluwa, Andrea, Christine, Ramatu, Monal |
It has been a little over a year since I first learned about the Little Big Fund Fellowship for non-profit and social impact founders. Since then, I became a fellow, had incredible learning sessions, visited Kenya for the first time, and received a microgrant for the Shades of Us Mobile Cinema project. Phewww! What a year it has been!
You know I am a long-winded writer. So… let us get into it!
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I first learned of the Little Big Fund Fellowship in July 2024 from Aisha Abdullahi Bubba, the Founder and CEO of The Sunshine Series and Idimma Health Initiative. She mentioned the fellowship would be open shortly and I should be on the lookout.
So… what was Little Big Fund about? They equip aspiring social impact leaders with tools, networks, and funds to catalyze their ideas, and believe that effective early-stage non-profit and social entrepreneurs need more than a clear mission and focused strategy. They want to empower social change visionaries with the understanding that fundraising is not daunting—but rather, doable.
The Little Big Fund sounded interesting, especially as Shades of Us was in active fund-seeking mode. But to be honest, a fellowship was the last thing on my mind. I was swamped at work. My body was protesting the physical and emotional stretch I was getting from closing out the multi-state Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria project. I was managing 12 volunteers at Shades of Us – my nonprofit organization using storytelling to promote gender equality and global goals – and ideating ways to grow as we commemorated ten years of existence.
So, no. I was not sure I wanted a fellowship. But when the applications opened, I responded to the initial questions and did not think much of it. I was told that if I were successful, I would get a prompt for more. Typical application stuff.
When I finally got the prompt to apply, I opened and closed it a couple of times, postponing and postponing, as had become my pattern since 2022.
Let me talk about the prompt a bit. I was sent a poem and told to share my thoughts in 200 words, I think it was. Huh? I wondered what that was about. You see, I had forgotten that Aisha told me to be on the lookout for them. So when I saw an email from Little Big Fund with this prompt, I went online to research them again and saw everything was legit. Then I wondered again: why are they asking me to respond to a poem? If you have applied for any fellowship, you know you have to fill in loads and loads of questions, and the process can be cumbersome. So I wondered yet again: what kind of a fellowship only asked for a response to a poem?
I closed the email, but something in me felt I should not ignore it. I mean, Aisha went out of her way to not only think I was good enough for the fellowship but to also send me the information about it. So… I put it on my task tracker.
I woke up on the morning of deadline day with a start. “Had it closed?” was the very first thing that came to my mind as I reached for my phone. I quickly went to the email, saw I had some time, considered waiting till evening to submit, but remembered I had an extremely long day planned.
So, I decided to respond.
I had 30 minutes until I had to get up and go to work. So, lying there in bed, I typed in my thoughts. I read it over and again, determined it was good enough, and submitted it. I also promptly forgot about it, so much so that I did not track it in my applications tracker. (Yes, I have one of those.)
On July 31, 2024, I received an email.
Hi Ramatu,
Congratulations! You have been accepted to the Little Big Fellowship! Your initial application, along with the personal and thoughtful response to the poem, are what brought you to this fellowship cohort. We are grateful to meet you and work together with you in the coming months.
This was the first congratulatory message I received since 2021, when I joined Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria. I remember doing a little celebratory dance, as if weeks before I had not debated whether I should apply or not.
The welcome packet told me more about the fellowship. Eight of us from Nigeria, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Nepal, and Bolivia were selected for the fellowship.
Aisha Abdullahi Bubah, The Sunshine Series – Mind wellness
Ramatu Ada Ochekliye, Shades of Us
We were primed to have Funder Readiness Bootcamps, Community and Mentorship, and receive Resources and Support, including a microgrant based on fellowship criteria. These were all geared to help us develop solid fundraising strategies and become more confident social impact leaders.
I also learned about the facilitators.
Gayle Nosal is the Chief Vision Officer at Little Big Fund, having launched the program over five years ago. She supports program delivery, network-building, and course exposure. Gayle decided to pursue a lifelong dream to create collaborative, social-impact documentary films.
Abhinav Khanal is the Chief Operating Officer at Little Big Fund. He ensures effective operational and financial procedures while building partnerships with LBF’s global network to recruit Believers on a yearly basis. Abhinav is also the Executive Director for Bean Voyage, a non-profit social enterprise that collaborates with smallholder women coffee producers in Costa Rica by providing training and market access.
Andrea Parra Nunez is the Partnerships and Operations Manager at Little Big Fund, focusing on communications. She is passionate about discovering the links between social impact and business activities and the implementation of data-based solutions to promote access to education in developing countries. She hopes to travel the world one day.
I was happy to learn about the facilitators and fellows. This multicultural mix of people told me that I would not just be learning with Founders who had put in the work like I did, but also from various countries, and thus, perspectives about raising funds for social impact.
The first session raced by so quickly. Two hours felt almost like a breeze. I think it was especially because I could not just hear the empathy, but feel it too. And again, the session did not feel like your regular fellowship. It was learning in a way that was unique, yet incredibly impactful, reflective, and yes, fun. This was a preview of how the rest of the sessions would go.
Here is how the sessions panned out over the next couple of months.
Session 1 (September 20):
Building Our Fundraising Pipeline. In this session, we learned about the fundamentals of creating a clear fundraising pipeline and learned how to identify potential donors and categorize them into a pipeline. I built a spreadsheet of the funders we currently have, are reaching out to, have applied for, or hoped to raise funds from. Shades of Us had a long list because we had been applying to any and every opportunity in our quest to grow.
Session 2 (October 25):
Reviewing Our Case for Support. This was where things got a bit tricky. We were asked to share a proposal we had done before so our facilitators and the fellows could review key elements such as our story, mission statement, assets, problem, project request, budget, and monitoring and evaluation indices. This required a sense of vulnerability, allowing people to see your flaws. I am often afraid of doing this and nearly fainted when I was the first to go. But the feedback was empathetic in ways I did not expect. I took the feedback back to Shades of Us, and we adjusted all our proposals.
Session 3 (November 15):
Relationships 101 & 201. This was geared at building the art of lasting relationships with an identified funder and then moving into advanced strategies for building and maintaining valuable connections with existing and potential funders.
Preparing Our 2025 Fundraising Plan. In planning for the new year, I knew we had to be more strategic. We could not just apply for the application’s sake anymore. This is one of the best things I learned from the fellowship.
Session 4 (December 13):
Reporting Our Story and Continued Engagement. Our final virtual workshop focused on developing a consistent approach to storytelling that engages your funders and general supporters to continue working with you.
Reflecting on 2024. We finalized our 2025 Fundraising Plan and sent it in for review. Again, the feedback was empathetic, yet grounded in fact. I was looking at funders and fundraising in a completely different light, and seeing ways that Shades of Us could be strategic and expand its funding pipeline.
Session 5 (January 21):
Portfolio Review. The Little Big Fund hosted a portfolio review session for us to present our fundraising plan to mentors from the LBF network and get feedback and ideas. This was our opportunity to get additional feedback, insights, and recommendations from seasoned leaders.
Session 6 (February 21):
Virtual Site Visit to FineMind. We met Pavel Reppo, the founder of FineMind. Pavel shared insights into his stellar Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) work. This was a great opportunity to dive deep into an organization’s approach and learn strategies that could help us improve our own work. Immediately after this session, I went back to the Shades of Us workplan and fine-tuned some of the output, outcome, and impact indicators we have.
Session 7 (March 21):
Virtual Site Visit to Malala Fund. I was excited to meet Bhumika Regmi, the Director of Digital Communications and Creative at the Malala Fund. Bhumika leads Malala Fund’s global digital strategy and serves as a creative advisor to staff and partners in programme countries. She shared their creative storytelling and marketing approach that has secured various accolades around the world. I have followed the Malala Fund for years, and learning from them was such a huge moment for our communication.
Session 8 (April):
Virtual Site Visit to Pathos Lab.
Another thing I truly appreciated about the fellowship was our monthly convenings. These were spaces where we got to learn from brilliant people doing powerful work across different sectors. Each session offered something unique—insight, reflection, or just the gentle reminder that we are not alone on this journey. They included:
Marcela Sotala – Participatory facilitator
Angie Holzer – WikiCharities
Marcela Shainis – Boulder County Public Health
Teesa Bahana – 32° East Ugandan Arts Trust
Seth Cochran – Operation Fistula
Zecheng Zeng– Co-Impact
Maia Anderson – Social media therapist
In-Person Bootcamp in Kenya (May 18–23):
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| Fun Times at the Nairobi National Wildlife Park and Maasai Lodge |
Remember how I said I visited Nairobi, Kenya, for the first time? This is why! We had a hands-on learning and networking opportunity that was a full experience.
Aisha and I flew to Kenya together via Qatar. (I should write about the Qatar Airport because that experience was… phewww! What a moment! And by far one of my best experiences of 2025.)
We arrived in Nairobi on May 18 and checked into our hotel, Masai Lodge. What a beautiful, serene lodge it was! And since it was the first time I was meeting everyone in person except Aisha, it was a moment of multiple hugs, happy connections, and joyous expectations. We also had a welcome dinner to build community and set the intention.
On Day Two, we got into the thick of things, basing our discussion on the Theory of Lean Impact and Crafting Audacious Goals, following the book – Lean Impact – by Ann Mei Chang. The goal was to understand the framework for social impact. I know I tend to sound very excited, but… what a book! And our sessions were superb. Two key insights that stood out to me were the realization that Shades of Us could shift from linear to exponential growth if we took it seriously, and thinking of our big goal instead of the means. I worry about the means more than the goal. There was a mind shift for me when we had this session.
We had theory, case study, and peer learning sessions, a pattern that was repeated on each day of the retreat. For Day Two, Monal and I facilitated the first peer learning workshop on Personal Storytelling. Monal shared tips for building your story arcs, characters, and goals, while I shared the need to tell stories with empathy.
We had a surprise activity: a visit to the Nairobi National Wildlife Park! I was beyond giddy with excitement! All the things I had on my bucket list were being fulfilled because of Little Big Fund! The drive to and through the park was so eventful. I got to see animals I had only heard of or seen on TV because of my obsession with the Discovery and Nature channels: Lions, Giraffes, White Rhinos, Black Rhinos, Egrets, Gazelles, Impalas, Hartebeests, Elands, Guinea Fowls, Ostriches, Thomson's Gazelles, Zebras, Egyptian Geese, Crocodiles, Grey Herons, Glossy (Hadada) Ibis, Hippopotamuses, Spoonbill Ducks, Yellow-billed Ducks, Plovers, Vultures, and Buffalos. Oh! My heart was full!
But the day was not over. When we got back to the hotel, we were introduced to the Masai culture: who they are, why they live as they do, the predominant cultural values, their social norms, and what makes them thrive. They simulated a mock wedding for us, and oh! It was a celebration. At Shades of Us, we have something called Quick Education (QuickE), where we talk about cultures as a way to improve our understanding of the different tribes, cultures, and people of Africa. I was living the QuickE at that moment! My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, and I was bursting at the seams with joy. We did not get back to our rooms until past midnight, yet no one seemed tired.
On Day Three, we focused on the validation of our approach to impact. One of the best moments for me was the peer workshop on Mental Health and Well-being led by Aisha and Camila. We opened up about mental fatigue and burnout from being Founders, especially Founders still trying to raise money and stay afloat. We were emotional, vulnerable, and the empathy got me. (You should be able to tell that empathy means a lot to me, right?)
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| After Our Fireside Conversation at the Maasai Lodge |
Another awesome moment on this day was the fireside chat with Nzambi Matee of Gjenge Makers, a social enterprise transforming plastic waste into readily usable building materials; Sonia Kabra of BuuPass, the leading bus, train, and flight online booking system transforming travel in Kenya; and Ian Otula of Vuma Biofuels, a now-acquired leading producer of biomass energy products from sugarcane waste. I learned so much from how they run their organizations, but the key thing that stuck with me is the role of a great co-founder for your social enterprise. I had never thought of having a co-founder until this conversation, but I am now open to it. There is so much I can do by myself, and I genuinely know we were made for global impact.
And on Day Four, we focused on Creating Lasting Change Through Systems and Financing. After our theory session, the biggest question that stayed with me was: what would it take to grow ten times in the next five years? I have thought about this question every day since our retreat, and it continues to drive everything I am doing for Shades of Us now.
As with the other days, we also had site visits and a panel to learn about existing and scaling organizations that work in Kenya. We visited BOXGIRLS Kenya, a community-based organization teaching girls life skills through boxing, and Educate!, a larger-scale organization transforming education in Africa.
At BOXGIRLS, I could not contain my joy and happiness at seeing women actively using sports to address gender inequality. At Shades of Us, we have a Hoops and Basket project that is aimed at helping girls continue to play basketball. I played basketball (and football, volleyball, and ran in the 100, 200m single and relay categories) when I was younger, but quit when I allowed negative gender stereotypes around women in sports to affect me. I started Hoops and Baskets because, while I could not play anymore, I could inspire young girls to continue to play: because we belong in all spaces. The project is still at the development stage, and BOXGIRLS showed me that sports for education and equality is doable. They have now become my blueprint for how we will run our Hoops and Baskets project, starting in 2026.
Boris Bulayev from Educate! provided a wealth of knowledge. His emphasis on fundraising being an exchange of value stuck with me. What solutions are we helping funders solve? Why should they consider giving us their funds? I will talk about how that has transformed me and Shades of Us in a bit.
To close the Retreat and Fellowship, we attended the final Little Big Convening at the BOTA House. It was an intimate event for people in the social impact space to connect with us and hear stories. I talked about Shades of Us and our Mobile Cinema project, why we use film and community screening to change perspectives about socioeconomic issues around the global goals, and the future we hope for all Africans and people of African descent. I also engaged with many of the guests and received feedback (and possible collaboration) with some of them.
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| Typical Theory Practice Session at the Little Big Fund Retreat in Nairobi, Kenya |
Overall, the Little Big Fund Fellowship was an excellent education for me on founder readiness for funding. This is an experience I would have had to pay millions for if I had not gotten this fellowship.
I am going to admit that on Day Two, I started to feel inadequate. I was the only founder who was mostly self-funding my non-profit. I felt I had raised the least amount of money. I also seemed to be the only one who was mostly doing social and behavior change communication, but not service delivery. I constantly heard how funders rarely gave money to organizations that were not providing some sort of service or the other. At one point, I could not sleep at night because I worried that I did not fit the mold.
Here is why I keep mentioning the empathy this fellowship provided. During our individual and group sessions, Abhinav and Andrea were able to help me look at things better. We did provide some services, especially by teaching women how to make, use, and sell reusable pads with our film, FLOW. This can be fine-tuned for scale. And as much as we were mostly self-funded, Shades of Us had received the $500 microgrant from Giving Joy, ₦1 million prize for our film on gender equality from Her Story Our Story Nigeria, and payment for production of The Sunshine Series anniversary documentary and two seasons of the Idimma Health Initiative radio drama, Strong Voices. We have also collaborated and partnered with multiple organizations—that is a type of funding. We were doing the work, and funders were taking note of us. We were just not telling our stories right.
If nothing else, this is one of the best lessons I got from this fellowship. I spent so much time worrying about the means—overhead, applications, volunteers, paperwork, etc.—that I was not effectively seeing or telling our story well. Yes, we had growing pains. I had been doing this for eleven years. And it is easy to only see the cracks instead of the flowers growing from it.
So, I returned home, reached out to my board, and took some needed time to recalibrate. Why did I wait for two months after the end of the fellowship to share my experience? It is because I was putting my learnings to work.
Here is what I have done so far.
We dissolved the volunteer structure and instead now run a structure that cuts down the number of people I have to oversee and allows them to commit fully to running with me and us. This is one of the lessons I took from Nzambi Matee when she shared making a similar decision after understanding the difference between employees and teammates.
We evaluated Shades of Us and now have four interlinked projects. They are:
Mobile Cinema, where we take stories through films to communities to address socioeconomic issues around the global goals.
Hoops and Baskets, which focuses on getting girls to continue to play basketball.
Individual and Organizational Capacity Strengthening, which allows us to build capacity for storytelling, activism, and advocacy.
Scholarships for Excellence, aimed at helping girls stay in school.
We have defined what our service delivery will look like across these four projects, and we know exactly what output, outcome, and impact indicators we will be tracking.
We have hosted three Mobile Cinema and one Capacity Strengthening session, with three more planned for the rest of the year. One of the Mobile Cinema screenings was done at the 2025 Festival of Change, an event hosted by Erioluwa’s YouthXYouth.
We hosted Forum Friday, our monthly forum on social media, with two fellows – Vanessa and Kuol – discussing the refugee experience and why their stories matter.
We are currently developing five People Like Us stories featuring Aisha, Christine, Kuol, Vanessa, and Sophia Fatmah from BOXGIRLS Kenya. Our People Like Us series celebrates Africans and people of African descent who are contributing to improving their communities.
And finally, we have updated our workplans, budgets, overhead, programmatic and administrative roles, research and development, etc., so we are more strategic and ready for the funding we know is coming.
Before we left the fellowship, we were asked to share our audacious funding goal. I shook a bit as I walked up to the podium and said I wanted to raise $5 million in the next ten years. To be honest, I did not believe I could do as I said it. And if we keep it a buck, Shades of Us as it was could never have done that the way we were structured. But… if we become funding-ready, as learned from this fellowship, we can. And we will!
So please, if we resonate with you, support our work. Fund our projects. Introduce us to people in your circle who can collaborate and/or partner. Share funding, learning, and growth opportunities with us. Help us be seen. Be a part of our dream!
As I wrap up, I have had five trainings, fellowships, and workshops that have been instrumental in improving my knowledge and advancing Shades of Us:
The Sexual and Reproductive Health Peer Learning Fellowship when I was in Junior Secondary School in 2003.
The Taking ACTION to Increase Gender Equality training hosted by Breakthrough ACTION in 2020.
The Moth Global Workshop in 2020.
The Leadership in Strategic Communications Workshop (LSCW) hosted by the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) and Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) in 2023.
And now, the Little Big Fund Fellowship that ended in 2025.
I want to appreciate Abhinav, Andrea, Gayle, and the Little Big Fund for this experience. Gayle, unfortunately, could not be around for the retreat, and I wished I had actually gotten to meet her in person. I could write an entire book about my experience at the fellowship, but I will stop here. This is one of the best experiences of my life, and I cannot wait to demonstrate our growth as a result.
This journey has reaffirmed something I have always believed: that purpose, when nurtured with community, clarity, and courage, can grow beyond even our wildest dreams. The Little Big Fund Fellowship gave me the tools to sharpen my vision, the confidence to own my story, and the support to walk boldly toward the future I see for Shades of Us. We are no longer just hopeful; we are prepared. And as we step into this next chapter, we do so with renewed energy, deepened conviction, and the unwavering belief that the work we do matters — and that it will continue to echo across communities, one story, one project, one act of impact at a time.
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| The Little Big Fund Facilitators and Fellows Immersed in the Maasai Culture |
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