The first cohort of students who successfully completed the University of Stellenbosch Business School's (USB) Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development NPO stream graduated during an online ceremony of Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

The year-long programme is a first for South Africa. The batch of 12 students commenced their studies in January 2020.

Programme head Prof Arnold Smit said the Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development aims to focus on strengthening leadership capacity in the social sector.

“Students gain in personal resilience, resourcefulness and confidence. They learn how to build organisational capacity and create public value and social impact. They become better at creating social return on investment for their funders, and they also benefit from peer learning with students in similar organisations," said Smit.

He said the programme is suited for board members, leaders and managers of social sector organisations. People working at foundations and corporate social investment departments supporting the development of NPOs can also gain from attending this programme.  

According to Smit, career changers who want to pursue a leadership role in the social sector will also find this programme to be an empowering introduction to the nature and challenges of non-profit organisations.

Graduate Isabel Wolf-Gillespie, founder of Earth Awareness – an environmental education, life skills and nature-based organisation for youth living adjacent to wildlife areas – said participating in the programme was life-changing.

“I was stretched outside my comfort zone which made me have to dig deep sometimes. The cohort itself was not only a group of highly skilled professionals willing to share their skills and expertise, but also a motivating support group that assisted me to complete the programme. Also, being the first group to have completed the programme made us feel like pioneers.

“Furthermore, the programme created an opportunity for us as leaders in the non-profit sector to really connect with each other, to identify how we can serve each other and to collaborate to make our organisations more impactful."

Luleka Domo, who was recently promoted to chief operations officer within the faith-based organisation The Message Trust, said the course changed the way she views leadership.

“I had to scratch out everything that I knew about leadership and start afresh.  I was taught to take the pen back into my hands and to rewrite my leadership story. I learnt that I needed to be an authentic leader across the board; a leader that is true to herself and others; a leader who is confident, hopeful, optimistic, ethical, transparent and future oriented.

“I now believe that I have something better to offer the world and those around me. I want to be a positive influence. I want those who engage with me to feel treasured and become alive in my presence. I want to use my voice to build and not to break. I want to use my leadership to motivate, encourage and inspire others to dream and make this world a better place for all of us."

She said the course gave her the competencies to confidently take up her new position and to be an influential leader for change.

 “Thank you for this experience. It was tough as we had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic that created a shift in our lives, but it was worth it!"

• For more information about the USB Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development go to: https://www.usb.ac.za/course/postgraduate-diploma-in-leadership-development-for-npos/