Board of Directors, ScaleUp Africa

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SCALEUP AFRICA

The dominant models of global philanthropy are broken; they do not achieve what they say they exist to do.

At ScaleUp Africa, we inspire and equip philanthropists and advisors to adopt and invest in approaches that have been proven to be more effective. These approaches:

• Promote venture philanthropy based on business principles.

• Connect donors as collaborators with local communities.

We help philanthropists and advisors create scaleable, sustainable impacts across Africa and the USA. We do this via:

• Exclusive membership

• Experiential learning

• Strategic partnerships

THE ORGANIZATION

ScaleUp Africa was founded in 2020 by two Ghanaian female leaders who knew African philanthropy needed to change. They explored and proved successful ways to collaborate with global partners on locally-led projects to transform the livelihoods of women and youth. In 2022, one of the founding partners stepped aside from the ScaleUp venture; Amma Gyampo has continued to nurture and develop the vision and organization.

Amma’s passion and expertise are in ecosystems as the power for social change. She is a multi-faceted leader working at the nexus of philanthropy, impact investing, locally-led development, and social entrepreneurship in West Africa. She is a respected and recognized leader in the region, frequently invited to speak at events and to the press, and recently appointed by her peers to be CEO of the Ghana Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (GVCA).

In October 2023, ScaleUp Africa was formally incorporated as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Ghana, with Reg No CG075671023 and TIN C0063351625. It is pursuing 501c3 fiscal sponsorship in the USA, with future aspirations to formalize nonprofit status in the UK.

ScaleUp Africa is building new relationship networks and partnerships to achieve its vision of changing philanthropy. Visit and take this survey to learn more about ScaleUp Africa’s plans and to gauge your affinity with the mission.

THE INVITATION

As ScaleUp Africa grows and pursues the start of its formal legal status in the USA, it is seeking to build its inaugural board of directors. Amma desires to move from being a solo founder to an executive with a team of governors guiding her and stewarding the mission. The organization seeks to identify up to six directors it might add to the founding board over the next six to twelve months.

Each board of director will commit to the following:

• Leverage expertise and networks to advance ScaleUp Africa’s mission and vision to transform African philanthropy.

• Attend and actively engage in quarterly virtual meetings, up to 2 hours each.

• Engage in ad hoc consultations by email or phone.

• Join and participate in ScaleUp Africa’s inaugural community membership.

• As the organization grows, participate in a working committee-initially, two virtual meetings per year.

• Share ScaleUp Africa’s events and calls to action on social media and with your networks.

EXPERT PROFILES

ScaleUp Africa seeks seasoned executive managers, organizational leaders, and board governors from North America and Europe who bring one or more expert profiles below to join the founding board.

Nonprofit Earned Revenue Models - Nonprofit leaders with experience in earned revenue (i.e., membership, fee-for-service) and fundraising models. Ideally, they would have expertise in transnational earned revenue models and hold a vision for value delivery of African expertise to transform US and European ways of thinking.

Schools of Philanthropy - Leaders with relationships in philanthropy academia at schools such as the Lily School of Philanthropy or similar US or European institutions. They bring intimate knowledge about the research and trends in giving and philanthropic leadership and the current season of wealth transfer from Baby Boomers to younger next gen.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Leaders with expertise and networks in CSR and Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG) business leadership. These individuals have translated causes into action in high-impact partnerships with NGOs and corporations. They may have done market development work locally or internationally.

Impact Funder Networks - Leaders with expertise and reach into philanthropic networks interested in impact investing and venture philanthropy, specifically in Africa. These might come from family offices, significant foundations or Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), or impact funder associations or networks.

African Diaspora Leadership - Leaders from any walk of life who actively lead and coordinate relationships and activities across the African (and mainly, West African) diaspora in the US or Europe. This could involve faith-based or professional networks, business or investor groups, media, etc.

African American Professional Networks - Leaders who are actively involved in African American and/or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) alumni networks with an affinity for and interest in the future of the African Continent. These would be leaders who care about the historical connection between the US and Africa and are interested in transforming the colonial legacy.

TO APPLY

Please use this form to apply for consideration. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The initial recruitment window will close in late March.

If you have any questions, please contact us at sp@wearescaleupafrica.com