Frequently Asked Questions

Authentication and Security

• How secure is the information I post to the site?

  KujaLink employs a range of tools and features to ensure the communications and information shared on the site is secure from unauthorized downloads and unregistered users. However it is impossible for us to secure the site and the data on the site against attacks or users with malicious intent.

  Users should carefully consider the types of information they post to the site and the type of information in documents which they upload particularly sensitive organizational information such as banking information or personal information on individual staff or board members such as ID numbers. We will never ask for this type of information and recommend that users use other, more secure methods, to exchange that type of information with others users.

• How do I know a funder or an organization on the site is real?

  KujaLink verifies users and organizations in several ways.

  1. Verified e-mail accounts – every new user must respond to a verification e-mail sent to the account they use to register.
  2. All new registrations are approved by a member of the platform team after we verify their e-mail against a list of approved domains (the domain names of organizations with whom we are currently working). If they are not using an e-mail from an approved domain we check for affiliation.
  3. All new registrants must name an organization with whom they are affiliated which our team then checks for an online presence (website, social media account)
  4. All new registrants are asked to name a funder or network with whom they are connected which our team then checks for an online presence (website, social media account) and if they are a member of the the platform.
  5. If we still cannot verify the user we reach out directly and arrange for a video call.
  6. Soon we will add an ‘invitation’ feature to the site so existing users can invite new users from their network of partners or grantees.

Intended Users

• Who are the intended users of KujaLink?

  Civil Society Organizations in countries receiving humanitarian or other development assistance. These organizations are likely to have some of the following characteristics:

  • With initial direct funding from a foundation or other type of donor
  • Who are ready to graduate to a direct relationship with a donor from an intermediary relationship with an international NGO or other organization
  • Who work in close proximity to those they serve and are led by proximate leaders
  • Are part of the civil society ‘middle class’ with the potential to expand and or deepen their work
  • Who are grassroots organizations who are ready to grow their work

  Funders of all types:

  • Who want to increase the amount they give to local and national organizations in countries receiving humanitarian or other development assistance.
  • Who may be without field staff or extensive in-country networks
  • Are committed to funding organizations with ‘proximity’, through their location and their leadership, to those they serve
  • Who are working through intermediaries and want to give more directly

• Who is eligible?

  Local and/or national organizations, which may include a community based organization, a non-governmental or civil society organization, as well as a Regional/Cross-Border Organizations or unregistered movements in countries which are recipients of humanitarian and/or development assistance (not members of the OECD Development Assistance committee).

  Each of these groups are defined by the following criteria:

  1. Present in locations before, during, and after a crisis
  2. Accountable to local laws
  3. Accountable to communities with whom they work and/or support
  4. Are not internationally affiliated in terms of branding, governance, or financing (that results from that affiliation)

  This definition is based on the NEAR network definition of a Local CSO.

• Why is my country not listed?

  KujaLink was created to improve the visibility of local and national organizations in countries receiving humanitarian or other development assistance. As such, only countries which can be considered part of this are listed. The list of eligible aid recipient countries is drawn from the OECD Development Assistance website.

• What if I both make grants and seek grants?

  Intermediaries, funds, INGOs and other members of civil society who both make and receive grants can register on the site. If your organization meets the definition of a local organization then you may choose to register as either a Funder or a CSO. If you do not meet the definition of a local organization (for example you are founded and based in a country which provides assistance) then you must register as a Funder.

  In 2023, KujaLink will pilot a new type of profile for organizations who both make and receive grant

• What if I'm a civil society organization and my country isn't eligible?

  If you believe your country meets the above definition (a recipient of development assistance and not a member of the OECD DAC) please reach out to us at community@kujalink.org.

• What if I'm a funder and the country where I want to fund isn't listed?

  If you believe the country where you want to fund meets the above definition (a recipient of development assistance and not a member of the OECD DAC) please reach out to us at community@kujalink.org.

Language

• The site is only in English. What about other languages?

  We are in the early stages of launching the site and are currently only working in English. We’ve chosen a software which will make it possible for us to add multilingual capabilities in the near future. Improved language capabilities are planned for 2023.

  If you would like to support the development of multilingual capabilities please reach out.

  If you need help to create a profile on our site please reach out to us via email at community@kujalink.org

Organization Form and Search Functionality

• What do the organizational leadership categories mean in the Organizational Profile and New Organization Form?

  We believe just and meaningful change requires proximate leaders. Being a proximate leader is about more than being exposed to or studying a group of people and its struggles to overcome adversity. Proximate leadership is about actually being a part of that group or being meaningfully guided by that group’s input, ideas, agendas, and assets.

  Proximate leadership of civil society organizations can be represented in several ways – by Directors, Senior Leadership teams, Board members, volunteers and volunteer leaders and in the case of associations and other membership organizations through membership leadership and members. Leadership must be demonstrated beyond representation and include being guided by that group’s input, ideas, agendas, and assets. This definition draws from the work of New Profit.

  We do not require organizations to ‘prove’ they are led by proximate leaders, however we do ask organizations to note the type of leadership of their organization, provide them an opportunity to provide evidence of that leadership if they so choose, highlight their leadership type of their profiles and allow members to search for organizations based on leadership type.

  A helpful way to better understand proximate leadership please check out the I4DM definitional resource created by The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples of Canada which transforms philanthropy and contributes to positive change between Philanthropy and Indigenous communities. The way the Circle defines and describes an organization which is Indigenous-led is a model for how we understand other types of proximate leadership.

Partnerships and Collaborations

• How can I partner with KujaLink?

  We are interested in a wide range of possible partnerships:

  1. You are a funder and would like us to invite your grantee partners to join the site
  2. You are a funder and would like to arrange an orientation for your staff so they can make use of the site
  3. You are a network of civil society organizations and would like to make the site available to your members
  4. You are a service provider to donors or civil society and would like to sponsor part of the site or collaborate to share data between our organizations
  5. KujaLink is currently grant supported. If you or your organization would like to contribute with a grant or other type of funding please reach out to us.

  Please reach out to us at community@kujalink.org

• How can I donate to the development and maintenance of KujaLink?

  KujaLink is currently grant supported. If you or your organization would like to contribute with a grant or other type of funding please reach out to us at community@kujalink.org

• I am a network, I'd like to get access to KujaLink for my members. Where do I start?

  Register as a user and create a profile for your organization. Then reach out to us and we can arrange a webinar for your members and issue invitations for them to join.

• I am a donor and a member of a collaborative or affinity group, how can I get my peers on the platform

  Register as a user here and create a profile for your organization. Then reach out to us via this email and we can arrange a webinar for your members and issue invitations for them to join

Platform Information

• Who owns KujaLink?

  KujaLink is a project of Adeso (African Development Solutions). Adeso is a nonprofit based in Kenya and registered in Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Revenue

• Why can't I fundraise directly on the site?

  There are many great sites which support online fundraising. KujaLink is not intended to replace those sites; instead, through the robust organizational profiles, users can highlight their fundraising campaigns which are hosted on other sites such as GlobalGiving, GoFundMe, Kickstarter and other fundraising sites.

• Will I ever be charged for using the site?

  We are committed to providing organizational profiles, search functionality and group discussion to civil society organizations for free for the life of the site. In 2023, we will explore a range of ways in which to generate funds to support the site.

• What revenue models are you considering?

  We are researching and testing a range of revenue models to support the site over the long term. Possible models include:

  • Freemium/Premium – pay for access to additional functionality as needed
  • Paywall Subscription – view profiles but cannot interact/download
  • Services – fees for using additional functionality e.g. calls for applications
  • Donation – annual donation ask from users – targeted at regular users similar to Wikipedia
  • Sponsorship – sections or functions can be sponsored
  • Ads – pay to advertise opportunities in alignment with values and interests of the community
  • New donors – secure additional donors at a maintenance donation – 10k per year
  • Fee for access to the community (opt-in) for journalists, researchers, those doing market research

  As with the development of the site all the research and testing will be done with users at the center. What is their interest in the different models? What is their willingness and ability to pay?

Terms and Conditions

• What if I see a post which violates the terms of use of the site or a user harassing another user in a group or discussion? What if I am harassed by another user?

  Users can report other users and posts or comments in groups by using the ‘report’ feature. You can also e-mail us a link of an offending post.

  The KujaLink team will issue one warning to a user who is harassing another user or posts content which violates the terms of use of the site. If the user continues their behavior their account will be suspended and they will be banned from the platform.