Increasing our impact: a conversation with Tusu Tusubira
Meet Francis “Tusu” Tusubira. A founding partner of an information and communications technology consulting firm, Tusubira is a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala-North, Uganda, and served on Rotary’s Strategic Planning Committee when our Action Plan was developed. He’s also a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers.
Q. The Action Plan asks us to increase our impact. How should we think about doing that?
TUSU: Here’s an analogy: When your children are in school, it’s easy to get excited about a great grade or test result — the success of that immediate moment. But as parents, we know we also need to take the long view. What kind of people are our children becoming? What will they do for the world after we’re gone?
Real impact is something that resonates well beyond the work we do on a project. It’s sustainable long after we have left the scene.
This definition of impact requires us to think about service in a different way. It is not what we give to communities that creates sustainability. It’s whether the project enables communities to take ownership and drive the transformation on their own after we are gone. A good project is a catalyst for sustainable change.
Q. Why is it important to measure our impact?
TUSU: So we can be smarter about what we need to start doing, what we need to continue doing, and what we need to stop doing. It’s essential to the future of our organization. Major funding agencies demand evidence of impact. Young people — the future of Rotary — have grown up asking institutions and organizations for greater accountability and transparency.
Q. What changes are you already seeing in Rotary?
TUSU: I’m heartened that Rotary is identifying consistent ways to assess and measure results. This way, we’ll all be on the same page when it comes to planning projects and identifying impact.
I’m also seeing a greater appetite for risk. Less proscriptive funding will promote smart risk-taking and will encourage people to learn from — rather than fear — setbacks.
There’s greater support for clubs to focus their efforts on a few key areas, rather than trying to do too many projects. Instead of starting by asking “What are the deficits here?” clubs are learning how to build on a community’s strengths and seeking out what I call the “pressure points” — areas where targeted, concentrated work can set in motion a cascade of change.
I’m also excited by the new Programs of Scale initiative. These projects have the longer time frame necessary to make a sustainable difference. Most important, Programs of Scale incentivize clubs to work together and recognize them for doing that. If you want to provide clean water sources, why would you want 50 clubs doing 50 different projects? We united against polio. Let’s unite to solve other challenges facing our world.
Q. What makes you feel optimistic?
TUSU: Our work eradicating polio proves we are an organization capable of genuine and lasting impact. And I’m excited about the rising generation of Rotarians and Rotaractors who are bringing their commitment to sustainable solutions. We can do this. Besides that, my name, Tusubira, literally means “we hope”!
Learn what your club can do at rotary.org/actionplan.