In March 2023 Nicolette Naylor set up her own consulting business, founded on her core beliefs and values at the intersection of justice, philanthropy, and feminism. The birth of Ubuntu Global Philanthropy & Gender Justice Consulting (Pty) Ltd gives effect to Nicolette’s belief that social justice work and the philanthropy that drives this work needs to be fundamentally overhauled to give effect to principles of love, respect, trust, and connection.

 

As a senior philanthropy advisor, she has published extensively on the transformative potential of philanthropy where she has advocated for the practice of philanthropy to be rooted in the spirit of ‘ubuntu’ meaning “I am, because you are.”  Ubuntu is about connection and mutuality where our purpose is rooted in justice. Ubuntu, in the context of social justice and philanthropy, asks us to move away from a primary focus on money and the transactional nature of social change and to move towards building deeper relationships and connections between people and communities, where we place our trust in the power and agency of people closest to the problems to bring about social change – where our practice at its core is about the love of humanity.