The program aims to support the development of human resources and the strengthening of business management capabilities of NPOs that are focused on social issues related to reducing disparities for children, youths and women.
ETIC (Shibuya, Tokyo), which has been supporting the establishment and growth of NGOs and other organizations that strive to resolve social issues (“social sector”) for over 20 years, announced the launch of its new support program that targets management candidates in the social sector in collaboration with the Apollo Opportunity Foundation and Common Light LLC. The parties hereby announce the selection of eight organizations as recipients of such support program during its first term (May to August 2024).
The Background
According to a survey conducted by the Japan Cabinet Office, approximately 66% of certified NGOs has described “securing and educating personnel” as the top challenge in achieving stable management. This trend has not changed over the past decade.
The structural factor giving rise to this issue is that NGOs and social sectors tend to have only a few people with experience training others within the organization and there is no appropriate training system in place, especially during the expansion and growth phase of such organizations. In addition, because managers at such organizations tend to have very limited opportunities to form horizontal connections outside their own organizations, they are often forced to train themselves without any external resources.
This program aims to address the opportunity gap for children, young people and women by supporting the development of managerial talent in the social sector and creating social impact by facilitating more stable business operations at relevant NGOs.
Source: Japan Cabinet Office, “Report on the Actual Situation of Specified Non-Profit Organizations in FY2023”
Program Overview
The curriculum of this program is designed based on the practical knowledge gained through first-hand experiences cultivated by executives, managers and persons in charge of training at NGOs and social sectors.
The biggest feature of this program is that it does not just involve providing a framework, but also accompanies participants through the entire cycle from articulating the outcomes they want to achieve, taking action and learning from failures.
Program Goals
The program will support participants in learning the following four basic skills and gaining practical experience in managerial tasks on-the-job, so that participants can enjoy being managers in their own way:
・Articulating intended accomplishments and specifying the actions necessary to achieve such accomplishments
・Developing personal criteria for clear decision-making
・Designing the team that needs to be created
・Creating an organizational environment that facilitates the implementation of the relevant management style
Program Contents
First Group Training Session: May 16, 2024 (Thursday) 13:00-20:00
・Overview of the situation in which new managers find themselves.
・Articulating intended accomplishments and methods.
・Setting personal standards for making good decisions.
Second Group Training Session: June 13, 2024 (Thursday) 13:00-17:00
・Creating a clear image of a team.
・Articulating the desired team image.
・Setting the environment and conditions for achieving managerial success.
Third Group Training Session: August 1, 2024 (Thursday) 13:00-17:00
・Organizing the challenges within the organization, business and environment.
・Articulating target accomplishments as a manager.
・Listening to other participants’ presentations and providing feedback.
In addition, the program offers one-on-one support necessary for implementing the skills learned through these training sessions within the participants’ organizations and offers a community for inter-organizational consultation.
The Apollo Opportunity Foundation will seek to support continued growth after completing the program.
First-Term Applicants
Since March 2024, we welcomed applications to the first term of our program which focused on organizations that were transitioning from founder-led organizations to those spearheaded by departmental managers, and that were interested in developing and enhancing their internal training systems.
After a rigorous selection process, we selected 16 managers from eight organizations to participate in the program.
For details, please refer to https://managers.etic.or.jp/selectionresults_1stperiod/
First-Term Participating Organizations (in alphabetical order)
Social Design Works
・Field of Activity: Youth independence and employment
・Location: Iwaki, Fukushima
・Business Description: Aiming to create a society where the place or environment an individual is raised does not determine life’s disparities. Operates “Social Square,” a base supporting independence training and job transition for youth facing difficulties, spread across nine locations nationwide in Japan.
Diversity Kobo
・Field of Activity: Childcare, educational support for children, and women’s empowerment
・Location: Ichikawa, Chiba
・Business Description: Supporting children and their families with the aim of creating a society where all families can live in peace. Activities range from nurseries for children from 0 years old to learning support for children with developmental disabilities, learning classes with meals, and shared housing for mothers and children and young women.
Chance For All
・Field of Activity: Providing places and playgrounds for all children
・Location: Adachi, Tokyo
・Business Description: Committed to realizing a society where everyone can live happily regardless of the family or environment they grow up in. Operates nine after-school care facilities, creates places for children to drop in, such as candy stores, and conducts research on after-school activities for elementary school students.
Nobel
・Field of Activity: Childcare, women’s empowerment
・Location: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
・Business Description: Working towards a society where it is normal to work even after having children. Manages an in-home sick child care service in the Osaka area, supports single-parent and special needs children’s families through donations, and starts projects to promote societal involvement in childcare and to support work-life balance from a structural perspective.
Bridge For Smile
・Field of Activity: Independence and advisory support for children and youth
・Location: Minato, Tokyo
・Business Description: Aiming for a society where all children who cannot rely on their parents can live with a smile. Providing support through a variety of approaches, such as providing independence seminars and work experience programs to children who cannot live with their parents due to abuse, poverty, parental illness, etc. and live in child welfare institutions or foster homes, and providing community spaces and advisory services for young adults entering society.
Houkago NPO Afterschool
・Field of Activity: Eliminating educational disparities for children
・Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo
・Business Description: With a vision that “After-school is Golden Time,” operating “After School” locations all over Japan using school facilities to ensure a safe and enriching after-school time. Collaborates with corporations and municipalities to improve environments and provide training at after-school sites, creating opportunities for experience.
Learning for All
・Field of Activity: Learning support for children
・Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo
・Business Description: With the mission of “Providing a Fundamental Solution to Child Poverty”, providing learning support and places for children in difficulty. Aiming to provide seamless support from early age to independence, creating “connection,” “learning environments” and “nurturing” environments” in cooperation with various local stakeholders, and practicing “comprehensive community-based child support” that provide all necessary support and opportunities for children from ages 6 to 18.
ReBit
・Field of Activity: Independence and employment for youth
・Location: Shibuya, Tokyo
・Business Description: Aiming for a society where LGBTQ individuals can learn, work, and live as they are; provides education and training on LGBTQ and diversity issues in schools, administrations, and corporations, and supports LGBTQ career development. Also operates employment transition support facilities friendly to diversity and disabilities in Tokyo and Osaka
About the Project Team
Apollo Global Management and Apollo Opportunity Foundation
Launched in 2022, the Apollo Opportunity Foundation (AOF) builds on Apollo Global Management’s commitment to expanding opportunity across its workplace, marketplace and the communities where it operates. AOF was launched with $100 million to invest in non-profit organizations working to advance economic prosperity across three key pillars: Career Education, Workforce Development, and Economic Empowerment. Leading with an employee-driven approach, AOF partners with organizations that are championed by Apollo employees to expand opportunity for all.
About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three investing strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of March 31, 2024, Apollo had approximately $671 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.
ETIC
Commonlight LLC
