The period from December 2023 to March 2025 was a formative time for EA Philippines, filled with both challenges and valuable lessons learned. As the organization navigated shifts in its leadership structure, fundraising processes, and operational capacity, it faced several hurdles that tested its resilience and adaptability. Despite these challenges, the team was able to reflect, adjust, and build a stronger foundation for future success.

This progress report details the key challenges encountered, the lessons learned, and the opportunities that have arisen as a result of these experiences. We aim to offer insights for community builders and organizations facing similar growing pains, with a focus on leadership transitions, fundraising strategies, and scaling operations.

1). Change in organizing team

• Challenge: Unexpected leadership transitions caused ~3-4 month delay in original plans
• Lessons: Need for succession planning, clear role definition, and structured onboarding

Challenges

In December 2023, the EA Philippines team initially began with Mark Romero as Executive Director at 1 FTE and Sam Ackary & Zian Bonoan split between 0.5 FT each as Co-Associate Directors. However, in January 2024, Mark had to tender his resignation as Executive Director due to conflicting commitments. It was of the board’s opinion that hiring for another Executive Director may pose challenges, mainly around 1) the time that will be consumed for another hiring round and 2) the perceived lack of interest from EA Philippines members in the role based on the number of candidates who originally applied for the Executive Director position. Consequently, the board asked Sam and Zian if they would like to adjust their commitments as Co-Associate Directors to Co-Directors of EA PH, with the same commitment of 0.5 FTE each.

The main challenge due to the change in the organizing team was the amount of time it took to recalibrate, rethink strategies, and rewrite funding proposals before continuing with operations and fundraising. At the same time, as Mark was originally based in Canada and was still relatively new to the EA Philippines community, Sam and Zian invested time in helping Mark learn more about the local community, which consumed time for jumpstarting the strategizing and fundraising processes. This whole process caused a ~three month delay in the original plans that had been set for the organization.

Lessons and Opportunities

From the challenges we faced, we learned the importance of having a comprehensive succession plan in place to ensure smooth leadership transitions. We discovered that clearly defining roles and responsibilities and ensuring regular check-ins can significantly improve efficiency. We also learned the value of structured onboarding for new hires, especially those coming from outside the local community, to quickly integrate them into the local context. Streamlining strategy development and fundraising processes through reusable templates and delegating tasks will help us move faster in future efforts. Additionally, we realized the need for contingency planning to address potential disruptions in funding or staffing. Building a leadership pipeline by mentoring fellows and community members, along with setting up a knowledge-sharing system, will ensure that valuable information is accessible and easily transferred.

2). Prolonged period of fundraising, fundraising experiences & gaps (~4 months)

• Challenge: ~4-5 month process with coordination complexities
• Lessons: Consider organization registration seriously; Explore alternative funding sources in further operations

Challenges

The fundraising period spanned approximately four to five months, where January 2024 to March 2025 (3 months) included strategizing, proposal development, and application submissions/postings, and April 2024 to May 2024 (2 months) was the waiting period for the status of these calls and applications.

Our approach to fundraising was to adopt a strategy focused on diversified funding sources. We began by posting on Manifund, followed by sharing our campaign on the EA Forum, and then applying to Meta Charity Funders and CEA’s Group Support Fund. However, we faced several challenges during this period.

First, receiving funds from multiple sources required extensive coordination, leading to delays as we had to adjust to various other groups’ timelines. Additionally, we encountered some difficulties in securing funds from the Philippines due to the organization’s unregistered status, which further complicated the process and caused additional delays.

Additionally, as we were engaging with a new funder, there were uncertainties regarding the mechanics of how the funds would be disbursed, which added to the complexity of the process. This created challenges in synchronizing our funding flows and required considerable time and effort to navigate, delaying our ability to efficiently allocate resources and focus on running our programs.

Lessons and Opportunities

The topic of registration is one EA Philippines has considered more deeply given the ease it may provide for addressing fundraising challenges, particularly on receiving funds. However, after conducting several consultations with members of our community, we recognize that sustaining a registration status can be quite challenging, and may not be sustainable for EA Philippines in the long run. One opportunity we can explore is seeking alternative or supplementary funding sources, such as local corporate sponsorships or government grants, that will not require a registration status for donees. The organization may also explore fiscal partnership such as through Players Philanthropy Fund. Strengthening our internal capacity for managing multiple funding streams, including dedicated roles for financial management, would also help mitigate delays and improve overall efficiency in fundraising.

3). Opportunities Outpace Organizing Team Capacity

• Challenge: Part-time leadership (0.5 FTE each) leading to limited program offerings
• Opportunity: Hiring Sunta Cadiz in November 2024 increased capacity

Challenges

One of the primary challenges EA Philippines faced during the past organizing year was the impact of a change in organizational structure, which led to limitations in the team’s capacity. With no full-time Executive Director, Zian and Sam each serving at 0.5 FTE, and Zian and Sam having other work commitments, this made it difficult to give full attention to the multiple, simultaneous activities of EA Philippines.

As a result, Sam and Zian had to make difficult decisions about prioritizing certain programs over others, such as focusing on high-priority initiatives like the Introductory Fellowship rather than running a more diverse volunteer opportunity system. This meant that EA PH wasn’t able to fully capitalize on providing a wider range of growth opportunities for those interested in effective altruism.

Moreover, originally, we focused on deepening the engagement of a few core individuals, but this approach eventually led to a plateau in growth. At the same time, getting new people engaged with effective altruism has become more difficult in the post-pandemic and post-FTX landscape. That said, there are still several promising strategies we haven’t fully explored yet.

In addition to the above, given current capacity and priorities, the EA Philippines board is looking to take the lead on developing and implementing the organization’s fundraising strategy moving forward. This includes strengthening relationships with existing funders and exploring new funding opportunities.

Lessons and Opportunities

A key opportunity that emerged from these challenges was the successful hiring of a Community Building Associate, Sunta Cadiz, in November 2024. This hire provided significant relief to Sam and Zian, allowing them to offload non-core functions and focus on high-impact activities. Sunta’s addition also served as a catalyst for us to reassess and narrow down our most critical activities, helping us clarify the key areas of focus for the upcoming year. This experience highlighted the importance of clearly defining roles and responsibilities within the team, and the value of building a strong support system to prevent burnout and ensure that core programs continue to thrive.

There is also an important opportunity to re-engage members who have been part of the community for several years. We have the chance to deepen their involvement by offering skill-building sessions, creating mentorship opportunities, and developing value-aligned projects that provide meaningful and sustained engagement within the community.

Most importantly, we recognized the need to scale our operations gradually, ensuring that as the organization grows, we have the capacity to maintain a diverse range of activities without overextending ourselves. This reinforced the lesson of balancing ambition with sustainable capacity and encouraged us to explore further strategies for strengthening our internal team structure, including the potential for future hires or partnerships to relieve pressure on the core team.

To support the increased demand for more diverse offerings from EA Philippines, we aim to have a team working at a combined capacity of 2 or 2.5 FTE, with one organizer being full-time. This will allow more space for the team to focus on deepening engagement, supporting high-potential members, and strengthening overall community health.

General Advice for Community Builders

Based on the experiences learned throughout our organizing year, our community survey, as well as 1:1 consultations we held with other organizers, we offer the following advice for other community builders:

1. Prepare for Leadership Transitions: Leadership changes can be one of the most disruptive events in an organization, so it's crucial to have a solid succession plan in place. This includes clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and succession protocols, which can be administered through a set of detailed documents, an onboarding process, and time for onboarding consultations. It’s important to be as clear as possible with the day to day operations of the organization so that new hires are aware of the key activities and expectations that should be continued especially during the transition period.
2. Be Mindful of Team Capacity: In the case of EA Philippines, manpower became quite a pain point especially considering the opportunities and expectations our community had for opportunities we could offer. Adjusting the number of events and programs to the team’s capacity to ensure that each engagement is run with as much thoughtfulness as the next was a really important step for us to make. This also meant having a good idea of the engagements that mattered in terms of achieving EA Philippines’ goals so that we can properly prioritize those. Maximizing for sustainability and quality also made for more enjoyable work for the core team.
3. Diversify Funding Sources and Be Ready for Delays: To prepare for potential funding uncertainties in the EA space, it’s helpful to maintain a shortlist of applicable funders your organization can approach. However, relying on multiple funders brings its own challenges, such as delays due to differing timelines, coordination burdens, and uncertainties in how and when funds will be disbursed. To manage these issues, plan for a longer fundraising timeline, remain flexible with your programming and budgeting, and design backup plans for low-cost or no-cost community activities that can keep engagement alive even during funding gaps.
4. Foster Stronger Community Engagement: Building a leadership pipeline is essential for managing and sharing valuable knowledge, and for helping new leaders grow. As your community grows, consider delegating non-core tasks to interested members so your core team can focus on key priorities. When making major decisions, take time to consult the community—through 1:1 conversations or polls—to understand their views and stay connected with them. Regularly engaging in these check-ins is a valuable habit for any community builder.
5. Simplify Processes and Leverage Templates: When facing time constraints, streamline your strategies, processes, and tools for future use. For instance, developing reusable templates for funding proposals, strategic planning, and reporting can save considerable time when you're working under tight deadlines or managing multiple funding streams. A clear structure and streamlined operations will enable you to scale and adapt to future challenges more effectively.
6. Be Intentional About Team Culture. Especially if you are working in a very small team, the culture you set will significantly shape your team's ability to succeed and stay aligned with its goals. A strong, intentional culture fosters trust, accountability, and resilience—especially when resources are limited. EA Philippines has recently implemented regular feedback sessions during its weekly core team meetings. This practice encourages a culture of radical honesty, where team members can share constructive feedback openly and respectfully, all in the interest of helping each other grow and improve. Over time, this has strengthened team dynamics, improved individual performance, and created a more supportive and collaborative work environment. Regularly reflecting on and reinforcing your team culture can go a long way in ensuring long-term success and cohesion.

Conclusion

The past organizing year has provided EA Philippines with important lessons about flexibility, resilience, and strategic growth. While challenges like leadership changes, prolonged fundraising periods, and limited capacity were obstacles, they also catalyzed learning and growth for the organization. Our key takeaway for community builders alike is to focus on the importance of preparing for transitions, diversifying funding sources, and maintaining a sustainable team structure.

Moving forward, EA Philippines aims to implement these lessons, streamline operations, and explore new opportunities to ensure that the organization remains effective, resilient, and capable of scaling to meet the growing demands of the effective altruism community in the Philippines. We hope these insights can serve as a guide for other community-building organizations striving to balance ambition with sustainability.