Citizen Base Initiative
Ashoka created the Citizen Base Initiative (CBI) in 1997 to help citizen sector organizations diversify their financial base so that they learn to become sustainably rooted in their local constituency instead of remaining dependent on foundation and government funding.
CBI’s mission is to ‘tip’ the thinking and behavior of the citizen sector towards innovation in building a broad citizen base of support—people, money, information, and businesses—to achieve sustainability and ensure maximum social impact. Working closely with the other Ashoka programs, especially Social Financial Services and Changemakers, CBI envisions building a vibrant, self-sufficient global citizen sector that is as enduring and influential as state, religious, and private institutions.
To accomplish these goals, CBI applies three closely interlinked strategies:
Seek Innovation
Competitions identify and invest in innovative ideas for developing a broad citizen base.CBI designs competitions to seek out new and tested strategies in local resource mobilization. Competition winners are awarded with an investment to help them refine and deepen their strategy, publicize their success, and empower their organizations to become leaders within the sector.
Support Innovators
Capacity Building helps organizations develop the expertise and confidence to implement their citizen base strategies.
Through private and public sector partnerships, CBI offers workshops and creates learning circles to build fundamental skill sets in planning, management, and marketing. Practitioner exchanges also play a vital role in increasing practical knowledge and building professional networks. CBI encourages competition winners to mentor their peers and offer training to other organizations.
Spread Innovative Ideas
Marketing and Communication publicizes the most compelling examples of citizen base strategies.
By exposing citizen sector practitioners to inspiring ideas and practical strategies, CBI facilitates and strengthens the citizen sector worldwide. Multi-lingual websites, publications, multimedia and roadshows are among the many channels used to spread the concept and practices of citizen base strategies.