Rachel Kolisi has opened up about her decision to step away from the Kolisi Foundation, revealing that her departure was driven by a desire to return to a more hands-on, grassroots approach to philanthropy.
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The philanthropist, author, and public speaker recently reflected on her journey during an appearance on the Do One Better podcast, where she discussed the lessons she learned while co-founding and leading one of South Africa’s most prominent charitable organisations.
Rachel Kolisi speaks on foundation departure
While Rachel described her time at the Kolisi Foundation as deeply meaningful, she explained that as the organisation expanded, it evolved into a more structured and corporate environment, a direction that no longer aligned with how she wanted to create impact.
“I found that it was further and further away from the way I wanted to work in the non-profit sector,” she said, adding that larger organisations can sometimes lose the ability to respond quickly to urgent community needs.
“The non-profit sector often works in silos, and there is very little collaboration that happens because organisations are after the same funding, and all doing amazing work, can sometimes become a very competitive environment,” said Rachel.
“I found that it was further and further away from the way I wanted to work in the non-profit sector and was becoming a lot more structured in the way that some of the bigger organisations are and in some ways losing the ability to see an issue and address an issue immediately, even if you’re able to,” she added.
Also see: Rachel Kolisi shares update on Falling Forward Foundation, Impilo Project impact
The birth of Falling Forward
Following her departure from the Kolisi Foundation, Rachel launched Falling Forward, an initiative focused on supporting smaller, grassroots organisations already doing impactful work across South Africa.
Rather than creating new programmes, Rachel says her goal is to amplify the efforts of existing organisations that often struggle to access funding, exposure and resources.
“I’m not interested in reinventing the wheel,” she explained. “There are already incredible organisations doing phenomenal work. I want to help shine a light on them.”
Returning to the basics
Rachel’s new approach centres on collaboration, community involvement, and practical action. She believes many people want to make a difference but often feel overwhelmed by the scale of social challenges facing the country.
Through Falling Forward, she hopes to create opportunities for everyday South Africans to contribute through volunteering, donations and community support initiatives, reports IOL.
She also acknowledged that working in the non-profit sector can be emotionally demanding, but said she has learned the importance of returning to the core values that inspired her work in the first place.
A new chapter
Rachel’s departure from the Kolisi Foundation was not about leaving philanthropy behind, but rather redefining how she wants to serve communities.
As she embarks on this new chapter, her focus remains firmly on creating meaningful impact — one organisation, one community, and one act of kindness at a time.
Also see: Rachel Kolisi’s Falling Forward Foundation and The Impilo Project launch Mandela Day campaign
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