This is the story of the Alliance for Conserving Freshwater Ecosystems (ACFE) — a national network in India dedicated to protecting freshwater systems.
Their mission:
💧 Bridge local solutions with landscape-scale strategies
🤝 Unite partners and communities
🌱 Address systemic ecological challenges
Like many networks, they’re now facing a pivotal question:
How do we sustain this work over the long term?
Their journey offers real lessons for any organization building a resilient, network-based resourcing model.
ACFE has grown organically. It began as a project funded by two NGOs — and is now becoming a full-fledged network. But several key challenges stand in the way of long-term sustainability:
🏛️ Heavy reliance on one NGO
Funding flows through a single host organization, limiting autonomy and creating risk.
🌐 Lack of visibility on resource flows
No clear picture of total needs, contributions, or how resources move through the network.
📅 Project-based funding
Grants are tied to projects, with no support for ongoing coordination.
💸 Uncompensated labor
Members contribute valuable time and expertise for free—admirable, but unsustainable.
🔍 Attribution is tricky
Because outcomes are collective, it’s hard to prove and showcase the Alliance’s direct impact.