small c cut

“Small c” is the term I use for quiet, strategic reductions that unlock real change over time. Ali Al Mokdad

A lorry on a road, its tarpaulin load stacked far higher than the cab.
A man hauling an overloaded cart of scrap and firewood through mud by hand.
A yellow taxi driving down a street with a full air conditioning duct unit strapped to its roof.
A queue of identical white four wheel drives on a dirt road with headlights on.
A row of near identical tents pitched in a dry open field.
A market stall crammed from floor to ceiling with stacked notebooks and books.
A decommissioned rocket shell mounted on legs and reused as a bench.
A collapsed bridge sinking into a calm green river, framed by dark trees.
A wall papered with printed and hand drawn Like and dislike buttons and smiley faces.
Ali Al Mokdad in red glasses and a checked jacket, photographed against a bright yellow perforated wall.

small c cut 01/10

01 overhead

Reducing INGO Overhead with Small c Cuts

Overhead is not the enemy. Overhead that no longer earns its place is.

An office that no longer opens doors is not representation, it is overhead.

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A lorry on a road, its tarpaulin load stacked far higher than the cab.

01 · overhead

Reducing INGO Overhead with Small c Cuts

An office that no longer opens doors is not representation, it is overhead.

Overhead becomes expensive the moment it stops earning its weight.

read the piece
A man hauling an overloaded cart of scrap and firewood through mud by hand.

02 · headquarters

Unlock Efficiency at INGO HQ with a ‘Small c’ Cut

If the internal report isn’t prompting a decision, it’s just decoration.

This paper might provoke you. It might affirm what you’ve whispered in hallways, raised on field visits, or challenged in meetings.

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A yellow taxi driving down a street with a full air conditioning duct unit strapped to its roof.

03 · strategy

Dear INGO HQ: Fix Your Strategy with a ‘Small c’ Cut

What we lack isn’t strategy. It’s strategic memory, strategic courage, and a design rooted in reality.

In one of my recent papers —some called it the HQ Efficiency Manifesto—I wrote about “small c” cuts: quiet, strategic shifts that make systems work better without breaking them.

read the piece
A queue of identical white four wheel drives on a dirt road with headlights on.

04 · transformation

Optimizing INGO Transformation with the Small c Cut

Cut what drains. Cut what distracts. Cut what slows.

If the word transformation stresses you out, if digitalization triggers a small internal panic, and if every new model feels like another round of pressure that lands on your shoulders before it reaches its value, you are not alone.

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A row of near identical tents pitched in a dry open field.

05 · regional offices

Unlocking Regional Office Value with Small c Cuts

If organizations cannot share a fleet, they are not ready to share a strategy.

If you have ever worked in or with an NGO’s regional office, you know the feeling.

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A market stall crammed from floor to ceiling with stacked notebooks and books.

06 · fundraising

Smarter NGO Fundraising With Small c Cuts

Fundraising is not revolution. It is optimisation in small shapes.

If you have ever sat in a fundraising strategy session that felt both urgent and disconnected from the operational realities, you know the frustration.

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A decommissioned rocket shell mounted on legs and reused as a bench.

07 · advocacy

Turning NGO Advocacy Into Influence With Small c Cuts

Influence is not a vibe. It is a practice.

It usually begins with good intention. A new campaign, a donor hint that visibility matters, a policy window that feels urgent.

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A collapsed bridge sinking into a calm green river, framed by dark trees.

08 · risk

Dear NGO: Your Risk Management Is the Risk — Fix It with Small c Cuts

A traffic light that never stops traffic is just decoration.

The smoke alarm goes off. Everyone hears it.

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A wall papered with printed and hand drawn Like and dislike buttons and smiley faces.

09 · digital

Rethinking NGO Digital Transformation with Small c Cuts

The tool was real. The transformation was not.

Digital transformation in NGOs begins the way expensive mistakes begin: a polished presentation, a room full of well-intentioned people, and a shared belief that this time the system will make the work easier.

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Ali Al Mokdad in red glasses and a checked jacket, photographed against a bright yellow perforated wall.

10 · the person who noticed

Ali Al Mokdad

One precise correction at a time. No restructure required. No new committee.

Real optimization starts in the small choices leaders make with trust and honesty, the quiet shifts that return organizations to first principles and let the system serve the people instead of the other way around.

alialmokdad.com