Sylvester Renner
Motivational reflections and leadership lessons from Sylvester’s journey - life in general and building a nonprofit.
Updates on Develop Africa’s impact—scholarships, school supplies, computer labs, and youth empowerment in Africa.
Highlights of special campaigns like the 2025 Year of the Pencil, global partnerships, and community stories.
Behind-the-scenes insights into how everyday people and organizations can create lasting change.
📌 Whether you’re a supporter, volunteer, donor, or someone who simply believes in the power of education to change lives—you’ll find content here to inspire and equip you to make a difference.
👉 Subscribe and join us on this mission to build brighter futures, one child, one community, one pencil at a time.
Sylvester Renner
Revisiting this one from June 2025 — a conversation with a high school student working on a “justice” service learning project at her school.
What stood out to me then, and still does now, is how clearly she connected her own debate background to the questions she asked. We ended up talking about why @DevelopafricaOrg's mission had to grow past just school supplies, what it cost me personally to keep this organization going for almost two decades, and what “meaningful service” actually means when you strip away the noise.
If you're a student figuring out your own path into service work, this one's for you. 🎓 What does “meaningful service” mean to you? Tell me below.
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Looking back on this conversation with Rinaz Jamal, founder of Ubuntu 4 Humanity, still puts a smile on my face. 🙂
Rinaz started this organization as an 8th grader after a week studying sub-Saharan Africa, and instead of walking away with the usual headlines, she walked away asking how she could help. That's rare at any age.
We talked about how Develop Africa got started back in 2006, the students who shaped how we think about “removing barriers” to education, and why something as simple as a solar light can be the difference between a child finishing their homework or not.
Two years on, this one's worth a re-watch. What's one “barrier to education” you think people overlook? Drop it below. 👇
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Proud to see Develop Africa's Year of the Pencil featured in the July 2026 SLANGO Newsletter. In one day, we distributed 100,000 pencils to 10,000 pupils across 20 schools in Freetown. Sometimes, change starts with a pencil. ✏️ #DevelopAfrica
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
In 2006, I built our nonprofit's first website because we couldn't afford a developer.
That mindset led us to adopt new platforms early.
What tool are you underusing today?
👉Download the free MTS toolkits: www.missiontosystems.com/tools
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Frederick became a geologist after 16 years of sustained support.
That kind of impact isn't built on passion alone. It's built on strong systems and partners who demand accountability.
📘 amzn.to/4cUCgb8
🌐 missiontosystems.com
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Funding doesn't fix weak governance.
I've seen nonprofits raise more money while depending on undocumented processes and founder memory.
Resources help you grow. Systems help you last.
What needs more attention in your organization?
👉 Download the free Mission to Systems™ Founder Toolkit, 13 governance tools for nonprofit founders, at missiontosystems.com/tools.
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
A few people have asked me why I wrote Mission to Systems™.
The answer is simple.
Over the past 20 years, I've watched too many good organizations struggle because too much depended on a handful of exhausted people holding everything together.
I've been there myself.
I've experienced the consequences of unclear governance, weak systems, leadership stretched too thin, and lessons learned much later than they should have been.
I've also seen what happens when an organization begins building structure intentionally. Decisions become clearer. Leadership becomes more sustainable. The mission no longer depends on one person.
This book is not written to explain the process of starting a nonprofit but for founders and leaders who are already doing the work and want to build organizations that can endure.
My hope is that fewer people have to learn these lessons the hard way.
If Mission to Systems™ helps someone avoid burnout, strengthen their organization, or build something that outlasts them, then it has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would.
What leadership lesson do you wish someone had taught you earlier?
👉 Download the free toolkit here: www.missiontosystems.com/tools
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Why did I write Mission to Systems™?
Because I've seen too many good missions struggle when everything depends on a few exhausted people.
Systems create sustainability.
What's one leadership lesson you wish you'd learned earlier?
👉 Grab your copy: amzn.to/4cUCgb8
👉 Download free toolkit: www.missiontosystems.com/tools
2 months ago | [YT] | 0
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Plan B won the NBA Finals.
OG Anunoby didn’t wait for the miss. He was already at the rim.
Real wins come from preparation before failure, not reaction after it.
What in your work has no Plan B yet?
2 months ago | [YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Sylvester Renner
Writing Mission to Systems™ brought back memories.
Janet. Joshua. The children affected by Ebola. Lives shaped by decisions made years ago.
I thought I was writing about governance, but I was also writing about people.
Who has quietly influenced your life?
2 months ago | [YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Load more