The Donum Endowment
The Donum Endowment needs $221,639,325 to keep every planned place, and the team that runs them, running. Pledged so far: $0. Nothing has been paid: a pledge is a promise.
How it works
- The endowment is never spent. Only its returns are: each year, 4% of its average value over the last 12 quarters.
- Returns above 4% stay in the endowment, so it grows with prices.
- A gift to keep one place running stays that place's share for good. A gift to keep every place running goes to the share for Donum Foundation's own running costs, or to the share of the next place to open that is not yet covered. We choose where it does the most good.
- No place opens until its running costs are secured: either its share of the endowment is in, or two years of its running costs are held in reserve.
- If the government takes on a cost (teachers' or health workers' pay), the returns that paid for it go to the next most pressing running cost, and the change is published.
- Earned income (power sales, training contracts) is never counted on. It is reported separately and kept as a reserve.
- A gift to the endowment that names no place goes to the share for Donum Foundation's own running costs, or to the next place to open. We choose where it does the most good, and say which in the endowment's yearly report.
Donum Foundation's own running costs
The people who run Donum Foundation: finding and checking chances, looking after givers and partners, keeping the books, the site and people's information safe, and running the office. They are hired one at a time, as the endowment can pay each of them for good.
Its share of the Donum Endowment
$12,016,825
$480,673 a year to run, divided by 4%
A cash reserve
$240,337
In all
$12,257,162
Every part
None yet. Choose All to see everything.
Pay and benefits for the team $9,476,700 · still needs $9,476,700 · Planned
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Pay and benefits for the team, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$9,476,700 · still needs $9,476,700 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $379,068 a year divided by 4%. For all 11 paid roles together. Estimate: pay set against published pay for jobs in Uganda (Employ Uganda, NGO salary guide, October 2026; MaxisHR, 2026), with the employer's NSSF, a retirement fund, medical insurance, counselling, lunch, training and work injury cover
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Tools and services $600,925 · still needs $600,925 · Planned
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Supabase, Pro organisation plan. Both databases: the site's, and the private one for concerns.
$7,500 · still needs $7,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $300 a year divided by 4%. Source: supabase.com/pricing, 20 October 2026
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Supabase compute, Small compute add-on. A Small server for each of the two databases.
$6,000 · still needs $6,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $240 a year divided by 4%. Source: supabase.com/pricing, 20 October 2026. Less $10 a month (included with Pro)
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Supabase point-in-time recovery, PITR, 7 days. Restore either database to any minute of the last 7 days.
$60,000 · still needs $60,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $2,400 a year divided by 4%. Source: supabase.com/pricing, 20 October 2026. USD 100 a month for each 7 days
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Cloudflare, Pro, billed annually. The website's protection and speed.
$6,000 · still needs $6,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $240 a year divided by 4%. Source: cloudflare.com/plans, 20 October 2026
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Cloudflare Workers, Workers Paid. The site's code.
$1,500 · still needs $1,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $60 a year divided by 4%. Source: Cloudflare's published Workers Paid plan, 20 October 2026
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Cloudflare usage. Requests, storage and backups above the free allowance.
$3,000 · still needs $3,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $120 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Domain, Cloudflare Registrar, at cost. donumfoundation.org.
$275 · still needs $275 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $11 a year divided by 4%. Estimate: about USD 11 a year
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Resend, Pro (50,000 emails a month). Every email the site sends.
$6,000 · still needs $6,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $240 a year divided by 4%. Source: resend.com/pricing, 20 October 2026
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GitHub, Team. The site's code and its history.
$3,600 · still needs $3,600 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $144 a year divided by 4%. Source: github.com/pricing, 20 October 2026
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Xero, Established (multi-currency). Accounting, in UGX and USD.
$29,100 · still needs $29,100 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $1,164 a year divided by 4%. Source: xero.com/us/pricing-plans, 20 October 2026
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Sentry, Team, billed annually. Tells the IT officer when something on the site breaks.
$7,800 · still needs $7,800 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $312 a year divided by 4%. Source: sentry.io/pricing, 20 October 2026
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Didit, Pay per check, 500 free a month. Identity checks online.
$29,700 · still needs $29,700 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $1,188 a year divided by 4%. Source: didit.me/pricing, 20 October 2026. How many: an estimate
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Anthropic API: first screening, Claude Haiku 5.5, pay per use. Screens every comment, note and story before it shows.
$4,200 · still needs $4,200 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $168 a year divided by 4%. Source: platform.claude.com pricing, 20 October 2026. How many: an estimate. Cache writes left out: they are a small share
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Anthropic API: second look, Claude Sonnet 5.5, pay per use. A closer read of what the first screening is unsure about.
$7,950 · still needs $7,950 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $318 a year divided by 4%. Source: platform.claude.com pricing, 20 October 2026
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Each person's tools: email, Claude, passwords, a laptop and a phone
$428,300 · still needs $428,300 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $17,132 a year divided by 4%. For 10 full-time people. Source: Google Workspace, Claude and Bitwarden pricing, 20 October 2026; a laptop at the laptop draw's own price; a phone, its line and its data: an estimate
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The board's real costs $212,825 · still needs $212,825 · Planned
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Travel to meetings in Kampala
$25,675 · still needs $25,675 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $1,027 a year divided by 4%. Estimate, for each board member at each meeting
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A night's stay for a member from outside Kampala
$11,975 · still needs $11,975 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $479 a year divided by 4%. Estimate: one member, one night, each meeting
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Meals at meetings: the board, the Executive director and the company secretary
$8,550 · still needs $8,550 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $342 a year divided by 4%. Estimate, for each person at each meeting. Meetings are held in Donum's own office
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Visit to Nakivale, once a year: vehicle and fuel
$13,700 · still needs $13,700 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $548 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Visit to Nakivale: two nights for the board and one staff member
$13,700 · still needs $13,700 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $548 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Governance training for each member, once a year
$51,375 · still needs $51,375 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $2,055 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Directors' and officers' liability insurance
$68,500 · still needs $68,500 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $2,740 a year divided by 4%. Estimate. Protects board members acting in good faith
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Contingency
$19,350 · still needs $19,350 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $774 a year divided by 4%. Estimate: 10% of the costs above
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Audit, legal and running costs $1,726,375 · still needs $1,726,375 · Planned
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External audit, every year
$171,225 · still needs $171,225 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $6,849 a year divided by 4%. Estimate. Required: the NGO Act asks for accounts audited by a certified auditor (s.39(3)(a))
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Lawyer, on retainer
$164,375 · still needs $164,375 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $6,575 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Registrations and fees: Registrar of Companies, NGO Bureau, Personal Data Protection Office
$20,550 · still needs $20,550 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $822 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Insurance: office contents, cyber and professional indemnity
$102,750 · still needs $102,750 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $4,110 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Bank charges
$16,450 · still needs $16,450 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $658 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Work travel: field visits, Nakivale and partners
$246,575 · still needs $246,575 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $9,863 a year divided by 4%. Estimate. Not taxed on staff when paid at cost (s.19(2)(d))
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Recruitment: adverts, reference and identity checks
$34,250 · still needs $34,250 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $1,370 a year divided by 4%. Estimate
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Contingency
$75,625 · still needs $75,625 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $3,025 a year divided by 4%. Estimate: 10% of the costs above
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Office rent, power and internet, for each full-time person
$894,575 · still needs $894,575 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $35,783 a year divided by 4%. For 10 full-time people. Source: Knight Frank, Kampala market review H1 2026, for the rent; the space, the service charge, power and internet: an estimate
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Cash reserve $240,337 · still needs $240,337 · Planned
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Six months of running costs, kept in cash and short-term government bonds
$240,337 · still needs $240,337 · Planned
How we reached this figure: Half of the team's $480,673 a year of running costs, as in Donum Centre's plan
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Who we hire, in order
From the day Donum is registered: the company secretary, our tools, the board's real costs, audit and legal.
- Executive director
- Executive assistant and office manager
- Finance officer
- IT officer
- Data protection officer
- Operations manager
- Partnerships and giving officer
- Programmes officer
- Community officer
- Communications officer
Working at Donum Foundation
We hire each of these roles once the endowment can pay for it for good. We agree pay with each person in private, so no salary is published.
Company secretary
What the role does
- Calls the board's meetings and the annual general meeting, and sends their papers on time.
- Keeps the minutes and the board's decisions.
- Keeps the company's registers and founding documents.
- Files the annual returns with the Registrar of Companies and the NGO Bureau.
- Files every change of director or address.
- Keeps the list of every permit and registration, and when each runs out.
- Keeps the board's register of conflicts of interest.
What the role needs
An advocate, an accountant or a chartered secretary, with company law experience in Uganda. Never the Executive director.
Executive director
What the role does
- Leads Donum Foundation and makes its day-to-day decisions.
- Prepares each year's plan and budget, and brings them to the board.
- Approves all spending. Nobody else approves a payment.
- Hires the team as the endowment grows, and gives and removes every operational role.
- Reads every statement made for Donum, and every weekly report sent to you.
- Reads concerns, as one of the people our privacy page names.
- Decides what happens to an item whose consent lapsed more than 90 days ago.
- Speaks for Donum to the government, the district, partners, donors and the press, and signs Donum's agreements.
- Watches over every planned place, from building to running.
- Brings to the board only what must go to it, and handles everything else.
What the role needs
Has led an organisation or a large programme, with staff and a budget. Knows Uganda's NGO and company law, and how to work with district and national government. Speaks and writes well to donors, partners and the press.
Executive assistant and office manager
What the role does
- Runs the Executive director's diary, calls, letters and travel, and decides what reaches the director and when.
- Keeps the team's shared calendar, and coordinates its weekly plans and deadlines.
- Follows up on what the team agreed, so nothing is missed.
- Prepares meetings: agendas, papers and rooms, and notes what was agreed and who does what.
- Works with the company secretary on the board's meetings.
- Runs the office: rent, suppliers, equipment, power, internet, cleaning, security and lunches.
- Buys what the office needs, with the finance officer.
- Receives visitors, partners and calls, and is the team's first point of contact.
- Keeps the office's filing and contact lists in order.
- Organises Donum's events and visits.
What the role needs
A degree in business administration, office management or similar. About 5 years as an executive assistant or office manager, ideally in an NGO or a busy office. Excellent judgment, discretion and written English, and calm under pressure. Confident with Google Workspace and with organising other people's time.
Finance officer
What the role does
- Keeps the books in our accounting system, in Ugandan shillings and US dollars.
- Records every amount that comes in or goes out, and checks it each month against the bank's and the payment provider's records.
- Keeps each gift where it was given: to a chance, to the general fund or to the endowment.
- Handles refunds, which a giver can ask for within seven working days, and sends receipts.
- Runs the payroll, and pays PAYE, NSSF and Local Service Tax on time.
- Pays suppliers once the Executive director has approved each payment, with quotes checked first.
- Reports each month to the Executive director on spending against the budget.
- Keeps the endowment's accounts with whoever invests it, and reports its returns.
- Files Donum's tax returns, and keeps its tax-exempt status.
- Prepares the yearly accounts, and works with the auditor.
What the role needs
A professional accountant: CPA(U) from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda, or ACCA. About 5 years' experience, ideally with NGO or donor-funded accounts and more than one currency.
IT officer
What the role does
- Keeps the site and its databases running, up to date and secure.
- Makes backups, and tests each month that they can be restored.
- Controls who on the team can reach which system, and removes access the day somebody leaves.
- Looks after our domain, email and sign-ins.
- Looks after the links to identity checks, payments, email and the AI that screens comments.
- Watches for errors and attacks, and fixes what breaks.
- Reviews everything built for the site, and applies database changes.
- Arranges a yearly independent security test, and fixes what it finds.
- Sets up and secures the team's laptops, phones and accounts.
- Works with the data protection officer if data is ever exposed.
What the role needs
A degree in computer science or similar, and about 5 years' experience. Hands-on with JavaScript, PostgreSQL (Supabase) and Cloudflare. Security-minded: access, backups and handling a breach.
Data protection officer
What the role does
- Checks every new page, form, feature and programme before it goes live, so it collects only what it needs and keeps it only as long as our privacy page says.
- Assesses the risks to privacy of every new programme before it starts, such as a household survey or the laptop draw.
- Checks the privacy page, the terms and the staff privacy notice against what the site does.
- Keeps the list of everything Donum holds about people, why, where and for how long, and checks that it is deleted on time.
- Reviews the contracts with every company that handles people's information.
- Answers requests to see, correct or delete information, sent to support@donumfoundation.org.
- Keeps Donum's registration with the Personal Data Protection Office.
- Leads the response if information is ever exposed, and tells the regulator and the people affected.
- Trains the team, and checks each year that access to private information is limited to who needs it.
What the role needs
A background in law or IT, trained in data protection. Knows Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act 2019 and its 2021 Regulations, and the GDPR. A recognised qualification such as the IAPP's CIPP/E is a plus.
Operations manager
What the role does
- Holds the admin role: the site's settings and switches, and members' accounts.
- Answers help requests sent through Need help?, and questions sent to support@donumfoundation.org.
- Verifies people in person.
- Runs the Student Laptop Draw every month: confirms applicants with their universities, closes and publishes the list, runs the draw, reaches the winner and arranges the handover.
- Runs hiring: adverts, interviews, references and identity checks, contracts and a new person's first week.
- Keeps staff records: contracts, leave and training.
- Hands each role from one person to the next, as our handover steps say.
- Renews Donum's insurance and keeps its policies in one place.
- Leads the finance officer.
What the role needs
A degree in business administration or similar, and about 5 years running operations. Knows staff records, contracts and basic data protection.
Partnerships and giving officer
What the role does
- Looks after donors, and answers every question they ask.
- Looks after philanthropy partners, individuals and institutions.
- Writes to everyone who pledged once Donum can receive gifts, and keeps every pledge up to date.
- Raises the endowment, share by share, and reports each year to everyone who gave to it.
- Writes proposals to foundations and companies, and the reports they ask for.
- Thanks every giver, and tells them what their gift did.
- Keeps the records of givers and partners.
What the role needs
Proven fundraising and proposal writing, with a record of money raised. Experience with endowment or trust gifts and reports to donors. Excellent written English. The international CFRE qualification is a plus.
Programmes officer
What the role does
- Finds and vets outreach partners, agrees their terms, and trains them on their portal.
- Reads every referral partners send.
- Checks every chance before it is posted: the need, the price and its quotes, and the person's own words.
- Arranges each gift's delivery with the partner, and assigns its check.
- Follows up six and twelve months later, and keeps the Results page true.
- Watches over every planned place: its approvals, its builders, its quotes and its opening, and works with the district and the settlement's offices.
- Runs the surveys each plan promises, such as Nakivale's household survey.
- Visits the field every month.
- Leads the community officer.
What the role needs
A degree in social work, development studies or similar. Field experience with refugees or host communities. Experience checking needs, delivering and measuring results. Speaks languages used in Nakivale, such as Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda or Kirundi, and French.
Community officer
What the role does
- Reads reported and held comments, and Community Notes, every working day.
- Helps people tell their stories safely, and reviews each story before it is published, once its writer agrees.
- Gives stories to narrators, and coordinates translators.
- Reviews the Pledges and thank-yous members share, and runs the Thank You Challenge and the Ancestor Challenge.
- Matches volunteers and mentors with the people they can help.
- Welcomes new volunteers, and reads their quarterly answers.
What the role needs
A background in communications, journalism or social work. Has moderated an online community, and is trained in helping people tell painful stories safely. Speaks more than one language.
Communications officer
What the role does
- Holds the Journal editor role: edits and proofreads every Journal post before it is published, and checks its facts and sources.
- Helps the team write about their own work.
- Sends the Journal's emails.
- Looks after how people find the site through search.
- Answers journalists, and prepares what Donum says to the press.
- Once the Executive director decides, runs Donum's social media.
- Keeps every page, photo and post true to our publishing standard and our rules on photos and names.
- Prepares the yearly report.
What the role needs
A degree in communications, journalism or similar. About 5 years of editing and writing for the public, ideally with search and press work. Excellent written English.