{
  "id": 16165113,
  "title": "How Derek Lubner is building a digital bridge between donors and non-profits",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/how-derek-lubner-is-building-a-digital-bridge-between-donors-and-non",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-23T08:18:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCabal",
    "slug": "techcabal",
    "url": "https://techcabal.com/2026/10/23/lubner-izinga-assist-ngos-trust-sa/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Derek Lubner, co-founder of iZinga Assist, aims to close the trust gap between donors and grassroots non-profit organizations in South Africa. After witnessing the challenges his late parents' foundation faced in verifying beneficiary organizations' projects, Lubner recognized the need for a solution to improve transparency and compliance. iZinga Assist, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is a digital platform that helps verify NGOs' documentation and provide resources to address administrative gaps. The platform requires non-profits to upload about 20 statutory documents, including founding constitutions, board charters, tax compliance, and audited financial statements. For those lacking proper documentation, iZinga Assist offers standardized templates, governance guidelines, and direct coaching. Over 500 organizations have been onboarded, with roughly 110 achieving full verification. By streamlining the verification process and providing necessary resources, iZinga Assist aims to make grassroots organizations more visible and trustworthy to potential donors, ultimately fostering a more effective and accountable philanthropic sector.",
  "summary": "Derek Lubner’s iZinga Assist is using digital verification to help South African non-profits improve governance, build donor trust and access funding, while tackling the paperwork that keeps grassroots organisations from philanthropic support.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}