On April 16, 2026, WorldBoston hosted Samuel Worthington for a Chat & Chowder discussion on his recent book, Prisoners of Hope: Global Action and the Evolving Roles of U.S. NGOs. Drawing from decades of experience in global development and NGO leadership, Worthington offered a practitioner’s perspective on the evolving role of NGOs in international development and humanitarian work. Aligning with the title’s inspiration from the words of anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, Worthington centered his talk on the powerful idea of hope as a strategy for positive change.
Worthington began the talk emphasizing that hope is not just an American concept, but a human concept, connecting people across cultures. This then led into his emphasis on personal agency: the belief that people can imagine something different for their future and work toward it. Real change, Worthington said, often starts at the local level within families, communities and motivated individuals. This belief guided his talk, explaining that community development is most effective when it moves away from top-down solutions and instead meets communities where they are at.
This idea connects directly to one of the biggest shifts in the NGO sector today: localization. Worthington discussed how NGOs are moving beyond a solely aid-based model. Their role is no longer just to provide assistance, but to empower communities and local leaders to solve problems. He explained that NGOs are increasingly becoming facilitators, advocates and even diplomatic actors—gaining leverage on the global stage. To explain this, Worthington highlighted how the real power of NGOs and nonprofits lies in their ability to mobilize governments, the media, donors and the public to care about issues that might otherwise remain invisible in the global conversation.
At the same time, he acknowledged one of the major critiques of U.S. and international NGOs: When do outside resources strengthen local capacity, and when do they unintentionally replace or weaken it? As USAID and government funding globally shifts or declines, Worthington said that NGOs must focus on mission and vision clarity, public engagement and building long-term partnerships with communities instead of overreliance on top-down sources. This reflects his point that as NGOs empower local actors, lasting change is created that communities can sustain over time.
Worthington emphasized that an organization’s success is not determined by its budget, but by the clarity of its purpose and the willingness to keep pushing forward. In a field often shaped by crisis and political uncertainty, he encouraged young NGO and nonprofit professionals to keep a naive sense of “why not try?” alive when pushing for change. Worthington closed the discussion with a memorable reminder to resist cynicism, guiding not only NGO and nonprofit professionals, but global citizens too. He explained that by taking this approach, mutual learning is fostered between organizations, NGO leaders and local communities.
Through a meaningful discussion and an engaging Q&A session, Worthington shared with the WorldBoston community the importance of self-motivation, community agency and of course, hope. His message was both relevant and impactful: meaningful change happens when people are given the power to shape their own futures.
