Post-Donor Sustainability of Development Initiatives among Catholic Women Religious Congregations: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Post-donor sustainability remains a major challenge for development initiatives implemented by faith-based organisations in the Global South. Catholic Women Religious Congregations (CWRCs) play a significant role in delivering education, healthcare, social protection, livelihoods support, and humanitarian services in marginalised communities. However, declining donor funding, shifting development priorities, and increased donor withdrawal raise concerns about the continuity of their initiatives. This systematic literature review synthesises empirical and theoretical studies on how organisational practices influence post-donor sustainability among CWRCs. It integrates literature on project design, leadership and governance, financial management, and human resource capacity across faith-based organisations, NGOs, and community development programmes. The review followed a systematic approach using thematic synthesis and integrative analysis of peer-reviewed articles, books, policy reports, and academic databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, JSTOR, Web of Science, and AJOL (2010–2025). Findings show that sustainability depends less on continued donor funding and more on institutionalised adaptive leadership, participatory governance, strategic financial management, human resource development, stakeholder engagement, and organisational learning. Participatory project design enhances ownership and continuity, while strong governance improves accountability and resilience. Financial systems support sustainability through budgeting, accountability, and diversified resource mobilisation. Human resource capacity strengthens institutional continuity through skills development, leadership formation, and communication systems. Overall, sustainability is multidimensional and context-dependent, emerging from the interaction of organisational systems, institutional capabilities, and mission-driven governance. A key gap identified is the limited focus on CWRCs as distinct actors, despite their critical role in development.