Backed by Shoprite and Primedia, iZinga Assist keeps SA’s NPOs trustworthy

iZinga Assist co-founders Henk Swanepoel and Derek Lubner. Image supplied.

Using tools like Donor Journey — which tracks donor contributions in real time through a secure Shoprite Money Market account for each NPO — the digital philanthropy platform aims to empower businesses to support impactful South African NPOs.

To celebrate the NPOs on its platform, it is gearing up for the iZinga Assist Summit on 29 October 2026, which will culminate in the Walk the Talk NPO Excellence Awards in association with 702.

The co-founders say the day will bring together NPOs from the platform, partners including Shoprite, MacRoberts Attorneys, Relativ Impact, The Lekker Network, and Primedia, and speakers for a programme of panel discussions and networking.

The day will end with an awards ceremony, where five winners each receive a cash prize of R30,000, media training, advert production, and flighting on Primedia’s flagship radio stations (valued at R250,000), plus a year’s Premier Membership of The Lekker Network (worth R27,600).

The award categories are:

• Walk the Talk Innovation Award – recognising creative approaches to solving social issues.
  
• Walk the Talk Impact Award – for the NPO that has shown the most significant impact.
  
• Walk the Talk Leadership Award – recognising an individual or team for outstanding leadership within an NPO.
  
• Walk the Talk Changemaker Award – recognising individuals who turn intention into action and lead meaningful change in their communities.
  
• iZinga Assist Nomatemba Tambo Responsible Citizen Award – presented to a courageous individual who has stood up to corruption and money laundering, exposing it publicly at personal risk.

Ahead of the summit, Lubner and Swanepoel spoke to Bizcommunity about the platform, the need for transparency, and what to expect at the 2026 summit.

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For those unfamiliar with iZinga Assist, tell us more about the digital philanthropy platform.

iZinga Assist is a digital verification, rating, and assistance platform for non-profit organisations. It was built to restore trust and transparency between donors and the sector.

Donors can see which organisations have been independently verified and, as the donation moves through the closed Shoprite and Investec rail, they can follow the value to the point of spend.

Organisations undergo a rigorous 20-step verification process covering legal compliance, governance, finance, and impact.

Those that meet the standard receive a star rating. Only fully verified organisations appear on the platform for donors.

How does iZinga Assist enhance transparency, accountability, and donor trust for South African NPOs?

• Independent verification. NPOs submit the documents they are already required to hold. We review these against a conservative 20-step framework before rating an organisation and making it visible to donors.
  
• Closed last mile. On the Shoprite rail, the donation is loaded onto a Money Market account linked to an Xtra Savings card. Cash withdrawals are switched off. Spend is limited to the Shoprite network (store purchases, electricity, airtime, data, bills and other non-cash functions). Another rail for capital projects is through the iZinga Assist Investec rail.
  
• Traceable reporting. The platform records the donation. The NPO can see the load and the subsequent spend. The donor receives confirmation that the funds have been used.

Why is this important?

Trust is the currency of philanthropy.

Without independent verification, many donors default to larger, better-known organisations. Grassroots NPOs that are doing good work often struggle to prove they are compliant and well governed.

A clear trail from donation to spend also matters.

When a donor can see that the money was used for the purpose they intended, they are more likely to give again. That is the gap iZinga Assist was built to close.

Founder Derek Lubner described the Donor Journey as a “game-changer for African philanthropy”.

The Donor Journey gives a donor a traceable path from the gift to the point of use.

One of the biggest barriers to repeat funding is the lack of timely evidence that the money was spent as intended.

For example, a donor supports an NPO in Gugulethu that feeds children after school and specifies that the funds should buy new kitchen equipment.

Once the value is loaded onto the NPO’s Shoprite Money Market account, the organisation buys the equipment at a Shoprite outlet.

The donor then receives a confirmation through the iZinga Assist platform that the purchase has been made.

Most traditional giving lacks that feedback loop. By digitising the trail and keeping cash out of the system, iZinga Assist removes a major reason donors hesitate to give again.

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How can NPOs join the Donor Journey?

An NPO registers for free on the platform and uploads the documents required for verification.

Once the review is complete and the organisation receives its rating, it becomes visible to registered donors.

Donors can then select the organisation and give through the platform.

What’s in store for the 2026 iZinga Assist Summit?

The iZinga Assist Annual Summit takes place on 29 October 2026 at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.

The day brings together NPOs from the platform, partners and speakers for a programme of panel discussions and networking.

Partners represented include Shoprite, MacRoberts Attorneys, Relativ Impact, The Lekker Network, and Primedia.

The format is interactive, with time for networking. Many NPOs say they rarely get this.

In the evening, we host the second Walk the Talk NPO Excellence Awards, in association with 702 and sponsored by Primedia Cares and iZinga Assist.