090. Technology, Land Rights, and Leadership: A Conversation with Amy Coughenour Betancourt, CEO of Cadasta Artwork

NGO Soul + Strategy

Welcome to my podcast NGO Soul + Strategy – a podcast for leaders of NGOs and other philanthropic organizations who are not satisfied with the status quo, are ready to look change right in the eye and who see themselves as leader-as-learner.

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NGO Soul + Strategy

090. Technology, Land Rights, and Leadership: A Conversation with Amy Coughenour Betancourt, CEO of Cadasta

May 12, 2025 • Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken • Season 6 • Episode 90

Show Notes

Summary

Land rights are at the heart of building a sustainable and equitable future. Yet securing these rights—especially for marginalized communities—remains a profound global challenge.

In this episode of NGO Soul + Strategy, I sit down with Amy Coughenour Betancourt, President and CEO of Cadasta, a global social innovation organization dedicated to advancing affordable, accessible land rights documentation.

Drawing on her leadership at the intersection of technology, social innovation, and global nonprofit management, Amy and I explore the unique opportunities and challenges Cadasta faces as a technology-forward organization working closely with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and governments.

We also address a timely leadership question: how nonprofits can respond to increasingly challenging funding landscapes while staying aligned with mission and values.

Guest's Bio

President and CEO of Cadasta, a leading social innovation organization
Global Advisor, How Women Lead
Advisory Board Member, Geospatial World
Board Member, InterAction
Former COO, National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA), International
Former Deputy Executive Director, Pan American Development Foundation

We Discuss

What the integration of technology unlocks for advancing land rights—and the risks and limitations it brings
How Cadasta approaches its role as an ally-organization to Indigenous Peoples and locally-led land tenure groups
The leadership challenge of navigating downward trends in nonprofit funding across Europe and the US
How leaders can respond strategically to funding shifts while identifying new opportunities for mission-driven impact
What it means to balance innovation with the grounded realities of community-driven change
Lessons from Cadasta's hybrid model as both a technology provider and a global NGO

Quotes

“We need to be technology-forward but always community-centered.”

"Responding to a changing funding landscape requires not just resilience—but also creativity and adaptability.”

Resources