EXCELLENCE NGOS’ HOPE FOR SURVIVAL

 Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in order to survive in this very competitive sector in which they operate, need to constantly worry about how they can always improve standards. With donor funds shrinking and the donors becoming very selective, players in this sector must constantly be thinking of ways of being relevant and appealing to the people who have the wherewithal to make their goals and missions come to life.

Without support from the donor community, many NGOs, due to size and lack of local fundraising initiatives, will not survive, let alone grow. One of the primary reasons NGOs do not attract funding is because they have failed to make a case to funders that they have the capacity to manage funds well and be trusted to deliver on the projects they sign up for. While it has not made it to mainstream media, there have been many cases of mismanagement of donor funds by local NGOs.

Blacklisting

Other misdemeanours include failure to report on time and to roll out interventions as expected. This has led to the ‘blacklisting’ of many organisations that can never qualify to get financial assistance from many donor partners. When donor partners put out calls for proposals, it is not because they want to give organisations money. They do so because they have a particular interest or gap they desire to fill in a certain area. NGOs, therefore, stand a chance to be conduits for those interventions because they distinguish themselves as outfits that are available (and capable) of facilitating the changes being intended. Unless NGOs make excellence their mantra and ethos, they will not be able to compete for the increasingly scarce resources from donor partners. But what is excellence, the reader asks?

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good, the operative words being ‘outstanding’ and ‘extremely good’. By this definition, NGOs need to stand out, pay attention to detail and, in their operations, go beyond the bare minimum to not just be good, but ‘extremely good’. This has implications at structural and operational levels. What does this mean, though, in application? I will highlight a few key areas where this excellence must be demonstrated. The first, and arguably the most important, is in the area of overall management and impact.

Mission

NGOs need to ensure that they have a clear and effective mission and values. These must be well articulated. These are what guide organisational decision-making and practice and support organisational capacity to meet challenges and achieve results. A donor organisation will first interface with an NGO from its founding papers. That is where its vision, mission and goals are articulated. If from these documents, it is not clear what the organisation is about, it is not likely that a donor organisation may want to partner with it. Founders, especially, must ensure that they get the best drafters for these documents because they are the ones that tell its story.

The mission must clearly express the purpose of the organisation and the vision to reach that purpose. It must set short and long-term benchmarks for the organisation’s scope of work. Organisational activities which support the mission must also be clearly outlined. The nexus between the vision, mission and activities must be visible. Many NGOs do not typically include this, but it is important that the values of the organisation are stipulated. The organisation must have a value statement that supports the mission, vision and strategic planning. Mission and vision tell a clear and compelling story of the organisation’s purpose and work. Mission, vision and values support and identify opportunities for ongoing innovation and creative development within the organisation.

They are kept relevant and at the forefront of the organisation’s development through assessments of the community, key stakeholders and end users of the organisation’s work. Regular measurement, review and use of programme and organisational results is important to track progress. You cannot improve that which you do not monitor. NGOs must get into the habit of investing in systems and capacities that allow them to be able to scientifically track and monitor their impact. With so much money being invested in interventions, donors are becoming increasingly fixated on results and impact.

Considered

Organisations that fail to demonstrate strength in the area of monitoring and evaluation are becoming less considered. Programmes and organisational results must be clearly articulated and regularly tracked, reviewed and reported in light of targeted outcomes. This ensures that results are achieved and sustained over time and, where appropriate, scaled up. The organisations must regularly use reflective learning to identify needs and learn from results, both positive and negative. Programme staff track and compile programme results, including outputs and outcomes.

The results are monitored and used to understand and strengthen organisational performance and to facilitate organisational learning. The organisation conducts and reports on periodic assessments of progress towards achieving short- and long-term organisational mission goals. These must then be shared with the funders so that they get a full picture of progress and can provide assistance where gaps appear.

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