The Big Scam of NGO's
This one paragraph from The Big Scam of NGO's really presents an interesting comparison of the then and now of NGOs:
"In the old times, the leaders of NGO’s used to be working in the field, dressed simply, lived in humble dwellings, and had minimal salaries, sufficient for their most essential needs. But nowadays, the new breed of NGOs you meet in Delhi, or Bombay, is smartly dressed in jeans, he or she usually comes from India’s upper elite class, carry the latest laptop and often travel around in a/c cars. These NGO’s spend half of their time abroad, in London, Paris, or New York, doing smart presentations, with mesmerizing slides and Excel spreadsheets, in front of gullible westerners, always ready to shed a tear for the poor "downtrodden Indians", so as to convince them to grant more funds."
Given this is one person's perspective and shouldn't be taken as fact, it does raise an interesting question though: which type of nonprofit is better at meetings its mission--the humble one working closely with clients or the business-focused one working to ensure longevity by meeting with donors and other business partners?
"In the old times, the leaders of NGO’s used to be working in the field, dressed simply, lived in humble dwellings, and had minimal salaries, sufficient for their most essential needs. But nowadays, the new breed of NGOs you meet in Delhi, or Bombay, is smartly dressed in jeans, he or she usually comes from India’s upper elite class, carry the latest laptop and often travel around in a/c cars. These NGO’s spend half of their time abroad, in London, Paris, or New York, doing smart presentations, with mesmerizing slides and Excel spreadsheets, in front of gullible westerners, always ready to shed a tear for the poor "downtrodden Indians", so as to convince them to grant more funds."
Given this is one person's perspective and shouldn't be taken as fact, it does raise an interesting question though: which type of nonprofit is better at meetings its mission--the humble one working closely with clients or the business-focused one working to ensure longevity by meeting with donors and other business partners?
posted by Richard @ 2:52 PM
2 Comments:
At 2:07 PM, September 24, 2006,
Giselle said…
A lot of it is dependant on the organization's mission and structure, but I think a combination of the two is the most effective approach. NGO's find themselves multitasking a great deal, just like the majority of other nonprofit organizations. They must change and adapt to the various situations they find themselves in, but must retain consistency in their business practices. In other words, the "humble" approach works best when physically out in the field, helping victims - but the "business-focused" approach is necessary to manage the organization as a whole or to appeal to bodies (such as the UN or Congress) for assistance.
At 6:36 PM, September 25, 2006,
Paul Jonas said…
I'd like to borrow from Cancel, Cameron, Sallot, Grady and Mitrook (1997) and say "it depends." The mission of the organization can have a great deal to say about how that organization takes on its appearance.
If the org spends more money on appearance and it is successful in getting funds because of that, then it can be argued that the business-focused one is better.
On the other hand, if the humble client-based organization is able to reach more clients, more successfully, with its client-focus, then that is successful.
Ultimately, like just about everything we seem to come across these days, neither extreme is perfect.
A balance must be created between the two. It is up to the board of directors and CEO to decide not only what the mission is, but how to most successfully fulfill that mission. I see that as meaning they want to take in as many donations as they can get their hands on while at the same time funneling the most amount of that money out towards their clients and ultimately towards the completion of their mission.
Personally, I think an organization should focus more on their mission first, get it down, understand it and know exactly where they fit in the present and where they can go in the future. Once that is done, it is time to maintain that level of client focus for a while, get comfortable with it, and then start focusing more on having a business presence along with their community presence. Once that is built up the focus can go back to improving their client care.
In an ideal world... (longing sigh)
Realistically, it is very difficult to get ahead for anyone in a market like the one we have today. That is why the leadership of the organization needs to be very directed and all need to speak with one efficient voice so as not to waste anything if it can be helped. It is important, too, for the leadership to have the backing of the employees.
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