Analysis of a Nonprofit in the Grater NYC Area - Doctors without Borders - Essay Example

An analysis of a nonprofit in the grater NYC area: Doctors without Borders Organization Overview Located on 333 7thAvenue, New York, this organization was founded after frightening images were televised to the French people from Nigeria in the Biafra was of late 1960s and early 70s (doctorswithoutborders.org). The Southern Nigeria war that saw government troops starve inhabitants of the province of Biafra led a group of doctors to come up with humanitarian outfit that would go beyond, political, religious and geographic boundaries to help those in need, especially in conflict areas. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was created as a result of the call to provide humanitarian help by 300 volunteers who were made up of health practitioners: doctors, nurses and other employees who added value to the course (Suen, 2002). The founding principal of this organization is that; all people of whatever gender, race, religion or political inclination, have a right to medical care irrespective of their geographic location. MSF, as an organization is guided by the following principles as contained in their charter: Because of their volunteer nature, members of MSF have an understanding of risks involved in their missions and have no claims for compensation besides that offered by the association. As an organization, MSF helps all members of the population in distress regardless of race, religion or political affiliations. The organization observes neutrality under universal medical ethics with the right to humanitarian assistance. They, therefore, exercise full freedom in the execution of their core functions. Volunteer members of MSF remain true to their professional code of ethics in the execution of their humanitarian functions and are not inclined to any powers whatsoever, be they economic, political or religious. Besides the above specifics as contained in the n charter, MSF has guiding principles that define its unique operational model. Accoirding to Suen (2002), below are the fundamental doctrines that define this non-profit entity: Medical Ethics: The organization’s actions are fundamentally medical. In this regard, MSF works within the confines of ethical codes in medicine with the core purpose of providing care that does not harm individuals or victim groups. The members, therefore, respect patient autonomy, confidentiality and their right to enlightened consent. Despite their patients being in desperate need, these medical codes are always observed and patient dignity is always upheld. Their cultural and religious beliefs are respected as MSF strives towards the provision of superior quality medical care to all patients in need. Independence: MSF offers assistance to any country in need after an independent assessment of the population’s needs. The organization, therefore, works extremely hard to enjoy the power to freely move among the population to evaluate their medical needs and take full control of their aid. To achieve this power, MSF has a policy of receiving a small portion of their donor funding from governments and other intergovernmental institution. Involving governments make it easier for the organization to work freely even in areas of dangerous political conflicts. Impartiality and Neutrality: This covers MSF’s mandate to offer assistance to all people from all walks of life. Priority is however given to those in the most serious and pressing danger, so decisions made thereof, are not arrived at on the basis of political or economic interests. The organization makes no intervention to any demands of conflicting parties when operating in war zones. Standing up as a Witness: Being impartial does not mean that MSF, remains silent when acts of violence are committed in their presence. It’s a principle to speak out and bring public attention to acts of violence. Publicity is sought in cases when access to medical help is hindered in a conflict, medical facilities threatened and provision of aid not handled properly. Accountability: MSF regularly asses the aftermath of their activities and accounts for all their actions to both patients and donors. Their funds are also regularly audited for transparency. Analysis of MSF’s Organization structure MSF has four major phases of its management system. These are; planning, developing, operating and evaluating. The organization’s structure, therefore, fits within these four phases is explained below (Redfield, 2013): Planning This is an important aspect of MSF’s operations given the dangerous nature of their work locations. In this phase, the following are done: a) Strategic Planning: Members of the MSF board have undertaken to come up with a strategic plan that gives the overall direction of the nonprofit. Because these m are mostly medical doctors under the leadership of Dr. Deane Marchbein, the organization’s president, coming up with such plans are founded on practical field experience (Fox, 2014). This phase gives priority to operational areas where most resources and the minimum benchmarks that must be met for MSF to respond. b) Planning for programs: MSF has programs that cover medical issues, humanitarian issues and research in the field of medicine. These are the core programs that the organization must plan for. The organization’s medical team provides services that cover immunization to the fight against neglected diseases all the way to complex surgical procedures. Some of these services are offered to poor people in areas that are not necessarily under either conflict or natural disaster. This means that proper plans must be adopted on how these can be done and which are given top priority. Humanitarian issues are the organizations core functions and plans must be in place to handle medical needs in conflict areas, during natural disasters, among neglected people and in refugee/IDP camps. The unpredictable nature of conflicts and natural disasters demand that mainstream and contingency plans are put in place if services are to be delivered to the needy. Medical research as a program is pivotal to the success of MSF because of the organization’s firsthand experience with serious medical conditions. Sharing this knowledge with the medical community helps in coming up with new and better mitigation for dangerous diseases. c) Resource planning: All these programs must be funded and implemented by qualified human resource. Allocating funds for medical equipments, logistics and human resource is a pivotal segment of MSF’s operational success. Developing This is where the board sets direction for the growth of human resource and other resources like facilities, policies and procedures. Below is an explanation of the development areas: a) Revenue / fundraising development: At this stage, programs are planned for with projections on donor funding and matching expenses clearly outlined. In the event of budget deficits, MSF must come up with fund raising mechanisms that may include and not limited to running Adverts on all media platforms to appeal for contribution from the public. MSF has in the past used documentaries explaining the scope and intricate details of their activities to appeal to more donors. Using the media to call for support increases the donor portfolio which ensures no deficits are reported by the nonprofit. b) Board, staff and volunteer development: The board MSF is developed by matching the required expertise necessary in achieving MSF’s strategic plans. As such, board members are picked from diverse experiences in the medical field so that they not only bring their managerial abilities, but rich knowledge in medical challenges addressed by the nonprofit. With a competent board, volunteers are accepted relative to their expertise and how such skills add value to MSF’s core functions. Nurses, clinical officers and public health experts are, therefore, given priority when accepting volunteers. c) Development of other resources: To effectively render its mandate, MSF must have proper and state of the art equipments, good medical facilities and efficient procedures. Having proper policies and procedures are of great significance because they direct resources that are; money and human resource. These resources must be constantly developed through adequate allocation of funds and expertise so that MSF can continue to deliver on its medical and humanitarian mandates that are part of its core functions. Operating This phase covers the actual work of MSF. It covers the organization’s performance of its core functions across all the program areas. The following happens in this phase: a) Supervision and teamwork: For the organization to perform its duties, supervision and team work must exist. The process of supervision at MSF runs down the organization structure starting from the board, through to program directors all the way to volunteers. Given the dangerous nature of MSF’s work with regards to possibility of harm by conflicting parties and high risk of infections, close supervision and teamwork ensures that standard operating procedures are followed to avoid any harm. It also ensures that strategic goals are met within the stipulated deadlines in an environment of accountability. b) Program operations: This encompasses the logistical aspects of MSF’s activities. The organization must have secure storages for their medical equipments and supplies, effective transport systems to reach the neediest and security systems to protect their volunteers in conflict zones. Evaluating This is an important phase because it reveals areas of weakness at MSF and helps all involved come up with modalities for making the required improvement. The following areas of evaluation are required (Fox, 2014): a) Board self-evaluation: Board members continually asses the quality of their activities within MSF. Given that all members of the board have specific expertise aligned to MSF’s core functions, holding regular discussion on members’ activities within the organization among the board is an effective way of self-evaluation. b) Evaluating staff and volunteers individual contributions: Volunteers and staff are regularly appraised with their job descriptions and performance goals as the benchmarks. Given the dangerous nature of MSF’s core functions, any irregularities or deviation from job description should be immediately addressed to avoid any compromise on the security and health of both staff and patients. c) Program evaluation: All MSF programs are independently evaluated so that donors involved get to know if their contributions are making the intended difference in conflict and other areas of MSF activities. Deviation from goals are identified in such evaluations and corrective measures proposed. d) Organizational evaluation: Leaders within MSF have the mandate to carry out a holistic evaluation of the organization so that strategic plans and program processes are upheld. Doing so, will increase donor confidence and help MSF raise more funds by attracting new donors. Conclusion MSF was formed with a noble idea of relieving suffering among the most needy and this analysis has revealed that the organization is meeting this core objective. From life threatening risks in Ebola stricken African countries to dodging land mines in Afghanistan, members of MSF have through the decades endeavored to risk their lives for the sake of those in dire need. From the findings, the organization has not only succeeded in providing useful medical services to the poor, but has also embraced prudent managerial systems that ensure their deliver on core functions both transparently, but also within the confines of medical ethics. References Fox, R. C. (2014). Doctors without borders: Humanitarian quests, impossible dreams of Médecins sans frontières. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org Redfield, P. (2013). Life in crisis: The ethical journey of Doctors without Borders. Berkeley: University of California Press. Suen, A. (2002). Doctors without Borders. New York: PowerKids Press. Read More