Effective Management of Non-Governmental Organizations - Essay Example

Relationship between the and NGOs in the Development of Developing Countries (Iraq) Introduction Non-governmental organization refers to a group aimed at not making a profit. It also refers to a civil society organization. It is principally independent of government and carries out functions locally, nationally or internationally that benefit the public without payment. Their projects aim at improving humanitarian conditions in many places. They bring public concerns to the governments and monitor policy and program implementation. According to Ryfman (2007) NGOs have their own organizational and managerial principles different from that used by the other public and private sectors. Organizational and Managerial Principles of NGOs Non-governmental organizations have management boards, committees and working groups. The non-governmental organizations need to have effectiveness and high productivity in places they operate in. Therefore, their management structure must involve boards. In most cases, management boards have ten to fifteen members performing various tasks related to the NGO’s program areas. They stay in service for a period of one to three years. The effectiveness of the management boards can increase by bringing together organizations and leaders with similar concerns. Lewis (2003) said that the board maintains organizational principles such as accountability, transparency, integrity, participatory governance, independence and public benefit. The boards set up policies and strategies for the NGO in line with its purposes, principles and scope. It also set the operational guidelines, work plans and the budgets of the organization. The board also ensures the support of policies and its programs. It sometimes makes the funding decisions. They take part in all the organizational meetings to assist in the provision of decisions. The members of the board advocate for the involvement of community representatives during designing, implementing and evaluating the projects. The management participates in the allocation of resources. According to Lewis (2003), the board also forms the advisory and appoints other advisory committee for the organization. All the NGOs require money to operate. Therefore, the available finances need effective management. The voluntary organizations manage their funds through the use of several approaches. They keep records that describe their earnings or source of funds and spending. This help to maintain their accountability. They also put in place internal controls such as adhering to budgets, monitoring and annual audits, to avoid misuse of funds. They prepare accurate budgets to estimate the revenue and spending in their work. According to Clarke (1998), the organizations also have financial reports after a certain period, which reviews their expenditure. Current Models of Planning and Good Practice in the Voluntary Sector NGOs have different models of planning their operations unlike those used by the private and public sector organizations. These models have made them succeed in their delivery of voluntary services to the community. According to Reinhardt (2009), the models include a focus on involving the community in planning and implementation of projects, forming partnerships with local civil societies and the government, adoption of innovative approaches to provide services, and capacity building of the local community and institutions. The NGOs use these models when planning and implementing their programs. Community Involvement NGOs design successful projects based on the needs of the community in which they work. Therefore, this requires assessments and talking with the community when planning for a project. Every community faces different problems hence developing programs around these needs makes them effective and successful. Chesbrough (2006) mentioned that this model also attracts participation and support from the community. Involvement of the community strengthens the relationship between the institution, community and the projects. The communities feel ownership and responsibility for the projects. It also eases the handover of the project to the community. Partnerships NGOs form partnerships with other civil society groups, international institutions and government. The partnerships allow them to offer services efficiently. Partnerships with others enable sharing of information, best practices and funding mechanisms in order to come up with the best programs. They partner with governments to design and implement programs in line with the policies and priorities outlined by the governments. According to Doh and Guay (2004), partnerships also help to spread the burdens of planning, managing and funding programs. Partnerships make projects successful, effective and efficient. Innovative Approaches and Capacity Building Voluntary projects must avoid traditional methods of service delivery to achieve success. Effective programs require conduction outside formal institutions or conventional methods. This allows the NGOs to reach many participants hence a larger impact. Successful projects should offer services in an interactive, unique and interesting ways. Most organizations currently involve the advent of technology in their projects. Rainey and Bozeman (2000) claimed that the institutions must assist in building the capacity of the governments, institutions and communities to support the projects. They do this by several ways including institutional, intellectually or physically depending on community needs. It involves passing skills and current technology to the community. Building capacity enables organizations to implement programs efficiently and enhance the community’s ability to provide the services by themselves in future. Contrast between NGO and Private and Public Sector Models of Planning In contrast to the models above, private and public sectors use different models because most desire to achieve profit together with offering quality services. Most do not utilize the above models unlike the NGOs which combine all including strategic planning. According to Craplet (1997), private and public organizations mostly use the strategic planning model. The strategic planning involves analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and opportunities. It also involves formulating goals and objectives in line with the mission, identifying strategies of action, methods of implementing the strategies and its evaluation. Different private organizations can use other planning modes such as proactive planning, reactive planning, and interactive and proactive planning. Roles of NGOs in International Development The non-governmental organizations have contributed a lot to the development of many countries especially in the developing countries. They have improved the living standards of many communities in the developing world. The successful roles include community health promotion and education. They have done this via the provision of contraception, general hygiene, waste disposal, water services, immunizations and youth counseling service projects. They also have a role in addressing emerging health problems such as HIV/AIDS services, drug addiction recovery services. According to Rainey & Bozeman (2000), they deal with community social problems such as helping street children, helping run away girls and attending to refugees. According to Iles (2007), they participate in the provision of clean and safe water and education on the same. They also have roles in planting forests to eradicate desertification. Economic roles include financial assistance, training on technology and skills training and supporting income generating community projects. All these roles have succeeded and improved the population’s status in all areas. Conclusion Non-governmental organizations form an important aspect of development especially in the developing world. Therefore, they need unique management to enable them to succeed. They offer voluntary services hence need to involve all stakeholders to enable them offer services of desired standards. Therefore, they need to have different incorporated models of planning to implement their projects in the community. References Chesbrough. (2006). Business Models for Technology in the Developing World : The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations. California Management Review, 48 Spring, pp.48–61. Clarke, G. (1998). Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Politics in the Developing World. Political Studies, 46, pp.36–52. Available at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/1467-9248.00128. Craplet, M. (1997). The role of non-governmental organizations. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 92 Suppl 1, pp.S103–S108. Doh, J.P. & Guay, T.R. (2004). Globalization and Corporate Social Responsibility: How Non-Governmental Organizations Influence Labor and Environmental Codes of Conduct. Management International Review, 44, pp.7–29. Iles, A. (2007). Identifying environmental health risks in consumer products: non-governmental organizations and civic epistemologies. Public Understanding of Science, 16, pp.371–391. Koch, D.J. (2009). Keeping a Low Profile: What Determines the Allocation of Aid by Non-Governmental Organizations? World Development, 37, pp.902–918. Lewis, D. (2003). Theorizing the organization and management of non-governmental development organizations. Public Management Review, 5, pp.325–344. Rainey, H.G. & Bozeman, B. (2000). Comparing public and private organizations: Empirical research and the power of the a priori. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10, pp.447 –470. Reinhardt, J.D. (2009). Chapter 3: International non-governmental organizations in the emerging world society: the example of ISPRM. Journal of rehabilitation medicine : official journal of the UEMS European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 41, pp.810–822. Ryfman, P. (2007). Non-governmental organizations: an indispensable player of humanitarian aid. International Review of the Red Cross, 89, p.21. Read More