NGOs are diverse entities and their features are mostly shaped by the socio-economic, cultural, political and legal situation of a country. However, generally speaking, we can list out the following features that are common among NGOs in most of the countries around the world. Non-Profit in functioning: An NGO is not meant for making profit… [Read More]

Phishing emails are one of the most common ways to dupe NGOs with false promises of grant money offered by unknown individuals. Here are some tips on how NGOs can avoid falling into phishing email traps. Do not expose your email: Online scammers hunt for your emails everywhere. Unfortunately, these scammers even pay some individuals… [Read More]

Below are some steps for achieving programmatic sustainability Community involvement: involving the community is the key to have long term impacts from any projects. Make sure that your project involves the community at various stages, this will give them ownership of the project and there are high chances that they may continue with some project… [Read More]

The one ingredient that is essential for your organization to create long lasting impact is Sustainability. The term sustainability has gained significant popularity in policy-oriented research, business development and social sector over the last few decades.  Sustainability, a word frequently used across several disciplines, has become part of our everyday lexis. Origin of the word… [Read More]

Historical records suggest that the term Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) came in to use in 1945. The term was coined during one of the conferences of The United Nations, as a measure to distinguish organizations from inter-governmental and member organizations. Though the term NGO received recognition only after 1945, studies suggest that several organizations were… [Read More]

By-law is a rule established by an organization to regulate its activities and manage internal affairs. Well defined and clear set of by-laws provide a clear structure to the NGOs and facilitates in smooth functioning.  Along with providing consistency in working, by-laws also help in developing networks with local organizations and government entities. It is… [Read More]

The term “Non-Governmental Organization” (NGO) first came in to use in the year 1945. The term was coined during one of the conferences of The United Nations, as a measure to distinguish organizations from inter-governmental and member organizations. Though the term NGO received recognition only after 1945, studies suggest that several organizations were actively engaged… [Read More]

Explore new opportunities: Keep a flexible approach while looking for new opportunities you may have to modify your priorities to adopt to changes. Develop new partnerships: To develop a sustainable organization you should develop new partnerships. These partnerships will make you stable and will also help you in taking your mission ahead. Boost existing relations:… [Read More]

Board members play a crucial role in the functioning of an NGO, and therefore, one should be careful while appointing them. It is a good practice to develop a systematic process for their appointment and selection. The board recruitment plan should clearly indicate the following: Number of board members Criteria for selection of Board members… [Read More]

Develop a financial plan outlining the various options available for expanding your resource stream. You may have to undertake proper research to understand about the various options that can be used to maintain a steady flow of funds. Also this will help you to understand your potential donors and their priority areas. Some of the… [Read More]

In these unprecedented times when COVID-19 continues to spread and to impact almost every individual and organization across the world directly or indirectly, non-profit organizations or non-government organizations (NGOs) are also deeply affected now and in the times to come. As it is not yet clear what the current pandemic situation holds in future, it… [Read More]

So here are a few tips for creating successful partnerships with NGOs: Find the ‘cause’ your company is going to support and then choose: In your boardroom discussions, your company’s strategies are decided, and CSR strategies are no different. Once you are clear about what cause aligns with your business values, do your research and… [Read More]

Non-profits have so much to worry about these days, like finding funds, acquiring and retaining donors, core work, projects and activities. Being occupied with so many things at once does not let the non-profit organizations ‘think’ like an organization sometimes. People working at non-profits end up feeling that they have much more to look for… [Read More]

Transparency and accountability are core values deeply embedded in an NGO. Since NGOs exist for carrying out voluntary work, it is expected that their actions demonstrate honesty, responsibility and answerability. According to Transparency International,  “Transparency is about shedding light on rules, plans, processes and actions. It is knowing why, how, what, and how much. Transparency… [Read More]

Here is a checklist of policies and other management systems necessary for NGOs to run effective organizations and mobilize resources for development work.  Organizational Chart for your NGO Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Statement in NGOs Leadership Succession Plan for your NGO Human Resource Management System for NGOs Job Descriptions for NGO Staff Personnel… [Read More]

Sustainability, a word frequently used across several disciplines, has become part of our everyday lexis. Origin of the word Sustain dates back several centuries, from two latin words sus which means- up and tenere meaning to hold. The current use of the word implies something that continues for a long time. Steps to sustainability Before… [Read More]

Significance of a great project title: It gives a glimpse of the project described in the proposal It informs the donor about the project aim, location, focus and beneficiary (or need) A great title captures the donors’ attention with its uniqueness It makes your proposal memorable and keeps it on the top of donors’/ selectors’… [Read More]

An online scam is a fraudulent activity carried out over the Internet by providing incorrect information for the purpose of stealing money or assets from victims. Online scams are one of the biggest threats to businesses and governments around the world as they end up with severe financial losses and mental and emotional harassment of… [Read More]

Financial Management is a vital activity in any organization. It is the process of planning, organizing, controlling and monitoring financial resources with a view to achieve organizational goals and objectives. It is an ideal practice for controlling the financial activities of an organization such as procurement of funds, utilization of funds, accounting, payments, risk assessment… [Read More]

Recent trends show that an increasing number of people are getting interested to work in the development sector. International NGOs offer the best opportunities for such people. NGO domain is a very vast and varied one, and one needs to find out which cause he/she relates with, which domain in particular would one want to… [Read More]

Below is a list of methods through which NGOs can become accountable and transparent. Registration: Make sure your NGO has a legal status and is registered under a relevant legal framework. Registering your NGO will not help you in enhancing your accountability but would also enable you to interact with government agencies and diverse donors…. [Read More]

The Vision statement describes the goal that an organization aspires to accomplish in the long run. In other words, the vision statement is the summary of changes/impact you would bring into the lives of the community you work for.  The vision statement should be expressive and well drafted so that it appeals to people and… [Read More]

Starting an NGO is a time-consuming process and requires a great deal of research, discussions, paperwork and expert advice. So before investing your time and energy into it, make sure that this is what you want to do. Devote time in meeting people who are engaged in NGO work and seek their help to understand… [Read More]

Foreign embassies under various development cooperation programs organize small grants funding for NGOs in many countries. They can be a significant source of funding to address various socio-economic issues. Besides, their funding programs are usually small in scale but most flexible to implement. In this guide, we take a quick look at top foreign embassies… [Read More]

Articles of Incorporation provide legal description to your NGO by establishing the existence of the organization as per government rules. The articles of incorporation define the purpose of your organization, along with describing the operational processes and membership details.  The number of articles required will largely depend on the country laws. While drafting the article… [Read More]

A NGO board comprises of individuals who are appointed to provide oversight to the organization. As you proceed towards establishing the NGO, you will require advice from people who are experts in their respective field of work. To start with you can establish an initial board of comprising of 4- 5 individuals who are passionate… [Read More]

There are a set of core values that every NGO should adopt when thinking of setting up an NGO. NGOs are voluntary organizations dedicated for a cause and it is essential that they follow a belief system that reflects their approach. Following are some of the core values, NGOs should adopt when establishing an NGO:… [Read More]

Accountability basically refers to an organization being answerable to a third party. It refers to the obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner. Aspects of Accountability As an NGO you are accountable to donors, project partners, local communities… [Read More]

In some project proposal formats, you may have come across ‘staff time’ or the number of ‘man-hours’ required in the project. Large donors are very meticulous about these details and require minute calculations for the money they are going to give to organizations. So they expect budgets to be clear to the last detail. Salaries… [Read More]