Non-profit Organizations continue to spring up that aim to raise and deploy capital with the intent to solve problems that affect many people. Commonly referred to as NGOs (non-governmental organizations), the basis for this standard setup is built around the fact that the entities rely on the generosity of both individuals and businesses to fund their ongoing projects and overall operations. What is often missing from the long-term vision is the concept of sustainability outside of perpetual generosity.
So, what typically happens if the funding tap turns off? The lack of revenue-generating infrastructure rears its ugly head and the NGO fails with their mission remaining unresolved.
There is, however, another way to look at and tackle the sustainability issue inside the non-profit world.
To create a self-sustaining non-profit, it really must be treated like any other for-profit business. Where is the value, how does it affect all involved parties and how can infrastructure and ongoing incentive be used to create a machine that operates without your direct involvement and the constant need for more capital?
Solve this puzzle and you’ll create a greater impact while freeing yourself from the perpetual need to hit the streets and beg for donations.
The Tool:
A key tool for any non-profit organization is the strategic plan. A logical time frame for a strategic plan for a small non-profit is three years. Year one would contain a lot of detail about the organization’s plans for the immediate future. Years two and three would have increasingly less detail. You might even add a few general comments at the end of a three-year strategic plan about years four and five.
The board and executive director are the key drivers for the strategic plan. Consider having a consultant serve as an unbiased facilitator who can take the board through the creation of your strategic plan. You may want to hold a session where you come up with the key goals for the organization for the next three years. Then, at your next meeting, take each goal and brainstorm all the possible strategies for that goal to be met.
Next, break the plan down into manageable projects by having each piece taken on by a board member to create the narrative for the goal for the plan, pulling in the brainstorming lists from the work sessions. The executive director and board president or key board member of the goal can hammer out the details of the goal narrative before circulating it to the whole board in advance of the meeting in which it will be discussed and finalized.
Once you've gone through all the goals this way, pull them together into a strategic plan document. Then it's time to attach a work plan to each of the goals and the strategies you've recognized to accomplish them.
For each goal and strategy, figure out what needs to be done to accomplish it. Do you need volunteers to help get it done? Where are the resources for this project coming from? Is a program attached to the goal that will bring in income specifically targeted to the goal?
Once your strategic plan document is finished, don’t tuck it away and consider it “done.” This is a working document that the board and director should be referring to regularly and becoming very familiar with. Decision-making in board meetings can be informed by what's in the strategic plan.
Click here for the full article.
Indian-based technology services company ITC Infotech is set to invest R10 million in its “global delivery centre” in South Africa.
The Bangalore-headquartered ITC Infotech delivers business consulting, customer relationship management, data warehousing, enterprise resource planning, mainframe services, quality assurance and testing. Through its delivery centre, the company is looking to create as many as 100 jobs for talented South African youth.
Spread over an area of 10 000 square feet in Johannesburg, the company says the new facility is being set up with an investment of R10 million, “reflecting the deep commitment of ITC Infotech towards South Africa”.
According to the firm, the new centre will not only create jobs for local people but also reskill many youth in emerging technologies, making them industry-ready and able to contribute to the overall economic growth of South Africa.
Click here for the full article.
Also, remember to follow our updates from NGO Pulse on Twitter and Facebook
We remind you to consider using our NGO Pulse Premium Advertising Service in support of your communication and outreach activities. This highly popular and successful service integrates all SANGONeT's advertising and communication channels into a single suite of services.
Click here for more information.
