What is the Strategy to Expand and Improve NGO organization?

Non- Governmental organisation (NGO) is formed to promote the social welfare of the people and to help the underprivileged to get the rights they deserve. One must apply for NGO registration to get the benefits under it. Planning the strategy to expand and improve NGO organization plays an important part for proper governance and management in an organization. It helps the organization to achieve the goals and objectives and reach out to the people as much as it can. Therefore, this article will discuss about the strategy to expand and improve NGO organization.

Strategy to expand and Improve NGO organization

Review your Current Practice

For an NGO to expand its organization, it is necessary to review its current practices and make improvements. Every NGO must look into its current practices it has adopted while performing its functions. Some of the things it can adopt are such as, NGO clearly communicating what is the social cause it is trying to deal with? Or whether it has ever asked for feedback from the earlier recipients and made improvements based on it? And many other such questions. Properly reviewing the practice will help the NGO to expand and work efficiently.

Updating the budget template

NGOs must be specifically requested to add budget so as to cover the proper office space, staff training, fundraising staff time, communication, quality computers and tools and etc. The High capacity well resourced NGOs can easily plan and result in giving highest impact over time. And this would also help the NGO to be less reliant for its survival on a single donor.

Needs a sustainability plan

An NGO must prepare an action- oriented sustainability plan once funds are received. It must make short plans with specific goals such as assigning tasks to staff, earmark budget etc that will help it in improving. A basic template and instructions must be there.

Stress the Need for continuous fundraising

Another strategy to expand and improve NGO organisation is that the NGO must fundraise continuously and not when funding is coming to an end, by which time it is often too late to find alternatives. It must add donors to their list of supporters and diversify its funding. The donors can help in this process by requiring budget lines for fundraising. The NGO must often report on efforts undertaken and contacting donors and further sharing the information and contacts.

Providing Technical Support

Many NGOs has limited capacity to fundraise. Donors are well positioned to support the NGOs in fundraising with their funding expertise and large capacity. Critiquing and reviewing applications and approaches and providing feedbacks on reports and proposals to other donors can be very valuable.

Create NGO Partnerships

Approaching NGOs to apply as a consortium would help the NGOs to develop their capacity. Creating partnership between grass- roots local NGOs and High- capacity (inter) National NGOs will help the smaller NGOs in learning how to mobilize and utilize resources as well as helping the larger NGOs to gain better insights into the local issues.

Link your NGO to other donors

Many donors are linked through peer groups or personal connections. These networks can be used to widen the support given to an NGO. An NGO can make the initial referral instead of cold- calling the potential donor. Also NGOs can pitch to other donors for showing interest in co- funding certain programs.

Flexible

Many NGOs works excellently with dedication and performs high quality work, but have limitations when it comes to fundraising. An NGO must build flexibility in how to utilize the funds. It must secure small percentage of budget for sustainability activities which would ensure long- term viability and which would impact the NGO^[1] and its programs by helping it to expand and improve.

Demand quality and not the lowest budget possible

Another Strategy to expand and Improve NGO organization is that an NGO must think value for money and not the low cost. It must balance the budget set by it, as already stated sustainable budget is necessary for an NGO to continue for a long run without facing any hassle or obstacles in future.

Must communicate frequently

It is necessary for an NGO to communicate more often to understand its challenges. Some questions which must be dealt with are whether an NGO is applying to other donors? What is the cash flow position? How much budget is available? Is the NGO doing necessary donor outreach? Or does it have donors to fund it in future programs? And etc. These are some of the questions which highlight the efforts needed to ensure sustainability.

Always ask for Feedback

Since the working of the NGO must be done without any obstacles, it must always ask for feedback and suggestions on how to improve its sustainability. An NGO must discuss about its current practices and take suggestion on what can be done better to expand and improve the NGO organization.

Why is it important to make strategy planning for NGOs?

• If effective strategy plans are made, it helps the NGO in building up important initiatives behind the formation of an NGO. It states the vision and mission of an NGO and help to provide a direction to its way forward.
• Sound decisions can be taken if strategy plans are made by NGOs.
• NGOs can have good understanding and idea about its weaknesses, strengths, problems and capacities as well as resources if strategy plans are made. It helps the NGO to determine its core competency.
• Strategy plans helps the NGOs to know what all it needs to do so as to accomplish or achieve its set targets and objectives. It can easily perform its duties and functions in accordance to its strategic plans. This helps it to make its activities better planned and organized.
• By making strategies, it becomes easier to initiate proper and efficient management of time, human resource and money.
• NGOs can define a budget and effectively utilize its funds and manage its resources and investment.
• It can take up the responsibility and accountability for specific work. And can make long and short term objectives and work towards achieving its goals.

Conclusion

“A goal with a strategy or plan is just a wish” as rightly stated by – Antoine de Saint Exupery, a French writer. It is an essential process for every NGO to plan and make strategies to achieve its goals and work in a long run. The strategy to expand and improve NGO organization must be made by every NGO so as to make a clear understanding about its purpose, functions and existence.

Also, Read: A complete list of Documents required for NGO Registration in India