Northern INGOs are changing their organisational form: why and how Maxwell School: Transnational NGO initiative Feb 2017
How do these organisations describe themselves? Pro poor advocacy organisation Policy and action research development organisation Humanitarian organisation International Development agency Charity Overseas Aid organisation Social enterprise INGO? ICSO? TNGO? Emergency relief organisation Grassroots activist organisation Alliance for civil society / development Solidarity organisation Platform for change Global but Community Based Org Faith based Development organisation Human rights defender Campaigning community
What sorts of organisations are we talking about? Descriptors now being used more often Platform Community Network Mobilizer already these descriptors are indicating new organisational forms we ll come back to this later
The current mega trends in the world that northern INGOs collectively cite Climate change Urbanisation Natural resource Planetary Boundaries Humanitarian crises Technology Closing civil society space Migration nativism Inequality Youth bulge & expectation MICs / LICs Changing power dynamics Location of poverty Multi polar world Rise of elites New actors Old actors playing different roles Generational power divide Mega Cities v States
The trends that NORTHERN INGOs talk about internally regarding their future FUNDING (especially back donors ) What other actors can / are doing Disintermediation Age cliff of northern supporters / activists Humanitarian crises.. Technology Closing civil society space Global / Southern legitimacy What is our Role? How to demonstrate impact Youth bulge & expectation How to demonstrate added value of INGOs MICs / LICs Changing power dynamics Location of poverty MIC/LICs Multi polar world Rise of elites New actors Old actors playing different roles Generational power divide Mega Cities v States
Theory of change & thus activities The totality of what INGOs do to achieve impact is less aligned to how the public perceive them Direct Service delivery is often the historical foundation Never forget that this still has huge personal impact for the individuals concerned if you are a displaced person, being able to drink clean water means not dying of cholera How more people can exercise their right to permanent access to clean water is a different challenge. But INGOs Theories of Change are very different now
or many years and increasingly so, INGOs have been oing a host of activities well beyond service delivery Advocacy: insider and outsider Policy & action research Development education Capacity building INGO activities to achieve structural change Popular mobilisation Partnerships with more powerful actors Local to Global (or global to local) Broker and convener With not through partners Rights & social values Policy, practice, ideas and beliefs Changing systems Active citizenship For transformational impact* Inclusion Gaining Agency Normative thinking Opening civil society and political space Holding duty bearers to account *addressing power (quietly)
But can you raise funding from individual supporters..? Disconnect between the easiest marketing and the variety of work that brings the most impact
Relatively easy to appeal for cash for this
A bit more of a stretch but doable
Near impossible These men can all fit in this golf buggy
Not a chance
Impact vs existential crisis Reasons we give for why we must continue to exist: The social justice mission must be achieved Our organisation is unique in its ability to deliver the mission Impact is difficult to attribute, but we add value through expertise, learning, having made the mistakes We are accountable to beneficiaries / partners in a way that not all actors are We bring relevance and legitimacy based on the actual
Impact vs existential crisis But we don t verbalise the following reasons: We have always existed our supporters and staff have built something over decades that we must steward I believe that continuing to do X or Y is the best way to change the world, otherwise what were we/ I doing all these years After 25 years my identity (and family and friends) is wrapped up in being part of this organisation And certainly not for reasons of organisational hubris
Billions 20 northern originated INGOs total $35B global revenues (and that s with some missing) $6 $5 $4 $5.5 $5.0 $5.0 $3.4 Annual Revenue for Participating Peers (2015) $3 $2 $2.7 $2.0 $1.6 $1.3 $1.2 $1 $0.8 $0.7 $0.5 $0.4 $0.3 $0.3 $0.3 $0.3 $0.1 $0.1 $0.1 $0 And BRAC Public Funds Individual Giving Corporations Foundations In Kind Other Grand Total Note public funds Or institutional And its still only a seventh of ExxonMobil s turnover
So how are Northern INGOs changing their organisational form?
So what are Northern INGOs doing about it.. Allocating resources by country typology Redefining Role Moving from International to Global Centralising (efficiency) decentralising (contextual), networks, movements New funding & business models New governance
Location of poverty / injustice LDCs an increasingly meaningless term half the world s extreme poor (under $2 a day) live in Nigeria and India combined.both MICs Country governments range from willing & able, unwilling & able, willing & unable, unwilling & unable A rump of fewer than 20 fragile and conflict affected states At the same time Climate change is a global issue affecting every person Inequality in all its forms and especially gender is not an issue confined to a group of countries
P. Lawrence 2013 Differentiating where and how INGOs should put their resources
WWF: practices for goals and drivers Some INGO internal descriptions for a new role Amnesty International Globally distributed, regionally rooted Oxfam: building a worldwide influencing network Greenpeace: from implementer to enabler Save the Children: impact through scale - the go to agency on child nutrition, protection, education Plan: one goal, one Plan
Some INGO internal descriptions for a new role Amnesty International Globally distributed, regionally rooted Oxfam: building a worldwide influencing network 1m of 7m supporters in India All members & countries must do influencing Greenpeace: from implementer to enabler Equip supporters with the magic item to become the hero Save the Children: impact through scale - the go to agency on child nutrition, protection, education Plan: one goal, one Plan Global programs, big institutional donors Align around every girl WWF: practices for goals and drivers Forests, Oceans but also markets
INGO/ ICSO Landscape: some examples More globally balanced Why now? Increasing urgency putting WIN at risk Action Aid Amnesty Int l More service delivery focussed Islamic Relief W wide Oxfam CARE Green peace More influencing focussed MSF Plan Save the Children More Northern dominated Page 23
International to Global: why Context & analysis Where the power is Relevance Legitimacy Accountability Knowledge Income
International to Global: how New members Global & local governance Moving HQ south (some) Decentralising to regions Tiny HQ / No regions Empowering countries Fewer Ex pats Involvement of local actors, partners, academics Major investment in fundraising in new markets
One group of INGO strategists on what the future organisational forms might look like? Business ICSOs Donors
New business models being discussed Examples Bifurcation: back to single issue vs holistic, delivery v advocacy Partnerships: new power relationships between northern and southern / national NGOs Consortia & collaborations, broker New financing: e.g. Islamic financing, ADB (both of them), PPP etc Fee for service, consultancy Social enterprise Trusted intermediary, knowledge/ subject matter expert But How to fund the unfundable How to maintain legitimacy How to stay focussed on causes rather than symptoms
Internal challenges / things to focus on in changing these organisations Governance Clarity of Role, purpose & beliefs Ideological differences Structure Power and identity organisation & individual Culture Systems and processes Structure Basically People, people, people
But you can t take a supertanker white water rafting
You can t take a supertanker white water rafting