Introduction
There is an oft-used saying that applies especially to the field of international development field: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Perhaps the only piece missing is that the man might also need a quality fishing rod! As a long-time program manager and fundraiser I have seen many donors interested in ‘teaching to fish’ but not as many willing to supply the tools, or the ‘quality fishing rod’.
(Ad) Still, finding it difficult to find new grants and donors to support your work? No way to easily search and identify upcoming funding opportunities? No idea how to raise funds? We have a solution for you. Our Premium Membership service answers all your questions. Learn more.
In this guide we will focus not so much on the support to NGO programs (teaching how to fish) but on the tools needed to do so effectively and sustainably (the fishing rod). In short, how can we improve the basic tools of the NGO (cash, staff, training, equipment, housing, etc.) to ensure sustainability and long-term impact?
Types of Sustainability
(Ad) Too many advertisements on this website? Get an ad-free and fully optimized website experience to find grants and donors of your interest. Premium Membership service offers a clean and user-friendly interface for you to raise funds successfully! Learn more.
There are different ways in which development experts define sustainability. A fairly typical definition is that sustainability consists of three components:
1) Financial: Where the project continues to attract funding from other sources when the donor withdraws. E.g. the NGO successfully receives grants from one or more other donors.
(Ad) Premium Membership offers unlimited search options to find your grants and donors. Search by country or thematic area of your work interest or even by keyword. View the number of open grants for your country. on a Google Map. Keep a watch on grant deadlines through a calendar. Learn more.
2) Institutional sustainability: Where the NGO has the capacity to function and grow. The NGO has built structures that will allow impact to remain in place. E.g. they have the high-quality, trained staff and operational underpinning to excel.
3) Policy: Where the policy changes brought about by the project continue to exist when the donor withdraws. E.g. government legislation on child labor, which the NGO advocated for is adopted and implemented.
(Ad) Too many emails about grants, but too few leads? Join Premium and use our Specific Email Alerts feature where you can select your country/countries and thematic areas of work interest and receive grant information accordingly. Learn more.
In this guide we will discuss ways in which donors can ensure that NGOs in the developing world will successfully meet the first two challenges: ensuring financial and institutional sustainability. Success in these two areas will support success on the programmatic and policy side. Donors that think long-term and spend time and resources to ensure that NGOs are continuously improving and building their capacity will have the best chance of accelerating long-term impact and survival. Those that do not will either shift the cost of doing so to other donors, or set the NGO on a path to failure.
Please visit here to view the top 12 tips.
(Ad) Our Premium Donor Search feature works like a mini-search engine. As soon as you define the search criteria and click on search, it scans the internet for the best possible matches of donor agencies based according to your interest and presents a list that you need. Learn more.
