NGO Management and Social Sector Development

The last thirty years have witnessed an extraordinary growth in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in almost all parts of the globe, and in all spheres of human activity. NGOs have become a highly visible component of civil society and are now significant players in the fields of human rights, the environment and social development at local, national and international levels.

Despite some deep historical roots, the emergence of NGOs as formalised, structured institutions has been relatively recent. Although they share some characteristics with state and private sector organisations, NGOs are in a category of their own; they have particular organisational features, maintain relationships with a broad range of different actors, and face a number of special challenges. NGO management has therefore evolved as a distinctive practice and field of study that differs in content and perspective from business management and public sector administration. With this growth comes an ever-more pressing requirement for effective management of their operations. Effective management requires the articulation of a clear and common vision for the organization and a set of strategies to achieve it; the mobilization of all necessary human, financial and intellectual resources, and external contacts and connections are required to operate these strategies effectively; and the continuous readjustment of strategy and structure in a changing context, implying an intimate relationship between organizational processes and a dynamic internal and external environment.'

This program provides a critical overview of the major issues involved in N.G.O management, with an emphasis on organizations working in development and poverty reduction in the region. It draws on the growing body of theoretical work and practical experiences to provide an outline of the most significant management challenges facing NGOs today and the tools and approaches. N.G.O sector in Pakistan has seen rapid changes in the development context. A mushroom growth of voluntary organizations took place during two decades.

This programme is aimed primarily at NGO staff with management responsibilities, and for individuals who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in preparation for moving into such positions. NGOs come in many shapes and sizes, and the definition of an NGO and the choice of terminology is itself the subject of much debate and limited agreement. 

Learning Objectives

• To outline the distinctive characteristics of NGOs
• To provide an overview of the issues facing NGOs as development organisations and the influences that shape their place in the changing architecture of aid.
• Describe the principal types and instruments in international development cooperation 
• Understand the role and challenges of NGOs vis-a-vis the development concerns of the community 
• To identify the special challenges of NGO management and to help students apply management theory to their work.
• To provide a range of tools, techniques and skills for the effective management of organisational learning, strategy and change within NGOs.
• Become familiar with Results-Based Management 
• Learn the basics of project management: How to make a needs assessment, how to design and plan a project, and how to integrate monitoring into the project plan 
• Learn about the process of internal assessments and about the use of and main criteria for external evaluations 
• Understand how to select marketing tools for fundraising 
• Describe the different criteria of donor agencies in supporting a project 
• Learn how to structure and prepare a grant proposal 
• Become familiar with the principles of good communication and negotiations 
• Learn the basics of how to develop and lead a team and how to resolve conflicts 
• Gain insight into key criteria for successful human resource management 

Learning Methods

The programme consists of structured learning exercises, case-studies, brainstorming and short presentations. The use of customized learning materials is to facilitate a smooth and fast-track approach to learning and to achieve the course objectives. We favour a participatory approach and a high level of interaction among students and instructors. They share experiences, good practices and lessons learned to enhance learning opportunities. Course is process-oriented and favours the development of innovative approaches to solve problems. Students help each other to develop their projects during working group meetings.

Who should attend?

The course will benefit in particular:

• Project and programme managers 
• Team leaders 
• Newcomers to the non-profit sector 
• Consultants who carry out assignments for NGOs.

Admission Schedule and Fee Structure

Please refer to: Certificate Training Program - Admission Notice - September 2015

Contents

Part 1 Understanding NGOs -Introduction to NGOs and Management

• What are the beginning stages of an NGO
• Example: the story of how one NGO in west Africa got started
• Questions to be answered before starting an NGO
• Factors necessary to build an NGO of good quality
• Need Assessment
• SWOT analysis for an NGO
• Registering an NGO in Pakistan
• Getting a legal status
• Example: an NGO in India becomes legal
• Example: the South African NGO sector 2 weeks

Part 2 Identifying Your Vision, Principles, Mission, Strategies etc.

• Example: Finding a Vision, a Mission, Strategies and Goals for an NGO (CISS)
• NGO leadership and governance
• NGO mission and strategy
• Decide on good strategies and goals
• Vision built on principles
• Gender policy: checklists
• Example: the effect of having a gender policy
• What best practice means? 
• NGO structure and systems: good administration and logistics 2 weeks

Part3 Building Sustainability -Institutional Sustainability

• Example: Workshop technique
• Example: Sustainability in Projects
• Sustainability and training people
• Building sustainability through strong networks
• Challenges to building a network 

Part 4 Managing People -Managing People in NGOs

• Building good structures
• Becoming a formal NGO
• Specialization among the staff
• Building and sustaining the principles
• The western model of organizations
• Exercise: put your NGO structure on the paper, how many layers between the most junior person and the boss?
• Improving the staff functioning
• Supervision/ support of the workers
• Example: building capacity in the Fenji water project/ capacity building in a womens’ project
• Building and sustaining an effective board
• Good group functioning
• Group exercise:
• Institutional sustainability- SWOTs
• Clearing your mind- the rescue triangle
• Exercise: can you think of a time in the past when the NGO or you as an individual have entangled in the rescue triangle?
• Discussion about understanding and controlling your own motivation? 
• Exercise

Part 5 Marketing - Marketing, Social and Cause Related Marketing

• Non-profit brand development
• Fundraising
• Planning the funding needs of the NGO
• Example: a workshop on fundraising for a human rights NGO 
• Finding the agencies with funds

Part 6 Mobilising and Managing Financial Resources –Budgeting, Accounting and Fund Raising

• Definition and over approach to making budgets
• Role of budgeting
• Example: water project in Asia
• An approach to drawing up a budget: example- Hargeisa School development budget
• Managing the money
• Managing scarce resources
• Financial control
• Why is financial management important for NGOs?
• Financial accounting versus management accounting
• Accounting golden rules

Part 7 The Project Cycle

• Monitoring and evaluating NGO performance and impact -Example to consider: the reconstruction project in Luarlila
• Identifying the real problems and needs
• Planning
• Implementation
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Why monitor?
• Three criteria used in evaluation
• Monitoring and evaluation tools
• Performance indicators
• The logical framework approach
• Theory based evaluation
• Formal surveys
• Rapid appraisal methods
• Participatory methods
• Impact evaluation
• Four models of impact evaluation 

Materials Provided

• Presentations handouts
• Notes and related documents
• Course Certificate

Contact

Course Instructor	Saif Ullah Khan, Lecturer, Institute of Management Studies, University of Peshawar – saifullah.khan@upesh.edu.pk
Course Assistant	Minhaj Ullah – 03459391936 – minhajpeshawar@gmail.com

Preferred communication mode:

1. Post your queries in the comments system below
2. Address your email queries to the Course Instructor
3. Address your calls to Course Assistant