The Role of NGOs:

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The Role of NGOs

• Releasing Goodwill
• Building Partnership for Action
• Christine Fang
• Chief Executive, HKCSS
• CPU Seminar on 3rd Sector Development
• Dec 19, 2001

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The Non-governmental Social Welfare Sector (NGOs)

• 335 social welfare NGOs
• Deliver 90 of social welfare services
• Serve 2m people a year
• Income structure
• Government subvention 65
• Non-government grants donations 14
• Fees income 21

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The Non-governmental Social Welfare Sector (NGOs)

• Human Resources Structure
• Number of board members gt5,600
• Number of volunteers gt200,000
• Number of employees gt30,000

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Characteristics of NGOs

• Mission driven
• Independent from government
• Voluntary
• Non-profit distributing
• Self-governing structure and procedures

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Unique contribution of NGOs

• Mobilization of goodwill and volunteerism
• Promotes positive social value and norms
• Build social networks

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• Environmental Factors
• Affecting the
• Development of NGOs

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Changes

• 1. Conducive factors in early years
• Registration and legitimating process of NGOs
• Favourable tax treatment for charitable bodies
  donations
• Leadership and support
• Social need and solutions available
• Funds available

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• 2. Increased public sector funding to ensure
  adequacy and standards of service (late 70s
  80s)
• Volunteer sector ? subvented sector providing
  services on behalf of the government
• Standardization of subvention and services focus
  on input and delivery
• Standardization thwarting innovation and
  sensitivity to environmental changes

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• 3. Current Welfare Reform
• From rigid input control
• population-based provision
• To output-focused
• performance standard setting
• needs based provision
• allocation of service through competition

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• NGO response
• Development of self-help organisations
• NGOs addressing special needs / focus
• NGOs re-engineering and reflection
• Internalise change to develop new goals of
  development
• Rebuild the momentum and structure

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• From Charity to Entrepreneur NGOs to perform
  the role of social enterprise that
• Clear and persuasive social mission
• Believes in doing good well with qualitative
  and quantitative outcomes
• Dual-bottom line management with attention to
  both mission fulfillment and positive financial
  margins.
• (Sid Mohn, President of the Heartland Alliance
  for Human Needs and Human Rights)

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• Caution
• Mission driven not market driven
• NGOs transmit social values and build social
  networks, not just service providers

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Conclusion The Way Ahead --

• Releasing Goodwill
• Building Partnership for Action

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The Way Ahead

• Revisit and amplify mission
• Enhance capacity to serve, to engage and to
  empower
• Build cross sector partnership
• Promote philanthropy and corporate citizenship
• Supportive policies and recognition

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• Thank you.