NGOs and Organizational Structure

1
NGOs and Organizational Structure

• Challenges and Opportunities

2
5 Classifications of Global NGO Structures

• Separate independent organizations
• Independent orgs with weak umbrella coordination
• Confederations
• Federations
• Unitary, corporate organizations

3
Separate Independent Organizations

• May share a common name and brand
• Independent locus of decision making
• Separate board and fundraising programs
• No central enforcement mechanisms
• No formal central coordinating mechanisms
• Ad hoc cooperation
• No common system of operations
• SCF before 1990s

4
Weak Umbrella Organizations

• Maintain virtual autonomy
• Competitive, independent organizations
• Establish a weak-coordinating mechanism to share
  information and facilitate cooperation
• Forum of discussion, joint committee to share
  expertise and knowledge
• Weak application of pressure by authority to make
  members adhere to policy (moral suasion)
• Weak enforcement mechanisms

5
Confederations

• Governance Board of Director selected by
• Internal affairs affiliates each with autonomous
  national boards who make key decisions and still
  have strong identity and authority
• Administration International secretariat reports
  to board, regional field staff serves/monitor
  affiliates, affiliates have own staffs
• Finance affiliate dues and contribution
• Regional substructure semi-autonomous affiliates
  with exclusive use of logo and name
• Oxfam, SCF, MSF

6
Federation

• Governance Affiliates elects governing board
• - Strong central authority over system-wide
  decision making
• Administration
• strong powers for standard setting and resource
  acquisition
• Affiliates have separate boards and
  implementation capacity
• stronger sanctions like withholding of funds
• HQ makes key decisions
• Global delivery network
• Plan international

7
Unitary Corporate Organizations

• one global organization with a single board and
  central headquarter
• No affiliate members, just branch offices
• HQ makes resource acquisition, allocation, and
  program decisions
• Standardized and centralized programs and
  policies
• Central allocation system of resources

8
Strengths/Weaknesses of Dominant Models

• 1. A weak umbrella-type coordinating structure
• - MSF
• 2. International federation
• - Plan International
• 3. Confederations
• -CARE, OXFAM, SCF

9
Weak Umbrella Organizations

• Strengths
• Rapid action from national board
• unique national image
• Strong connection with public and private
  community
• Weaknesses
• Duplication of services
• Waste of resources
• Confuse public and donor
• Different levels of quality of services

10
Federation

• Strengths
• strong global identity and scale of services
• respond rapidly to emergencies
• central support services such as finance,
  procurement, and human resources management
• strong global quality control
• Weaknesses
• Stifle creativity and innovation
• Block adaptation to country contexts

11
Confederation

• Strengths
• eliminates the problems of duplication of support
  
• Reduces competitiveness
• blends members ability to project their national
  identity within their own countries
• Weaknesses
• Weak moral suasion
• Political infighting
• the need for the confederation to project one
  image
• slower in emergency response.
• Guilt by association

12
Barriers to Global Structures

• lack of sustainable resources or lack of strong
  local community support
• Conflicts over differences in perceptions of
  standards and enforcement between old and new
  members
• Reluctance of northern boards and affiliates
  about power sharing
• cooptation
• how to maintain commitment
• deriving common principles
• engaging in fundraising in another members home
  country
• deciding when members can approach media and
  common advocacy strategies

13
Loose Alliances beyond the family

• Ad hoc single-issue collaboration
• Participation in existing global coordinating
  committees
• Creation of new coordinating committees and
  working groups
• New issue-based advocacy, operations, or learning
  networks
• Participation in longer-term, broader-based
  global movement

14
Emerging Global Structure between NNGOs and SNGOs

• Loose networks
• Confederated NNGOs and Southern Affiliates
• Federated NNGOs and SNGOs
• Global bumble bee