Introduction to Working with NGOs

From NGOPedia

As we have seen in recent years, global and local economies are now intricately intertwined. Public, private, and civil societies are impacted by global changes. As global challenges increase, it is becoming imperative for all social partners namely, the public, private and civil society sectors, to work together with a greater sense of urgency. There is a need to find smart ways of increasing access to essential services for the growing number of poor people who have limited or non-existent access to resources that support growth and development. Faced with depleted resources, the dwindling availability of development funds and the resultant widening gap between rich and poor, no sector can work in isolation and hope to achieve long-term sustainability. We are being challenged to learn to do more with less, and to find ways to bring innovative and sustainable solutions to larger groups of people. We are all interconnected; all part of the puzzle and, if we don’t get it right, we will all ultimately be affected. On the bright or upside, engaging a broader number of constituents and communities helping them work more effectively, allows for greater economic growth in the long term.

Key players in this puzzle

• Public sector, providing broad development frameworks and resources
• Private sector, providing solutions, innovation, resources and support
• NGO sector within civil society as the central linchpin, providing the points of engagement, experience and economic accelerators.

AN INTRODUCTION TO WORKING WITH NGOs is designed primarily as a resource for potential technology partners, but has relevance for other related parties as well. It aims to provide these potential partners with an introduction to the environment in which Sub-Saharan Africa’s NGOs operate. to aid in identifying significant issues and to give guidance and provide links and resources on how to engage with NGOs. Many service providers in the private sector have engaged with NGOs in the past with varying degrees of success. This resource aims to share some of that learning and to promote a greater understanding of this sector, thus enabling ICT providers to strategically engage with what is:

• A significant force for development,
• A significant business/market potential
• sector in need of strategic ICT services

NGOConnect Africa (we, the publisher of this document) believes that technology partners have a vital and under-utilised role to play with regard to social responsibility through the provision of products and services to the civil sector in a sustainable manner, and as partners in development. The first objective of NGOConnect Africa is to enable this collaboration through the use of technology.

NGOConnect Africa aims to utilise technology to:

• Facilitate links between NGOs and ICT service providers and other interested parties
• Help improve NGOs’ ICT efficiency through these partnerships
• Increase access to the shared pool of civil society knowledge
• Increase the impact of civil society interventions
• Improve local service delivery and encourage local economic growth