2.5 HOW DO NGOS WORK?

Block 2 - Actors in Humanitarian Aid

Module 5 - How do NGOs work?

 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Welcome

The term, “Non-Governmental Organisation”, or NGO, came into use in 1945 because of
the need for the UN to differentiate in its Charter participation rights of
intergovernmental specialised agencies from those of international private
organisations .
The international specialised agencies, also called international institution, are
organization composed primarily of sovereign states (referred to as member states), or
of other organizations through formal treaties for handling/serving common interests
and governed by international laws. IGOs are established by a treaty that acts as a
charter creating the group.
The international private organisations are organizations which are independent of
governments involvement and extends the concept of Non-Governmental Organizations.
NGOs are non-profit entities, and many of them are active in the humanitarian or social
sciences. they may also include clubs and associations but may also include lobby
groups and corporations.

At the UN, virtually all types of private bodies can be recognised as NGOs. They must
be independent from government control, non-profit, non-criminal, and they must not
seek to challenge governments as a political party. In this chapter we will see the
inside of NGOs, their origins, their work and management.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

After this module...

You will be able to:

understand the main trends for NGO structures;

identify the different models of NGOs;

understand how an NGO works;

understand the role of NGOs workers and volunteers;

understand the principles and the main actors/areas in an NGO.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

NG O S ’ S T R U C T U R E

Introduction

In a changing environment of international cooperation and humanitarian aid

and with the rise of aid offshoring mechanisms, NGOs are engaged in a series
of important structural changes

It is increasingly difficult to identify a single

organisational model in the ecosystem of
international organisations. Nevertheless, we
will try here to identify trends and to initiate a
reflection on current practices.

There are different levels of organisational models of an NGO, among which we can
distinguish international organisation models and internal organisation models.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

For NGOs, we speak of an international model when an organisation has

several offices in different countries around the world. Depending on the
history of the organisation, these offices can be a federation of NGOs
that existed before (example of OXFAM), or the creation of different
offices by an Organisation to expand its international presence and
support operational efforts. (examples of MSF, Action Against Hunger -
ACF-, Doctors of the World -MdM- among others).
In all cases, this logic of internationalisation responds to a logic of
increasing the capacity of organisations to raise funds (public or
private), to recruit competent staff of different nationalities, and to
communicate with governments, stakeholders and the public about their
actions.

The internal structure responds to the internal organisation model which

is represented through an organisational chart and describes the internal
organisation between departments (or areas) of organisation, and in
particular between the headquarters of the organisation and its offices in
the countries where the organisation works. Internal models usually
describe the 2 types of relationships, hierarchical and functional.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Example of internal organisational models

- The organisation of an NGO is very similar to that of a

traditional company, where the organisational model
differs depending on the size of the organisation and its
capacities.

However, the ecosystem of humanitarian and development organisations is

becoming increasingly professionalised, and the organisation of NGOs tends
to follow the model shown below:

Source: IECAH

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

The model usually shows 3 levels of work:

1 The Head office (Headquarters), located in the NGO’s country of origin;

A Country Office in the capital of the country(ies) where the organisation

2
operates (often the Headquarters of a National NGO). The role of the
Country Office is to coordinate operations, maintain contact with the
Headquarters and with national authorities and other actors in the country
(organisations, donors, UN agencies…);

3 Field offices in the areas where the organisation implements its

programmes.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

The composition of the teams is generally organised hierarchically and

includes Project teams and Support teams:

Project teams have the specific Support teams are in charge of the

skills for the successful completion smooth running of the projects by

of the providing them with comprehensive

projects. They may be specialised in support through a range of activities

the medical field, nutrition, water such as logistics (supply, fleet

and sanitation management, etc. For management, security rules, …) or

example, a vaccination campaign will administration (human resources,

need doctors, nurses, and people finance etc.). For example, a

with medical skills to coordinate vaccination campaign will also need

actions on the ground. logisticians to guarantee the supply of

medical equipment and to ensure the
management of the cold chain.

-At the local level, both technical and support

departments include a full team of people, mainly
national staff, to implement project activities and
support functions.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

The Country Director (Head of mission) is the main responsible of the organisation
within the country. At the local level, and reporting directly to the Country Director, is the
Field Coordinator (Head of Base). The field coordinator is the line manager of all the
teams in the local office.

In most cases, technical and support coordinators have a functional relationship

with their counterpart in the field. This might vary from an organisation to

another.

Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, visiting the European

Humanitarian Response Capacity warehouse in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. The EU is offering free-

of-charge warehouse space and trucking services to aid organisations delivering relief

assistance in Ukraine

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Typical organisational structure, MSF Spain HEAD OFFICE

Hierarchal relationship
Functional relationship
Source: MSF OCBA (Operational Centre of Barcelona and Athens), Spain

Typical organisational structure, MSF Spain FIELD OFFICE

Source: MSF OCBA (Operational Centre of Barcelona and Athens), Spain

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

- Try to answer this question:

Which are usually the 3 levels of work of
the NGOs?

 Projects, activities and volunteers’

programs.
 The Head office (Headquarters), a
Country Office and Field offices.
 Country Office, Financial
Management and Advocacy.

 The Head office (Headquarters), a

Country Office and Field offices.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

AREAS O F W O R K O F T HE NG O S

Introduction

Now that we know about some big international NGOs and their structures, we are going to see
how they operate and what the areas of work within the organisation are. We must keep in mind
that each NGO is different, as it works in a specific context, with its own particularities. There is
no “magic wand” that can create a standard framework. In general, in NGOs there are teams/
departments dedicated to the following functions
Project design
Project and programme management
Project implementation and operational plan
Human Resource Management
Advocacy
Logistics
Finance Management
Relations with donors (securing initial funding and reporting)

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

EU Aid Volunteer and communications specialist Andrea Parolin giving a workshop to a group

of women to help them promote their recycling business. Andrea was deployed to a town at

the Colombia’s Pacific Coast, one of the most neglected parts of the country

The work areas of NGOs may have a different name depending on the

organisation. A team/department may also perform functions related to

several work areas at the same time (e.g. finance and logistics, finance and

HR, project design and project management, etc.). In the following sections

we will see in detail how each of these areas works and what types of

activities they carry out on a regular basis.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Projects, Programmes, and Portfolios

Before continuing with the module, it is important to recognise

some key terms in NGOs’ work. Here, we outline the definitions
of the terms project, programme, and portfolio as they are
largely agreed across the management literature.

PRO J E C T PRO G RA M M E PO RT FO LI O

A project is defined as 'a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique

product, service, or result'.

Projects deliver integrated outputs (deliverables), which aim to result in

better outcomes (results) for communities and other stakeholders benefiting
from the project, thus achieving the objectives set by donors. Projects are
time-bound and focus on a requirement by donors to deliver specific benefits
for communities in ways that are cost-effective and measurable.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

PRO J E C T PRO G RA M M E PO RT FO LI O

Programmes are groups of related projects and activities that are managed
in a coordinated way in order to achieve an impact that is greater than if they
were managed individually. Development organisations often organise
projects into programmes to deliver outcomes that address a broad range of
needs.
Programmes are generally implemented through a centralised management
system that coordinates groups of projects to achieve overall strategic
objectives and benefits.

Both projects and programmes begin with an objective that is assessed and
analysed, and both develop plans to achieve this objective through a set of
tools within a project or programme lifecycle.

PRO J E C T PRO G RA M M E PO RT FO LI O

Multiple projects, programmes, and activities can be organised into a

portfolio.

Having a portfolio helps to harmonise programmes and projects so that they

are aligned and can best meet overall strategies and goals.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Project Design

In this module, we are going to talk about project design and project management, as well as
the key functions in the implementation of all humanitarian aid and development cooperation
projects.
It seems to me that charity and voluntary work belong to the third sector--and then I wonder:
How is a project managed in the third sector?
What does the third sector mean?
I think the third sector covers charity and voluntary work and is also known as the ‘not-for-
profit’ industry. The organisations it includes are neither public (owned by the state) or private
(owned by individuals), which is where the name third sector comes from. Registered
charities, social enterprises, cooperatives, research institutions and Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) all fall into this category.
Do you agree> Let's keep studying to better understand!

There are a lot of definitions of “third sector” and there isn’t only one good one to
describe this concept.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

We can say that the term third sector refers to the sector of the economy which is

not the private companies and organisations, aimed at achieving economic

benefits; nor the public sector, the agencies that depend on the State and aim to

serve citizens. It means value-driven non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that

primarily reinvest any profit to further social, environmental or cultural aims.

Working in the third sector is somewhat different from how it might be in a private

company or a public entity.

It must be kept in mind that the objective here is not something easily measurable

such as achieving economic benefits, but success in terms of social impact, such

as improving the quality of life of people in a certain region or promoting

environmental conservation.

In this sense, there are several manifestos that refer to the so-called Management
by Results as a basic framework of action for various third sector organisations.
This implies the need to develop different projects that, directly or indirectly, can
help the organisation achieve its main objective.
The figure of the project manager who is in charge of everything related to the
running of one or more projects, is becoming increasingly common.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Fundraising and project design

Fundraising is one of the most important tasks within an NGO. To obtain resources,
the project management specialist must prepare a project proposal to get funds,
which contains at least the following information:

Project summary;

The purpose or objective to be achieved;

Required resources (human and other);

Stakeholders to be involved;

Success stories or similar operations that have already been

carried out;

The calendar;

The key success factors and main risks;

The provisional budget.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

This funding proposal is essential to apply for grants or request financing from public
or private donors, such as governments, international organisations, credit institutions,
companies or individuals. For this reason, it is essential that it is consistent and
convincing. You will learn more on how a successful project proposal should be
prepared in module "B3.3 Getting the funds: Key concepts on project design".

Project design is a key and delicate step, because it must meet different requirements, both
in terms of the country's intervention context (the ongoing crisis), the needs of the
populations, but also the objectives of the organisation (its mandate, its strategy, its
operating rules, etc.). The vast majority of organisations involved in humanitarian aid and
development cooperation work from a clearly defined mandate and have an intervention
strategy.

An organisation's intervention strategy includes the sectors of activityß(Health, WASH, Food

security, Livelihood, Education, Gender, protection, …) proposed by the organisation and those
activities will be implemented based on a needs assessment, on best practices and
experience.ß

The intervention strategy also includes the possible links between the sectors of intervention
in an integrated approach (for example, education -WASH - Livelihoods) and the transversal
aspects that the organisation can address (Gender, Do no Harm, Environment)."

- Try to answer this question:

What is the meaning of “Third sector”?

 The third sector is a synonym to refer to about private companies or

industries.
 The third sector is where NGOs and states work together. It includes
governments that have specific partnerships with certain NGOs
working on religious and moral issues.
 The Third Sector encompasses charitable and voluntary work and is
also known as the "not-for-profit" industry. It can be said to refer to
the part of the economy that is not business, private organisations or
the public sector. It refers to value-driven NGOs.”

 The Third Sector encompasses charitable and

voluntary work and is also known as the "not-for-
profit" industry. It can be said to refer to the part of
the economy that is not business, private
organisations or the public sector. It refers to value-
driven NGOs.”

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Project and Programme Management

Once funding has been obtained and formally confirmed in writing, the project
can move forward.

In the next phase, the technical

sector specialist (in charge of the
project) will distribute the available
human and material resources to
try to achieve the set objective.
This implies the ability to make a
good distribution, to manage
different professional profiles and
to coordinate various work teams
to carry out all the activities
foreseen by the project.

However, the project manager’s

job is not limited to the project
lifespan. After its completion, it is
necessary to evaluate the results
obtained and see what could be
improved for future projects. For
this to be possible, it is necessary
to monitor the actions carried out
and the results throughout the
process.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

You will learn more about Project Cycle Management and

Monitoring and Evaluation in the next BLOCK 3: How the
humanitarian and development sectors work (B3.1 Introduction
to Humanitarian/Development Project Cycle management (PCM);
B3.4 Monitoring and reporting project results and expenditure).

Programme Management

Programmes are groups of related projects and activities. They can be managed in a
coordinated way in order to achieve an impact that is greater than if they were
managed individually. Most programmes are managed at a country level under the
supervision of a programme manager and the leadership of a Country Director, Head
of Programmes, or similar role.
The role of the programme manager is to oversee the implementation of
programmes, projects, and activities. He/She provides support and guidance to
project managers, helping to ensure that their work aligns with the goals and
overarching strategy of the programme and enabling them to deliver efficient and
effective projects.

Programme managers must have a The programme manager

good understanding of the relevant must control risks created by
external context as well as the these uncertainties and
internal context. They must keep a harness newly available
close eye on local, national, and opportunities, while also taking
global dynamics. Changes in funding
into account potential impacts
priorities, commitments, policies,
(positive and negative) for
laws, and beneficiary needs can all
beneficiaries.
affect the programme in terms of
resources, tactics, and objectives.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Though everyone may agree on the importance of good leadership at the programme and project levels, not
everyone in the development sector uses terms like programme and project in the same way. This could
cause some confusion about what programme management entails. This section explores the definitions
of the terms project management programme management, and portfolio management.

Programme vs. project management

Project management is the discipline of planning, organising, and managing

resources to bring about the successful delivery of specific project goals,
outcomes, and outputs. The primary challenge of project management is to
achieve each of these and to manage project constraints related to scope,
budget, human and material resources, schedule, and quality.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Programme management requires a higher level of strategic thinking and

consultation. Programmes have an essential focus on determining which
activities and projects would be needed to implement the programme
successfully. While project staff focus on the implementation of activities
that contribute directly to agreed outputs and outcomes, the programme
manager must focus on the challenge of coordinating, creating synergies,
and finding ways to increase the impact of the overall programme.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Portfolio management

In most organisations, there will always be competition for limited resources. The portfolio management
process helps to harmonise programmes and projects so that they are aligned and can best meet overall
strategies and goals. This involves prioritising and balancing opportunities and risks against the supply
and demand of resources in order to meet the overall objectives of an organisation. Because of their
complexity and strategic focus, portfolios are typically managed by a Country Director, or at a regional or
global level by a high level executive team.
While not the responsibility of programme managers, it is still important to be aware of issues related to
portfolio management. Given competition for limited resources, programme managers and their teams
should be able to articulate how their programmes and projects:

Contribute to the achievement of the organisation’s vision;

Support the strategy of their organisation;

Contribute value to the organisation’s programmes and/or portfolio.

Portfolio management oversees the performance of multiple projects and programmes. It is not concerned
with day-to-day project tasks but focuses instead on selecting, initiating and managing an overview of all
efforts in a way that addresses the strategic objectives of an organisation. Portfolio management involves
making high-level decisions about whether to stop or re-direct a project or programme so as to optimise
the strategic fit of the efforts being undertaken to fulfil an organisation’s mission.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Project Implementation and Operational Plan

The project implementation phase is the time of execution of

project activities and the use of resources.

- The fundamental tool in this phase is the Project Operational

Plan (POP). The Operational Plan should be theßpractical guide that
guides the execution of the project. In its elaboration must
participate, desirably, all those to be involved in the implementation
of activities since it will provide practical guidelines and criteria for
the implementation.

The parts of the Operational Plan are:

• Project organisation
• Setting activities and tasks
• Calendar
• Treasury plan
• Material resources
• Legal framework
• Security protocol
• Reporting
• Human Resources

If in the time lapse between the submission of the proposal and its
approval by the donors, necessary human resources have

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Project organisation

Direction and coordination;

Organisation chart and distribution of roles and responsibilities;

Allocation of human and material resources;

Decision-making mechanisms;

Internal and external communication systems of the project.

Monitoring and indicators system;

External relations.

Setting activities and tasks

Breaking them down as concretely as possible;

Incorporation of new tasks that are necessary after the discussion of

the Project Document;

Assignment of responsibilitiesto tasks.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Calendar

Detailed schedule;

Relationship between activities and deadlines, including the risks of

delay when there is a critical path (i.e. the need for one activity to be
completed before another one can start);

Possible existence of critical points by accumulation of activities or

tasks.

Treasury plan

Specification of the budget and breakdown by items;

Forecast of payment terms, income, transfers from headquarters,

control of bank accounts, currency exchanges, unforeseen events.

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 2.5 How
2.5 ¿Cómo do NGOs
funcionan las work?
ONG?

Material resources

Logistics, transport. Especially relevant in humanitarian action;

Availability of resources. Purchasing, storage, customs procedures,

storage, stock management, etc. If in the time lapse between the
submission of the proposal and its approval by the donors, necessary
resources have been diverted to other tasks, the technical sector
specialist will need to seek arbitration from the management.

Legal framework

Clarification of legal responsibility and capacity to act in that context;

Administrative rules in relation to the State, international

organisations;

Contingency plan.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Security protocol

Description of main risks;

Description of mitigating measures, including the Evacuation Plan;

List of points of contact.

Reporting

Operational;

Financial.

Human Resources

Division of tasks;

People involved;

Technical development and execution of the project;

Evaluation and accountability.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Human Resources Management

Human Resources (HR) play an important role in any humanitarian aid and
development project. Organisations must invest adequately in their human resources
departments to ensure their responses operate with maximum impact.
Organisations have different arrangements for human resources, but there are
key elements that all of them should take into account:

Ensuring that recruitment standards are responsive, flexible and context-specific;

Ensuring that managers and staff are given adequate tools: policies and procedures, inductions,
information and performance management;

Ensuring that well-being of staff is understood as a priority and part of every manager’s
commitment;

Engaging and recognising staff during emergencies; empower the team and recognize the good
practices, the contributions and efforts of the people when workload increases because of the
need to complete urgent deliverables will contribute to a better work and result in a better
response;

Understanding the potential problems of existing projects in terms ofHuman Resources

(problems with employees, between employees andcommunities, understaffing, etc.).

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Following the deadly earthquake on 26 November in Albania, the EU Civil Protection

Mechanism has deployed three search and rescue teams from Greece, Italy and Romania.

An organisation’s ability to employ appropriate human resources is

often key to successful humanitarian and development response.

Although sometimes it is not given all the importance it deserves, a

key aspect in the whole project cycle management is human

resources. Humanitarian aid and development cooperation require

specialisation.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Concept image of cooperation.

Therefore, there are many requirements that a humanitarian

aid or development cooperation worker must meet:

1 Know the ethical and legal framework of humanitarian and

development aid;

2 Be trained on key issues;

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

3 Know how to communicate;

4 Be organised and flexible;

5 Be able to live in stressful and fragile contexts.

In the field of humanitarian aid and development cooperation, since human

resources policy has often not been valued as fundamental, one finds a
series of difficulties that hinder the proper execution of projects. Indeed,
Human resource management faces significant challenges. Although in
recent years it has improved with a higher professionalisation of the sector,
there is still a long way to go.

HR Function

In the NGO sector, an organisation’s effectiveness and ability to

successfully fulfil its mission is closely linked to the capacity
to attract, develop, retain, and engage the right talents.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

As soon as access permitted, humanitarian experts from the European Civil Protection and

Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) were deployed to assess the situation and the needs

(India)

Behind every HR process in humanitarian response and development

cooperation is the safety and well-being of the staff and the affected

population. When a HR practitioner cannot be deployed or employed in-

country, it is important that all staff have some understanding of what HR

management means in practice.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Conceptual image of cooperation.

An organisation’s strategic framework typically includes a HR management

component. The HR strategy for a project must be a coordinated set of

actions aimed at aligning and integrating culture, people, and systems to

achieve goals and clearly define a vision for the humanitarian or

development response and the organisation at large. It should be informed

by good practice and be planned with the support of the leadership team.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Key actions in an HR strategy:

Assign adequate human and financial resources to achieve the HR

strategy;

Create a space for staff contributions and accomplishments during

the project;

Ensure a straight forward mechanism for staff feedback and

implementation of the decisions made to address it;

Address the speed required to recruit, on-board and induct new

staff when an urgent and unpredicted need arises by adapting HR
policies and procedures as appropriate;

Publicise the organisation’s commitment to promote inclusiveness

and diversity and to sanction all forms of discrimination or
harassment.

Well-being

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in
which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
Humanitarian and development work can have undesirable consequences on aid workers due to the
sector’s prevalent pressures: working in remote and/or insecure environments, experiencing secondary
trauma, multiple priorities, tight deadlines, heavy workload can lead to exhaustion, stress, anxiety and even
burnout or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Managers should be mindful of their team’s physical and psychological well-being. They should always
coordinate with the leadership team and relevant departments, such as HR and Security. Stress has direct
consequences on the individual, which can spread to the team and overall organisational effectiveness and
security. Well-being must be taken seriously and cannot be overlooked. Line managers must ensure their
team members are taking adequate rest and recreation breaks.
TIP: Ensure you know where to access within your organisation any resources and support programmes for
staff and whether there is access to professional psychological support when staff are in need.

Some best practices include:

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), usually providing professional psychological support.

Managers to be trained in identifying early signs of burnout or other stress-related symptoms and
understanding the referral pathways on offer e.g. Psychological First Aid (PFA).

Introduce mindfulness and wellness initiatives: out-of-office social activities; mindful workshop; quiet
spaces for work; management’s assertive action to reduce overwork, etc.

Appoint champions and role models for healthy work practices and work/life balance.

Offer psychological briefings/counselling sessions for staff by a professional psychologist or social

worker.

Offer comprehensive briefing for staff prior to deployment.

Ensure adequate basic facilities i.e. calls to family, clean and safe accommodation with an
acceptable level of privacy, access to clean food and water, first aid kit, CO may consider a recreational
facility within the lodging facility etc.

Ensure rest and recuperation schedule is being followed by staff.

Peer support, buddy systems.

Regular debriefing/discussion with managers.

As part of preparedness, all staff, especially those on the stand-by team, should be trained or made
aware of basic self-recognised signs of stress/trauma and how to deal with them.

A guide to help humanitarian workers to manage the stress Managing stress in humanitarian workers
-Guidelines for Good Practice – World | Relief Web

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Working with Volunteers

Important elements regarding working with volunteers:

Manage volunteer recruitment like staff recruitment with clear

terms of reference and a thorough interview process;

Identify who will be responsible for managing volunteers;

Make everyone aware of volunteer roles and responsibilities;

Fully brief volunteers on entitlements and working conditions;

Ensure sufficient funds to cover e.g. transport, food;

Ensure there are procedures in place to motivate and retain

volunteers, since it is just as important as for staff;

Support involvement in activities outside of work;

Have an “open door” policy to encourage a two-way dialogue;

Ensure that volunteers can at all time refer to a mentor who can
provide advice on how to overcome the difficulties they are faced
with in their professional or personal life.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Advocacy

NGOs may aim to improve the impact of their projects through a

range of activities known as advocacy. Advocacy is the deliberate
process of trying to influence public or private decision-makers to
change their policy, in order to have a positive impact on vulnerable
communities.

Advocacy can be made:

at the local level with local authorities;

at the national level with a ministry or with a UN cluster;

at regional or international level in the offices of the European

Commission or at the headquarters of a donor.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Some NGOs have advocacy staff both in the country where the project takes
place, as well as in the Head office or in regional and global political centres.

Advocacy tools

- The tools that NGOs can use to influence public

and private actors can be broadly divided into
those that have a "direct impact" on public or
private policies and practices, and those that
have an "indirect effect" and that target citizens
at the international level or in the country where
the crisis has occurred, so that they would in
turn exert pressure on decision makers.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Initial analysis

In order to have a successful and impactful strategy,

special attention must be paid to gathering the
appropriate information to analyse the specific
problem from the point of view of the affected men
and women, as well as to identify decision-makers
who can solve those problems.

This will allow us to understand the main challenges faced by

people affected by the situation and the role played by NGOs and
other bodies and actors.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

The phases of the analysis:

Documentary research on basic information such as browsing specialised

websites or reading relevant documents, among others;

Information collected in the field. The first source of information will be NGO
staff in contact with the authorities and the affected population.
Information complemented by conversations with affected people, national
civil society, meetings with key informants (national authorities, other
NGOs, United Nations agencies...).

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

All information should be verified and triangulated, constantly

updated and assessed in terms of risks to reporting persons, in
particular national organisations and the affected population.

Conceptual image of analysis.

Once the necessary information has been collected and analysed and

problems identified, it is relatively simple to identify the

individuals/institutions with the power to improve the lives of the affected

population that the NGO has set itself as a target – local, national,

regional and global levels. This robust analysis will help identify the best

time to influence the relevant person/institution and assess whether other

organisations/institutions can become allies.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

For a successful advocacy strategy, a good

context analysis is necessary.

DIRECT ADVOCACY

A first direct tool is all the research and design of the project
done by the NGO.

European Civil Protection Forum, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2018.

The organisation may publish an in-depth study of a particular situation that includes
recommendations for governments and international donors, national governments,
private actors and even non-governmental organisations. Another way to have a direct
impact with decision-makers who are located on the ground, in national capitals, or in
regional and international institutions, is through meetings, public seminars, pressure
letters, emails, phone calls, etc.
Surveys and polls of the affected population are a powerful advocacy tool. It is
important that the sample chosen is meaningful and that the information is analysed
in a way that can be used both for lobbying and media work.

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EU/ECHO in Arua, Uganda

INDIRECT ADVOCACY

Indirect advocacy can be done through coordination with local,

national and international media, including television, print,
radio and digital media programmes.

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Break-out sessions, European Civil Protection Forum, European Commission, Brussels,

Belgium, March 5, 2018.

Popular mobilisation refers to activities that involve the adhesion of public or

private groups to support the initiative pursued. It can range from an NGO

organising a demonstration in front of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling for

its attention to a humanitarian crisis, to asking a celebrity to make a

statement about a specific crisis. They usually involve and target

citizens outside of the country in which the crisis occurred, but also the local

population.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

LEGITIMISATION OF ADVOCACY WORK

Key aspects to ensure the credibility and legitimacy of

advocacy work:

Technical rigour. Rely on rigorous research and evidence-based

analysis;

Engage civil society to the extent possible.

Benefits and risks of advocacy

BENEFITS

The most obvious benefit of advocacy is the improvement of the impact of

humanitarian aid and development cooperation.
Firstly, in numerical terms, this work is beneficial as the policy and practices improve
not only the lives of the direct beneficiaries for whom the NGO advocates, but many
others affected by the same problem. For example, if Action Against Hunger pressures
the World Food Programme to improve food rations, it will affect everyone served by
this UN agency.
Second, advocacy leads to improvements in terms of the quality of humanitarian and
development response.
Advocacy can also amplify the impact of the response by examining what caused a
crisis in the first place and what could be done to address it.
Additional benefits include training and empowerment of communities, local civil
society and partners involved in advocacy, as well as increasing a government's
accountability to its citizens.

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RISKS

Advocacy on humanitarian action can also carry certain risks.

They can be grouped into:

Direct security risks to beneficiaries, partners and staff when covering a

controversial topic.

Operational risks in the form of restrictions on NGOs to operate with

national or local authorities. It can range from mere bureaucratic
impediments to even being expelled from the country as happened to a
series of international bodies expelled from Sudan in 2009 after being
accused of collaborating with the International Criminal Court.

Reputational or brand risks with the creation of false expectations to the

beneficiaries or damage to solid relationships with partners following
controversial statements that had not been agreed with them.

These risks are not unique to advocacy and may arise from the simple
operational presence of NGOs on the ground. Although we can rarely control
all the risks that exist in a volatile environment, much can be done to mitigate
them with good risk assessment and mitigation measures.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Alliances and partners

Humanitarian and Development

NGOs can:

prepare and implement advocacy

strategies on their own;
seek alliances with other
organisations or humanitarian and
development partners;
establish concrete tactical
collaborations;
exchange information.

Many humanitarian NGOs have in their mandate to support

economically, with work or "know-how", alliances located in the
South. This implies that local organisations take more and
more weight in the work of political advocacy.

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Issues to be addressed when advocating

FROM GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS TO LOCAL ACTORS

Advocacy, as we have already seen, aims to influence decision-makers at

different levels: local, national, regional and global.
At the global level, one of the main institutions is the United Nations (UN). To
carry out a good advocacy strategy in this regard, we must:

1. Know the responsibility of each institution and department;

2. Be aware of the access that our organisation has to each of them.

For example, for advocacy issues related to the protection of civilians, peace
and security, the main institution would be the UN Security Council (UNSC).

In relation to aid issues, it is sometimes necessary to access the

headquarters of UN humanitarian agencies (such as UNICEF, UNHCR or
WFP) or the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Collaboration with governments and institutions

The State is the main guarantor of citizens' rights to life and protection from
violence. National governments have a duty to ensure that the needs of
citizens affected by conflict or natural disaster are met. It is obvious that
governments and national institutions are a prime target for humanitarian
and development advocacy, either directly or through local civil society
organisations.

In other contexts, particularly those of political violence or armed conflict,

governments or armed groups are often unwilling to listen to civil society.

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It could even happen that freedom of expression is suppressed or tightly

controlled. In such cases, advocacy through national civil society may be too
risky for its staff or may result in humanitarian and development
organisations being weakened and controlled. It is important that in these
situations international NGOs assess the risk and tactics to be followed to
influence governments and national institutions. They may decide to lobby
and influence the government as a direct strategy or use their access to
governments in foreign capitals that have embassy and influence in the
country affected by the crisis in question.

For an effective influence on government structures at the national and local

levels, it is necessary to make a good analysis and a collection of information
on who holds formal and informal power for the development of a concrete
policy and the possibility of executing decisions. It is also important to
consider that influence over UN agencies or other international donors is
sometimes more effective when it is done at the local level, than from the
organisation's headquarters.

Advocacy with donors and financial institutions

Advocacy vis-à-vis donors and international financial institutions may be

about whether aid is appropriate and well-coordinated. An important aspect
of aid is the overall amount of funds donors contribute to projects, as well as
how funds are channelled on the ground. Humanitarian and development
funding is therefore a key advocacy issue that can be influenced at the
international and national levels. Some examples:

1. Analysing the amount of funding a particular donor is allocating to a

project.

Advocacy measure: remind donors of their obligations if they are not

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fulfilling their political commitments by for example, quoting a previous

declaration by a Head of State or a pact signed;

2. Examining how donors allocate their funds by analysing whether the

chosen funding mechanisms allow aid to reach beneficiaries in a timely
and efficient manner.

An NGO can make public the poor performance of the entire international
community in the event of a "forgotten crisis".

REMEMBER... 1

Most NGOs use advocacy to influence key decision-

makers. The purpose of advocacy, which has direct and
indirect tools, is to improve the conditions of vulnerable
communities;

Advocacy, which can range from lobbying meetings to

popular mobilisation campaigns, must be framed within a
global strategy. The main section in the strategy is context
analysis, which needs intensive work in data collection
and analysis;

Advocacy NGOs need to set targets well, and these could

range from global institutions such as the UN Security
Council to local authorities. In any case, it is the national
authorities that must be given special attention, since they
are responsible for ensuring that their people's
humanitarian or development needs are met.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Logistics

Talk now about the importance of logistics in project

management and quality. Although, as any of the
other components of a project, it can be executed in
an improvised way, this is not how logistics should be
managed. The personnel in charge of this specialty
must be suitably prepared, experienced and trained,
to be able to carry out logistics operations without
major setbacks.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

This section aims to explain, from a practical point of view, the

challenges of any logistics operation. In this sense, it is
necessary to know the risks that are run in this type of action and
the importance of planning and ordering the logistics processes
within the entire project cycle.

Introduction to logistics

Logistics management is one of the specialities of humanitarian aid and

development cooperation, as aid organisations have an obligation to

optimise human, material and economic resources for better management of

the project cycle. Thanks to proper management and logistical planning, the

objectives of cooperation projects can be achieved and, in the case of

emergency aid, logistics is the key piece to be able to provide quality services

to the beneficiaries in the required quantity, in the right time and at a fair

market price.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

- What is logistics management?

There are many definitions of logistics, depending on the

institutions and sectors.

The mission of logistics

management is to plan
and coordinate all the
material resources
necessary to achieve the
desired levels of service
and quality at the lowest
possible cost.

Consequently, logistics should be seen, along with financial and human

resources, as one of the main links between project needs and the operational
activity of the entity or company.

Logistic and Humanitarian Actions

In a situation of crisis or disaster, the supply chain will be different,

adequate to the humanitarian need and humanitarian response.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Finance

Funds

- As we saw, NGOs have not the same structure and

organisation as private companies or enterprises, nor do they
have the same financial resources and ways of obtaining the
money to implement their actions and to sustain the team. In
this part, we are going to see how the NGOs fund their
projects and how they manage the budget.

There are two different ways to get the inputs for the projects: public and private funds.

Public funding for NGOs

International Organisations and Institutions, such as the United Nations, the European
Commission and National Governments, launch calls and funding mechanisms for
projects to which different non-governmental organisations can apply.

Private funding for NGOs

Private funds are donations, membership fees and sponsorship that private citizens,
companies or social entities devolve to NGOs. There are different forms of private
funding:

Collective financing through crowdfunding or crowdfunding campaigns, such as

Teaming or iHelp, which allow supporting specific entities or projects. Some
organisations also have their own donation platforms;
Membership fees, which offer great economic stability to NGOs and help them to
continue their work over long periods;
Sponsorship and sponsorship of children, for example, allows NGOs to create links
between people (donors and beneficiaries) and to participate in the proposed changes
through small daily actions in the medium and long term (education, health
monitoring, etc.);
Solidarity testamentary provisions;
Activities of sale of products or services such as fair-trade products or merchandising;
Patronage and sponsorship from companies and social entities, through which
organisations are facilitated in certain activities such as the organisation of events, the
transport of materials to projects in other countries, etc;
The financing of specific projects from brands or private companies;

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Financia management

Financial management involves planning, organising, monitoring, and

controlling the financial resources of an organisation to achieve its
objectives.

The actual aim of financial management is to help an organisation achieve its

objectives. It’s much more than just keeping accounting records. It's about
planning, organising, monitoring, and controlling.

Regardless of an organisation’s size or focus, all

should make sure that clear strategies to promote

financial sustainability, diversify income, and build

strategic reserves are in place and that staff

understand their purpose.

Financial management processes and practices are critical to achieving the

shorter-term operational objectives of all programmes and projects, by
demonstrating and evidencing things like:

Effective management and implementation of the project;

Accountability to donors and other stakeholders;

Compliance with host government regulations and donors’

requirements.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Strong financial management

helps an organisation achieve its objectives;

provides planning for when and how to spend;

sets up controls, policies, and procedures;

monitors progress;

happens at all levels of an organisation;

ensures an organisation's resources are used effectively.

Let’s now take a look at the four building blocks of

financial management. These four blocks must be in place
to ensure good practice in financial management.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Accounting records

Every organisation must keep an accurate and complete record of all financial transactions
that take place during the financial year so they can show how funds have been used.
Accounting records include both the physical paperwork such as receipts and invoices and the
books of account where transactions are recorded and summarised.

Financial planning

Linked to an organisation's strategic and operational plans, budgets are the cornerstone of
any financial management system and play an important role in monitoring the use of funds.
Other examples of planning tools include cash flow forecast and financing strategy.

Financial monitoring

This involves comparing actual costs of activities during the implementation with the
planning/budgeted amounts. Provided an organisation has kept accurate and timely
accounting records and has set budgets, it is possible to produce financial reports for use by
different stakeholders. For example, budget monitoring reports help managers to monitor the
progress of their projects and annual financial statements provide accountability to external
stakeholders.

Internal control

Internal control is a system of common set of controls, checks, and balances designed to
manage internal risk and safeguard an organisation’s assets. The purpose of internal controls
is to minimise such losses such as theft and fraud or incompetence and to detect errors or
omissions in the accounting records. An effective internal control system also protects staff,
an organisation’s most important asset. Because if the internal control is just focused on the
economic issues, the risk is to lose the staff when they don’t feel the care, the support or the
recognition of the organisation.

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 2.5 How do NGOs work?

Each of these activities is fundamental to strong, comprehensive financial

management and involves a variety of tools and procedures that are used
throughout the financial management cycle.

Finance Team

A finance team can be especially helpful in providing support to project staff. The finance
experts can help set up strong finance systems, aimed at recording financial data in a timely
way, administering payment and reconciliation processes, producing financial reports, and
advising project teams on the best approaches to complex financial issues (compliance
issues, cost sharing, depreciation, etc.)

Who has the final say?

Ultimately, an organisation’s Board is the steward of the organisation. Its role is to make
sure that funds are used appropriately and benefit all those they are intended to help. To
operate efficiently, a Board may need to delegate decision-making and operational authority
to others who can act on their behalf. For example, the board delegates to the CEO, the CEO
delegates to the senior managers, and the senior managers delegate to the project and
operational teams. Even in small organisations, the financial control system can become
quite complex. Each of the four building blocks covered earlier needs a collection of financial
policies and procedures that guide operations and inform how an organisation uses and
manages its money.
It is important to document these policies and procedures to ensure that all staff know what
is expected. This is where a finance manual comes in.
A finance manual is essentially a collection of policies (principles or guidelines for a key area
of activity within an organisation) and procedures (describing the steps for carrying out the
guidelines in a policy).
The manual’s purpose is to save time, create standard guidelines for everyone and provide a
solid foundation of knowledge and reference. It establishes the framework within which a
team can manage project finances, helping to avoid misunderstandings and encourage
consistency.
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Recap

In this module you have learned most important issues about NGOs: how they work, why they act,
how they finance themselves … and also some examples of different NGOs.

Congratulations! You have learned that…

There are different levels of organisational models of an NGO, among which we can distinguish international organisation models and internal
organisation models;

The organisation of an NGO is very similar to that of a traditional company, where the organisational model differs depending on the size of
the organisation and its capacities;

Each NGO is different, as it works in a specific context, with its own particularities. There is no “magic wand” that can create a standard
framework;

Fundraising is one of the most important tasks within an NGO. To obtain resources, the project management specialist must prepare a project
proposal to get funds. This funding proposal is essential to apply for grants or request financing from public or private donors;

The role of the programme manager is to oversee the implementation of programmes, projects, and activities;

Project management is the discipline of planning, organising, and managing resources to bring about the successful delivery of specific
project goals, outcomes, and outputs.

Programme management requires a higher level of strategic thinking and consultation;

Programmes have an essential focus on determining which activities and projects would be needed to implement the programme
successfully;

The project implementation phase is the time of execution of project activities and the use of resources. The fundamental tool in this phase is
the Project Operational Plan (POP);

Human Resources (HR) play an important role in any humanitarian aid and development project. Organisations must invest adequately in their
human resources departments to ensure their responses operate with maximum impact;

Although sometimes it is not given all the importance it deserves, humanitarian aid and development cooperation require specialisation;

There is direct advocacy and indirect advocacy;

Advocacy is the deliberate process of trying to influence public or private decision-makers to change their policy, in order to have a positive
impact on vulnerable communities;

Logistics management is one of the specialties of humanitarian aid and development cooperation, as aid organisations have an obligation to
optimise human, material and economic resources for better management of the project cycle;

There are two different ways for the NGOs to get the inputs for the projects: public and private funds;

Financial management involves planning, organising, monitoring, and controlling the financial resources of an organisation to achieve its
objectives;

You can download the copyright of the images on the course website

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