I have to admit I chuckled more than a few times when I read lawyer and author Elnathan John’s recent piece on “How to run a Nigerian NGO” in the Nigerian Times.
But it was bittersweet laughter. The issues he raises — of accountability and transparency — are serious matters, and his article applies just as easily to Kenyan NGOs as it does to their Nigerian counterparts.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term “briefcase NGO”, it refers to money-making outfits that pretend to be working for social good. Not all briefcase NGOs start out with ill-intentions, and there are many NGOs doing important work. But I’m sure we’ve heard about the bad apples.
John’s tongue-in-cheek communications advice for rogue outfits: “Invest in media equipment. Cameras, video recorders, projectors. To begin, organise cheap programs so that you can have pictures and videos to go with your proposals and letters of introduction. People need to see that you have been working hard, donating things and doing campaigns in your chosen field. Make sure you get lots pictures of poor, sick looking children you have helped. Or homeless people you have given blankets to.”
He goes on: “Do television, radio and newspaper interviews. Pay to get interviewed if you have to. Do press releases. You must not only do work but be seen to do work. The more visible you are, the more NGO points you get. The more NGO points you get, the more funding you are likely to have.”
This strategy is certainly being applied by dozens of briefcase NGOs in this country. As Kenyan blogger Marvin Tumbo once put it: ” This is actually a billion shilling industry where men and women adept at writing proposals…sit down and shed crocodile tears on paper in the form of harrowing stories that are sure to attract donor funding. Then funding comes and the games begin.”
Dawa ya moto ni moto
Ironically, the only way for genuine NGOs to achieve credibility is to “fight fire with fire.” By this I don’t mean that they should be using the same unscrupulous strategies as bribing the media or creating bogus projects. I mean that they need to work just as hard to show the public and donors that they are different from the bad guys. For cash-strapped organisations this may sound easier said then done. Even social media isn’t exactly free! You need connectivity and you need someone to manage your accounts regularly.
But social media is easily accessible and it is cheaper than regular media. It provides NGOs with an open platform to show off their successes to the world. This point is well made in Tumbo’s well-researched post on Social Media for NGOs.
The flip-side is that when organisations actively interact with their audiences online, it puts them in the full glare of public scrutiny. This ensures a certain level of accountability and if your organisation has nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear! In fact you’re well on your way to achieving your goals.
Promote Your Cause! 