NGOs across Africa face mounting challenges in their effort to remain viable and sustainable. Recent global financial challenges only make this reality ever grimmer. As a result, many will either be forced to close down or downscale their programs.
The cancellation of Global Fund Round 11[1] applications casts a dark cloud on HIV funding for many countries in Africa and other parts of the world. There is need then to support organizations and governments in the region establish structures. These will see at least some portions of cost structure supported by locally generated and sustainable sources of financing.
Human rights organizations must be looking at the growing influence of China in Africa, and strengthening African states with baited breath. Yet current democratic gains have been made on the back of robust civil society. This then would be a most inopportune time for the civil society to weaken. Scale-back or even closure of Human Rights program would spell doom to the faltering growth of the democratic space. Adoption of financial sustainability model with a local financing component can mitigate against this risk.
Even at the best of times, NGOs were still in need of additional funding and adoption of sustainability models. In this write-up, we propose structures that will enable NGOs in Kenya and Africa adopt sustainability plans for their survival. During this historical moment of reckoning, we propose strategies that are both an out-of-the-box thinking and ‘ahead of the curve’ research models for financial sustainability.
While you can download the "first draft" document below - I have since updated it with additional strategies and real life case studies. I am happy to share with any NGO interested in putting in place a Financial Sustainability Plan.
[1] The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, was established in 2002 and is headquartered in Geneva. The next round of funding applications will be accepted in the 2014 - 2016 cycle.
