Why Everybody Should Start Out with Running an NGO

Would you like to learn how to build an organization and how to make people fulfill their responsibilities and be involved in your organization. 

Considerable things can be learned from the NGO world, and I would like to share some of the learnings in this article. I am an ambassador/projector/ chair /jury for a lot of NGOs and I have been and still is an advisor for organisations like  UN women, Mara Foundation in Africa, Global Teacher Prize, The danish heart foundation, The school enterprise challenge team, The Miracle Foundation ...and many many more...   

How is all started;

I was in Mexico 4 years ago, where I was offered the opportunity to chat with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. He passionately told me about an organization that he cofounded. The organization is named Global Dignity (www.globaldignity.org), and it is active in most of the world, except in Denmark.

I have never been employed in or managed an NGO before. I am from the CORPORATE world like HP/Microsoft and Maersk etc. I am NOT That kind of person who ask for money, was my thought!

Hence, I must admit that I hesitated when the crown prince offered me to become chairman of the board and be responsible for the organization in Denmark. How do you manage people who do not receive salary for their work? WHY would they spend time in an NGO.

An NGO!—and I have no clue about how to raise funds (I only know how to earn money). 

So here are my BASIC tips:

Advice #1

Contact people and get them involved.

I contacted people in my network—people whom I have known for many years, people with and without knowledge about NGO work.

I organized an open-house event where I spoke about the cause. Both known and unknown people attended—I was not sure whether I needed famous people to create awareness for the cause.

I encouraged people to join as volunteers/ambassadors and asked them to inform me what tasks they were passionate about and what positions they would like to hold. Some people were passionate about PR work, event organizing, bookkeeping, management, volunteer networking, etc.

These activities did not work out for the “famous” people. They simply forgot about the “cause” when they were in the same room with them. Therefore, it was better with “normal” volunteers with energy and passion in their eyes.

Advice #2

The cause is key.

In an NGO, it is important that the cause is something that people feel strongly about. In a volunteer organization, people work for the CAUSE.

In some cases, WHO YOU are might matter to the volunteers. This situation happened in Global Dignity during the early stage of the organization’s existence in Denmark. However, many of the volunteers drifted off when they found out that they were required to work and that they might not be offered the opportunity to work side by side with me as often as they had hoped.

You want to attract the volunteers who are genuinely PASSIONATE about the cause.

Advice #3

Be patient.

I am serious about this. Be patient. Building something without a penny in your pocket is definitely a challenging task. None of the volunteers are paid for their work, and we have not received any funding whatsoever.

This situation has certainly been a test of my patience. People come and go. One day they are there, and the next day they tell you that they cannot contribute anymore (with or without a valid reason).

Building an NGO often feels like taking three steps forward and four steps back.

• People came, people left.
• People said they could do something, but in the end, they either could not or would not do it.
• People signed up but did not show up.
• People showed up but did not contribute the expected effort.

-      and so on.

However, after two years, our organization has brought together a hard-core, well-qualified, and highly competent volunteers, who dedicate their precious time to build, manage, and run Global Dignity Denmark (www.globaldignity.dk).

In a volunteer organization, creating a “hard-core” group of “employees” who will stay with you through the ups and downs takes time. In an NGO, you are offered the opportunity to absolutely test people’s true passion for the cause. Passionate people will stay with you when things become tough.

As a volunteer, you can choose to jump ship whenever you like. You cannot demand a certain level of loyalty from the volunteers in the same way you could if they were paid to perform their responsibilities.

Step 1

Be passionate about the cause.

You are certainly required to be passionate about the cause because then you appear more credible than other people. Afterward, you should find people who share your passion or who quickly understand the meaning of what you do and want to be a part of starting something new.

These people are typically already those who are close to you and trust that you know what you are doing. They are willing to commit an extraordinary effort for you and the cause that you are passionate about.

You will typically find them in the inner circle of your network.

Step 2

Be a leader.

You have to take ownership and be decisive. Just like in an ordinary organization, you have to part with grumblers and disloyal “colleagues.”

Furthermore, you should be ready to part with people if they do not live up to the organization’s values—even if you need the manpower.

Step 3

Set clear goals.

If you know exactly what you want to achieve and how it is done, making other people understand and recommending the cause to others will be easier for you to perform. Get a strategic partner on board ( we had DELL and DOVE just to mention a few). That will force you to deliver.   

Have a clear set of ethical rules and values in place because they are the most important benchmarks of your organization and will make your tasks easier.

At a certain point, you will encounter a long period wherein you grow, get publicity, and create an agenda—a period when the IT systems break down, people lose source codes, posters are delayed, people do not show up as agreed, and so on. An additional challenge is when the person who is responsible for fixing these issues is suddenly on vacation and something similar.

At the same time, you attempt to write a strategy plan that is realistic, is understandable, and can be executed.

At this time, your hard-core group will be worth its weight in gold. Give them influence because they are the ones that you depend on.

They must feel that it is their organization and that they are jointly responsible. Democracy and involvement are very important (just like in any normal organization). You must give them titles so that they ARE responsible.

Hereafter, people begin to assume specialist positions and take responsibility for growth and expansion. You start seeing that issues are dealt with and that there are fewer (constructive) conflicts. Things become organized. You start implementing routines. People appear more serene and go about their everyday tasks. A form of solidarity arises.

Your task is to constantly check that YOUR passion and drive are intact.

At some point, you might be offered money, funding, etc. That is a milestone, but it also represents an important decision. If one volunteer becomes a salaried employee, then what about the others? It is not unusual that conflicts arise when one or a few volunteers start receiving salary while many other volunteers do not receive any payment for their work.

In our organization, we have decided that no one is paid for his or her work. We will have to wait and see what the future holds. However, we have the flattest organization with a board of directors consisting of 15 to 17 very loyal people. If you have these people in your organization, you are responsible for keeping them updated, sharing your concerns with them, and asking them for their expertise. They should feel that they make a difference to the cause and you.

Step 4

Remember to celebrate

You need to remember to celebrate—given that people do not get paid for their work, you have to pay extra attention to the social aspects of running an organization. Maybe you are busy and travel a lot like I do, but what you can achieve with text messages, e-mail, FaceTime, etc., is incredible. Show them that you are there. Show up sometimes and help with practical tasks, such as setting up chairs and so on. Show that you are in it together.

Starting and managing an NGO on the level where we are now has been one of the best learning experiences that I have ever participated in.

Thus, I highly recommend that you get involved in an NGO. You most likely have a cause that you are passionate about, a cause that needs a voice in the society. That voice can be your voice!

Step 5 

Share your learnings with others- pay it forward! 

You want me to come and speak on this subject? https://www.soulaima.com/speakers-bio-2/