P2P Foundation

Interesting passages from a self-critique of NGO practices by Primož Šporar, a Slovenian author.

Primož Šporar:

“We have to face some facts. The managerial skills of people working in the NGO sector are hardly comparable to those evident among their counterparts in the business world. Many NGOs are less democratic then public institutions, sometimes they are even autocratic and above reproach. It’s also rare that NGO experts possess a similar level of knowledge as experts from universities. NGO breakthroughs are limited compared to research institutions. Rarely can NGOs claim that they represent people as elected representatives do. They rely on foreign funding so are largely independent of the economic pressures affecting the business sector. They are also often top-down organizations largely driven by donors. Even their goals are frequently donor-driven, with their existence more closely related to the salaries of employees than the potential benefits for the target group. Political dependence on the government in power also harms the integrity and identity of the sector and gender equality remains an issue. Family and worker friendly values are not always promoted. Can NGOs claim to be using advanced management techniques, e?NGO systems, participatory foresight exercises, social responsibility standards, benchmarking techniques and open coordination scoreboards? No, largely they can’t.

The cult of laziness and abundance is also influencing our work. How else can we explain the evolution of new, local initiatives, organized by citizens themselves targeting concrete problems? They are informal, ad-hoc and problem-oriented. They receive no funds and these activists seldom approach the professional and formal NGOs which claim to be there for them. It seems that we are slower, less flexible, and are losing touch. We do not need regulation from government, but need to be regulated by people and their needs. Unfortunately, not many NGOs are interested in such projects.”