Management of NGOs Lecture - Mission Statements and Principles

Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) THE CONTEXT OF NGO MANAGEMENT II Dr. Nicholas Ayamga Dr. James K. Mensah Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) 02/17/2025 1 Activities: 1. What is mission statement? 2. Why do you think that the staff must make inputs into th...

Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) THE CONTEXT OF NGO MANAGEMENT II Dr. Nicholas Ayamga Dr. James K. Mensah Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) 02/17/2025 1 Activities: 1. What is mission statement? 2. Why do you think that the staff must make inputs into the mission development process? Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) 02/17/2025 2 Objectives  Understand the important for mission statements to NGOs  Develop broad and narrow mission statements of NGOs and indicate their advantages and disadvantages  State some factors that can positively or negatively affect the image of an NGO Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) 02/17/2025 3  MISSION STATEMENTS OF NGOS  To know the mission of an NGO there is the need to have a clear definition of the goal of the NGO.  AnNGO should have a focus, an aim, a goal. The definition of the goal is normally accomplished through the declaration of mission.  Themission is developed, natured and defended throughout the entire life of the NGO by the founding constituency of the NGO. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 4  MISSION STATEMENTS OF NGOS The mission becomes the starting point and the ending point of the NGO, and in between is the process of carrying out the mission. Therefore, when we talk about the focus, we are talking about defining the mission of the NGO. It is the starting point. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 5  HOW LENGTHY ARE MISSION STATEMENTS? Mission, statement of mission or purpose expresses an organisation's purpose or reason for existence, and often includes some of the ways and means through which this purpose is fulfilled. Eg. “To significantly improve the lives of poor and marginalized women and men, and bring about a fair and just society.” Christian Aid Ghana A mission statement can take the form of one sentence: eg. “To cultivate self-reliance in Africa” by The Africa School Assistance Project (ASAP) A mission statement can also be several paragraphs, or several pages. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 6  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT Generally, a mission statement is an organizational story said as a slogan in less than 30 seconds! It goes a long way in presenting the organization. Thisis important, because - as they say - If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else. The mission statement also packages the core values and principles of an NGO, operationalizes the NGO's vision, and assists in developing goals and objectives of the NGO. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 7  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT The key issues to consider when developing a mission statement are as follows: 1. Concept You must:  Understand why a mission statement is needed  Link the statement to why the NGO was created in the first place, and to a pressing current problem  Ensure it represents the collective thinking of the NGO Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 8  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT 2. Use You must realize that in it’s use, mission statements:  Inspire creativity, commitment and innovation in delivering the NGO's programmes  Motivate people to work within and in collaboration with the NGO  Develop the policies, programmes and projects of the NGO  Provide the NGO with direction and purpose in everything it does Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 9  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT 3. Format To guide you, ensure that the mission statement is:  Simple short 3-4 sentences  Free of jargon  Proactive and easy to understand words  Memorable and easy to remember Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 10  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT 4. Content In considering the content, please make sure that it:  Is understandable by a wide audience, but also by the NGO's staff and its constituencies.  Says who the NGO is, what it does, what it stands for and why it does its work.  Is developed with input from all staff members  Explains what problems the NGO addresses and services provided, and to whom  Highlights the unique advantages of the NGO's approach Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 11  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT The Content of a mission statement also answers three key questions: - What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address? (the purpose of the organization) - What are we doing to address these needs? (the business of the organization) - What principles or beliefs guide our work? (the values of the organization) Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 12  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT 5. Process Another important element that should be considered is the process. The step-by-step work plan to develop a mission statement. (adopted from Drucker Self- Assessment tool is in order here). The steps are:  Establish a mission-writing group. Choose a facilitator and writer  At a first meeting of the writing group, adopt criteria for an effective mission statement and gather ideas and suggestions for first drafts.  Develop one or more draft statements. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 13  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT PROCESS cont’d  In a second group meeting, judge initial drafts against criteria and suggest revisions or new options  Develop second drafts.  Gain feedback from outside the writing group.  Summarize feedback and distribute second drafts and summary to the writing group. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 14  DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT PROCESS cont’d  In a third group meeting, make recommendations for final revisions and propose a draft mission statement for approval by the NGO's board, and sum up the status of the process and determine next steps.  Give preliminary endorsement to the proposed mission statement.  Present the proposed mission statement for board approval Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 15 IMPORTANCE OF MISSION STATEMENT Mission statement is important because:  It provides direction for the long term activities of the NGO.  It establishes a sense of shared purpose for the NGO  It expresses an organisation's purpose or reason for existence, and often includes some of the ways and means through which this purpose is fulfilled Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 16 IMPORTANCE OF MISSION STATEMENT  It engenders a strong sense of commitment and motivation to the organisation's activities, and is often coupled with a powerful sense of personal commitment by employees and constituents to the principles and underlying philosophy which guide the NGO  It assists the organisation in building its image: A clearly stated mission assists an organisation in describing itself to the public Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 17 IMPORTANCE OF MISSION STATEMENT  It can create a broader range of support: Knowing, for instance, that an NGO has the specific mission of ensuring girls' education allows the public, especially those who are committed to the same issues to identify with the organisation.  It helps the organisation to focus its efforts, and decide its future strategies: A mission statement is one of the organisation's most vital tools for limiting and focusing its work.  It creates understanding and unity of purpose among employees. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 18  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION  The mission statement is the starting point as well as the ending point of the NGO  Successful NGOs are those that are guided by well prepared mission statements  Several benefits can be derived by NGOs from mission statements  The mission or purpose is a statement to be acted upon. It declares the organisation's intent, and reason for existence. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 19  VALUES, BELIEFS AND OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF NGOS CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS Values and beliefs can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such, values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what ought to be. They also tend to influence attitudes and behaviour. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 20  VALUES AND BELIEFS CONT’D Some of the values to be considered include:  Honesty  Loyalty  Fairness  Equity  Justice  Rights for all  People should be treated with respect and dignity Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 21  SOURCES AND TYPES OF VALUES Parents, friends, teachers, and external reference groups can all influence values and are important sources of values. Indeed, peoples’ values develop as a product of the learning and experience they encounter in the cultural setting in which they live. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 22 SOURCES AND TYPES OF VALUES The values schema, developed by Spiro (1995) identify the values necessary for organizations as being:  Achievement - Getting things done and working hard to accomplish difficult things in life.  Helping and concern for others - Being concerned with other people and helping others.  Honesty - Telling the truth and doing what you feel is right.  Fairness - Being impartial and doing what is fair for all concerned. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 23  SOURCES AND TYPES OF VALUES Beliefs represent ideas about someone or something and the conclusions people draw about them; they convey a sense of what is to an individual. Attitudes are influenced by values and are acquired from the same sources as values: friends, teachers, parents, and role models. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 24  SOURCES AND TYPES OF VALUES Formally defined, an attitude is a predisposition to respond in a positive or negative way to someone or something in one’s environment. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 25  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS WANGO (2007) identified twelve values that should guard NGOs work. These include: 1. Service beyond self NGOs, on the whole, are founded to serve others. While responsibly maintaining itself, an NGO integrates self-development and individual concerns with public concerns, focusing on higher, broader, and more public levels of service. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 26  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 2. Respect for human rights An NGO should not violate any person’s fundamental human rights, with which each person is endowed, as recognized for example in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 3. Maintain a vision NGO practitioners should be visionaries, not only seeing the reality of the world as it is, but also envisioning the world as it should be. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 27  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 4. Responsibility NGOs, entrusted with a responsibility to the public, should take ownership of the task at hand, taking the initiative and proactively pulling together resources of all types in order to find and implement feasible solutions. 5. Cooperation beyond borders NGOs have a shared responsibility to address the serious challenges confronting humanity. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 28  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 6. Public mindedness An NGO should have a spirit of public mindedness. Public money must not be misused for selfish purposes and all public assets are to be treated with utmost seriousness, as a sacred public trust. 7. Accountability An NGO should be accountable for its actions and decisions, primarily to the community it serves, and also to its funding agencies, the government, staff and volunteers, members, partner organizations, and the public at large. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 29  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 8. Truthfulness An NGO should be truthful in its dealings with its donors, project beneficiaries, staff members, partner organizations, government, and the general public. 9. Transparency An NGO should be transparent in its dealings with the government, the public, donors, partners, beneficiaries, and other interested parties, except for personal matters and proprietary information. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 30  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 10. Nonprofit integrity To maintain its integrity as an NGO, the organization is to be organized and operated as a not-for-profit organization. NB: Any surplus fund generated through its operations to be utilized solely to help the organization fulfill its mission and objectives. 11. Comprehensive viewpoint An NGO should seek to understand, without prejudice, the needs and circumstances of all sides in any conflict situation. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 31  BASIC VALUES AND BELIEFS OF NGOS 12. Voluntarism Rather than required to exist by law, NGOs are formed by private initiative, resulting from the voluntary actions of individuals who have chosen to pursue a shared interest of concern. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 32  OPERATING PRINCIPLES A statement of operating principles is considered the methodology or means by which an organisation conducts its operations. Like a belief or values statement and mission statement, it also is a motivating agent. Some of the key principles of NGO are as follows:  Fairness  Accountability Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 33  OPERATING PRINCIPLES  Transparency  Discipline  Independence  Social responsibility  Participation  Responsiveness  Equity  Effectiveness and efficiency  Strategic vision  Good governance Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 34  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION  The difference between core values, beliefs and operating principles.  The importance of core values, beliefs and operating principles.  The basic values and beliefs of NGOs. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 35  IMAGE OF NGOS An image consists of carefully designed and attuned signifiers – in other words, they are intentionally constructed to elicit quite specific responses and reactions. The image of an NGO consists of both visual elements and the way in which the NGO behaves. It is made up of elements of the NGO’s behaviour such as employee behaviour, customer service, need-satisfying products or services, and other visual elements like the NGOs name, logo and slogan. Eg. “opportunity through education” by ASAP Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 36  IMPORTANCE OF IMAGE OF AN NGO  A well-conceived corporate image can provide an NGO with the kind of individuality that leads to high awareness, loyalty, and a reputation of being well-liked.  Communicating a distinctive corporate identity is also a major means of achieving a unique positioning, which may lead to increased funding and improved relationships with beneficiary communities, donors, regulatory agencies, etc. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 37  IMPORTANCE OF IMAGE OF AN NGO  A well developed image is strategically valuable in the sense that it gives the NGO some advantage over its competitors.  By establishing a good image, an NGO can distinguish and differentiate itself in the minds of all its stakeholders.  An effective corporate image often has a latent value in terms of excess capacity that can be applied to other areas. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 38  IMPORTANCE OF IMAGE OF AN NGO  One of the greatest benefits of an effective corporate image is its effect on non-service areas, such as its role in the recruitment and retention of valuable employees and volunteers. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 39  BUILDING AN IMAGE The image of an NGO is formed by elements such as:  Name  Logo, colour  Motto  Mission, beliefs, ideas  Projects, services, products  Corporate behaviour  Leadership and their actions Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 40  BUILDING AN IMAGE The image can be built, it can be developed, it can be enhanced, at the same time it can be destroyed, eroded, or diminished. Building the corporate image of the NGO is a responsibility of everybody working in the NGO and not only the public relations/ public image department. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 41  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION  NGOs are basically humanitarian organisations whose operations are not motivated by profit but by humanitarian considerations.  They have a long history in Ghana coming from community-based associations to the recent more sophisticated and large-scale ones. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 42  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION cont’d  They are distinguished by their mission statements which can be either narrow or broad.  NGOs can build and enhance their image by their deeds and activities but such an image can be destroyed if activities are not controlled. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 43 Activities for next lecture: 1. Briefly explain the Social origins’ account of how NGOs were formed. 2. Name any NGO activities in your area/district/region that confirms that NGOs are everywhere. Management of NGOs (PAHS 305) Feb 17, 2025 44