World over, non-governmental agencies serve as a strong voice for people who have experienced varying challenges in life. In Nigeria, NGOs function independently from the government by providing humanitarian services through advocacy programs or developing and implementing projects. NGOs stand in the gap to ameliorate difficult economic conditions in most countries of the world by providing essential support to individuals who essentially seek aid but are unable to reach the right channel for support, especially in cases where government agencies are sometimes unavailable due to necessary protocol guiding their functions.
NGOs rely on support from organisations, grants, private donations, membership dues/levies, and sales of goods and services to carry out their stated function. They are trusted with funds received from various channels to constructively provide essential services to the needy due to their proximity to the intended beneficiaries of aid programmes.
NGOs need to be transparent in their activities as this is fundamental to their continued existence due to agitations from the public and their competitors regarding transparency and trust
As structured organisations, NGOs need to regularly assess their activities for the year to gain the trust of their shareholders, partners, and other groups who have invested or contributed to their success story during the year. Therefore, it is expedient that a thorough and well-documented assessment of their activities and impact is carried out at the end of the year to build stakeholder trust and to better position them for partnerships and investment in the ensuing year.
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Although NGOs are faced with a myriad of challenges such as lack of funds, inadequate strategic planning, good maintenance, and networking systems, NGOs need to be transparent in their activities as this is fundamental to their continued existence due to agitations from the public and their competitors regarding transparency and trust for most NGOs. In a bid to stand in the front line of trusted and reliable investors and stakeholders in Nigeria, a well-documented report on income and expenditure of funds allotted to them will go a long way in gaining the trust and support of their pioneers, stakeholders, and investors. This will enable existing and potential investors, and stakeholders to continue investing towards achieving the goals of the NGOs. It is essential for NGOs to carry their stakeholders along to keep their minds abreast with the progress and activities of the NGOs as this will further strengthen their relationship and trust towards continuous partnership with them.
Also, a thorough assessment of their activities will invariably highlight the impact of their schemes and programs on their beneficiaries, stating their successes and challenges. This evidently repositions them in gaining the support of potential investors, partners and stakeholders, and other necessary bodies in the actualisation of their objectives for the year.
These assessment reports enable NGOs to make better decisions on policies and steps to imbibe in the actualisation of subsequent projects in the ensuing year. A comparative view of the previous years’ progress, challenges, and achievements afford NGOs the opportunity and avenue to be innovative which could accelerate growth. It serves as a guide in strategizing and aligning their activities for the coming year as well as restructuring goals and objectives from the preceding year.
Furthermore, a close assessment of beneficiaries progresses, and welfare positions the NGOs for a recommendation from stakeholders. During the years’ activities, beneficiaries who have been opportune to benefit from the NGOs need to be accessed closely to help build their capacity in their chosen endeavour. This spontaneous approach will boost the prestige of the NGOs and also gain the trust of the general public and their stakeholders.
In Nigeria today, NGOs are impacting lives as well as contributing positively to the progress of society. As such, negligent assessment of their growth could spell doom for not only their organisation, but also the society at large. As organisations that get their funds mainly from contributions of stakeholders, transparency is key and this can only be achieved through a meticulous assessment process. NGOs, therefore, must be intentional towards creating an assessment policy that takes into account a comprehensive analysis of their activities over the year.
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