Collectively the NGOs I contacted have the money to join together and start a network without any additional funding, but they are tied to their umbilical chord. It would probably be cut off instantly if they were to band together and start pursuing some real reforms.
NGO Longevity. Once started, NGOs manage to last by not rocking the ship of state. A few started over 40 years ago, and one nearly 100 years ago.
NGO Alliances/Partnerships. The lack of unity among NGOs I noted in my book is still true. A minority of the NGOs contacted seek to leverage their efforts by forming alliances or partnerships with other NGOs and organizations. But the linkages are mostly with organizations having similar missions and I found no significant instance of a grand alliance cutting across several missions. There are very few instances of contacted NGOs collaborating with other contacted NGOs. My distinct impression is that NGOs are fiercely protective of their own turf and view other NGOs not as potential collaborators but as competitors vying for the same pot of funds.
NGO People
The typical NGO lists a board of directors and a staff. Some NGOs also add experts, advisory councils, fellows, interns, and volunteers. Since boards give direction and staffs go in that direction, let's look briefly at just those two sets of people.
Boards. The average number of
board members is about 14, with several NGOs having oversized boards of 25 or
more members. Whatever their size my impression is that they are "showcases" of
dignitaries with funding connections and giving their staffs direction by
exception (i.e., keeping them from really changing the status quo). Looking
over the members' backgrounds of a few large boards I found former and current
members of Congress, Congressional staffers, and White House appointees (two at
least intimately involved in aiding and abetting the Iraqi invasion and the
economic meltdown second only to the Great Depression); former and current
corporate executives; law-firm members; university professors; union
presidents; etc., etc. These people are among
Staffs. In some of the NGOs their boards outnumber their staffs. At the other extreme are a few huge staffs numbering in the hundreds. The average number of staff members is about 26. One think tank with a budget close to $40 million employs about 100 thinkers. That's an H--- of a lot of pricey thinking.
Staff members' position titles give an idea of what they do besides thinking. The titles read alphabetically like those in any bureaucracy (except NGO bureaucracies aren't as tall hierarchically): Campaign Directors. Campaign Strategists. Communications Directors. Coordinators of this and that. Development Directors. Education Directors. Events Specialists. Executive Vice Presidents. Fellows. Finance Directors. Fund Raisers. Grants Administrators. Membership/Outreach Directors. National Field Directors. Office Managers. Operations Directors and Specialists. Organizers. Program Directors. Public Policy Directors. Regional Field Directors. Research Directors. Senior Trainers. Senior Scholars. And add the many Associates and Assistants reporting to the position titles on this list.
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