- What is the need for / value of rating NGOs? (conceptual reasons as well as from your personal experiences i.e. in case they were rated, how would it have helped you?)
As the number of players in any given field increase, the decision to choose one as against the other for whatever reason becomes more and more difficult. An authentic rating system which can give a good indication of the health of an NGO would be useful in the following ways:
- It would seperate the grain from the chaff. Throw up the name of the NGOs which are actually doing a good job and indicate the ones which are just
existing .. In short it would help get rid of the haziness in the sector
- Create a spirit of competition amongst the NGOs to attract the best donors, employees and volunteers which also means that this will help the people in targetting appropriate NGOs for choosing to volunteer, for donation etc
- Bringing to notice commendable work being done in a given field to the outside world which will help in social awakening
- Sharing the lessons learnt amongst the NGOs through the reasons for good rating
2. On what different criteria should / can NGOs / nonprofits / charities / trusts be rated?
The criteria can be the following
Dedication to their mission or the purpose of existence- how well have they defined their mission, metrics related to how well they are performing, people impacted, growth of the mission or circle of influence, nature of relief, what do the people affected have to say about them
Management expertise- transparency and rigour in maintaining their accounts, infrastructure, nature of management team in terms of experience, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, employee satisfaction, evaluation of the performance by the board, testimonials from funding agencies, employees etc any awards, accolades or media coverage, how well are they leveraging the volunteers in their projects since sensitizing the society is another responsibility for any organization working for a social cause
At the same time, the number of years of existence of the organization should be taken into account.
3. Who should rate them? i.e. backgrounds of such organisations or individuals
Institutions or individuals involved in the rating need to have have the following qualities in them: ( not an exhaustive list)
- They should be non partisan, sensitive and professionally oriented
- Clear experience or understanding of how to pursue social causes: proven track record
- Senior Management experience
4. Which NGOs in your (subjective) opinion are outstanding ones in Mumbai?
With the limited experience I have in this field and with the associations that i have had, my opinion is that Akanksha is a well run organization. The other organization which I would appreciate for the dedication to its cause is Prerana.
From-
Ujjwal Banerjee
ujjwal.banerjee@tcs.com