It is time to teach non-governmental organizations the professional management
On 26th of January, in Almaty Management University, The expert Center of non-governmental organizations AlmaU and Eurasia Fund of Central Asia carried out a round table on a subject "Professional management of NGOs: challenges and prospects". The round table was carried out within the framework of the project "An initiative on development of potential of experts of NGOs in Kazakhstan".
The event was attended by chiefs of the department of domestic policy of administration of Almaty city, managers of Fund Eurasia of Central Asia, representatives of the Chevron Company, and students of the MBA "Management in Non-commercial Sector" program of AlmaU, representatives of NGO in Almaty and Almaty region, mass media.
Participants of the round table discussed important questions such as: what professional competences are necessary for heads, and the staff of NGO's, will social entrepreneurship become the solution to improve the sustainability of NGOs, what knowledge and skills are necessary for social entrepreneurs?
According to the head of School of the state and public policy of AlmaU Gulmira Kurganbayeva, there are three stages of development of NGOs. First stage from 1985 to 1995 years - the emergence of NGOs. The second stage from 1996 to 2010 – formation of NGOs when there was an accurate specialization, and specific projects appeared on the market of NGOs, leaders of NGO learned to diversify risks. The third stage from 2010 to 2016 – the period of a sustainable development of NGOs.
According to G. Kurganbayeva, the present stage characterized by the following trends: "First, there are recognizable brands among NGOs. Second, among the leaders of NGOs there is an opinion that the non-profit sector needs to be managed professionally, in terms of competent management, corporate management, and knowledge of all the tools that are used by the business. Third trend: the gradual transfer of unusual functions of the state to a competitive environment, which means that NGOs will manage the sector of provision of services. Fourth trend: social entrepreneurship gives to NGOs stability and the chance to diversify the risks. Fifth trend: The NGOs realizes the opportunities and starts implementing actively social innovations".
However, the head of School of the state and public policy considers that NGOs still have management problems, still undeveloped corporate governance, lack of strategic planning, there is no continuity - the leaders of the 90's are gone, and the new NGOs leaders inventing the "bicycle ". Among other problems of NGOs: absence of knowledge management systems, deficit of skilled employees, absence of culture of volunteering. However, according to Gulmira Kurganbayeva, such culture needs to be engendered at the educational level, and higher educational institutions and schools could help with its cultivation.
Participants of a round table noted that at the present stage, Kazakhstani NGOs represent constantly developing organizations, which actively interact among themselves, and with state and business structures by means of implementation of various programs, by joint participation in the organized socially significant projects, actions, festivals, meetings, fairs. Non-governmental organizations perform the activities in the modern environment, which is characterized by policy and economic risks, changes of the precepts of laws, which regulates the activities of non-commercial sector, a sharp demand of the services rendered by NGOs to the social and unprotected layers of the population.
The need to increase the professionalism of leaders and managers of non-governmental organizations is also important in connection with increased competition of public organizations for the receipt different resources, active implementation of the state social order, and lack of stable financing.
This round table will allow to combine the efforts of all concerned parties, directed on reorganization of an internal management system, increase of level of trust of stakeholders of social projects, and the most important, trust of the populations to activities of non-commercial sector.
