Managing an associative structure involves overseeing all operations according to the organization's mission and the budget received from funders. At stake are the human resources involved, both employees and volunteers, the professionalization of services, the establishment and monitoring of procedures in place, the ability to achieve objectives set and the upholding the values of the NGO.
What is the role about?
Even though managing an NGO is similar to running a small business, leadership in an NGO involves a strong human and social dimension, with a real impact on the lives of the people affected, who often come from very challenging backgrounds. There is also the issue of evaluation and reporting on ongoing projects to the donors who fund these projects, with the NGO remaining, by definition, non-profit.
In a nutshell, it involves managing everything related to activities, human resources, budgets and fundraising. A large part of the work also implies referring to other bodies to better handle related issues identified among the beneficiaries being monitored.
Research and fund management: a major focus of the work of an NGO manager
The fundraising and financial management aspect often takes up a significant portion of the director's time; responding to calls for projects requires writing proposals and measuring the desired impacts, and seeking new potential funders is important to ensure the sustainability of activities. This is done somewhat through networking, in particular. Then there is the part of drafting activity reports, managing cash flow and payroll, paying suppliers, managing external relations, etc.
What does it take to do this job?
A fair balance between diplomacy and human qualities.
Diplomacy in terms of everything external to the organization; external relations, the management committee (board), etc.
Human qualities such as empathy – as a director, embodying this value of empathy is important because you serve as a role model for other employees and volunteers.
Effectiveness - a sine qua non quality in any service.
The ability to instill a sense of sacrifice and patience in other team members, especially in young individuals who come with degrees but may not inherently possess the necessary spirit of sacrifice for NGOs.
To be able to show firmness with respect to funders.
Honor one's responsibilities towards the funders.
Not necessarily save money but spend according to the agreed upon funding contract while ensuring the implementation of the activities planned in the project is not always straightforward.
If it is not possible to carry out certain activities for some reason, it is important to propose alternatives and suggestions to the funders in order to use the funds for the right purpose.
Working around the challenges that arise.