Thus, in progressive perspectives of the northern
NGO, effective strategies involve partnership models (with southern NGOs as executors, and northern NGOs as facilitators); advocacy, public engagement and communications activities; and programs enabling deep, critical, cross-cultural relationships. In these scenarios the small NGO might be a preferred agent to realize the potential of the organization. Here are several characteristics that suggest why:
Region-Focused:
One of the biggest critiques leveled in the domain of development is that NGO program failure is frequently rooted in the lack of sophisticated understanding of the partner’s culture, context and politics. The very missions of many small Canadian NGOs, however, are often tied to a specific region. Take SalvAid and FIDA, who work exclusively in El Salvador and Haiti, respectively. Small NGOs focusing on a chosen country understand more deeply the individuals, communities, languages, and cultures of the region in which they focus.
Issue Specific: Small Canadian NGOs are more likely than large
ones to centre their operations on specific issue-areas, rather than branching into a variety of development sectors. CHF in rural development and EQUITAS on human rights are two examples of this characteristic. While big, multi-sectoral NGOs address the interrelatedness of social development, a sector focus of an NGO allows for proficiency in a particular field. In my Master’s research with Canadian, education- oriented NGOs, one director noted that it was being small “that also allows you to really focus and build your expertise in one area, rather than trying to be all to everyone”.
Versatility: In logical opposition to the Weberian notion that
large institutions are biased towards maintaining the status quo, small organizations have a propensity for versatility. From an operational perspective, directors at small Canadian NGOs appreciate that their organizations are nimble and responsive. “What I love about it is that as an NGO we can change things up quickly. You can take the skills of someone within the organization and the ideas and translate that into
38 iAM
Small and versatile. Photo: Jia Lu
action reasonably quickly”, lauds one director from my study. As well as fostering an innovative organization, versatility also engenders further qualities. For one, small NGOs are often more adventurous – they situate their work in rural and remote regions where indigenous, minority and marginalized citizens more commonly reside. Also, the tendency towards risk- taking is more common among small NGOs, venturing into (post-)conflict areas, ungoverned regions, and areas where civil society is less developed. More fundamentally, being versatile allows Canadian NGOs to be responsive to their partners, which drives a more participatory and dynamic north-south relationship.
Power Balance: While the impacts of hegemony are often attributed to
larger political and economic structures in government and business, in reality power manifests in all social spheres. Northern NGOs exert a degree of explicit and implicit pressure on the communities and partners with whom they work, as their association – and benefits incurred – is with an organization of disproportionate power. Smaller NGOs, however, mitigate this disparity of power in international development relationships by offering a more equitable balance between practitioners in southern and northern contexts.
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