NGO mergers – Make sense, don’t they?

Earlier this week, the Irish Independent published a letter praising the high quality of the work of Irish NGOs responding to emergencies around the world, and stating that if those same agencies were to amalgamate they would save money and “have more clout and authority”.

We have talked about this issue before, and we’ll do it again: For aid agencies, their clout and authority does not come from size, but from the strength of their bond with the people they are trying to help.

No one NGO, however big, can hope to support all of the world’s poor people and communities. In contrast, a diverse range of NGOs, each working according to their own strengths, yet united through coordinating mechanisms and peer networks such as Dóchas, can respond nimbly, flexibly and effectively to the many different facets of “poverty”.

Granted, much of the coordination that is on-going may not be visible to your readers. But Irish NGOs are forever seeking new and effective ways to maximise their impact by making use of the power and ideas of all those who can make a difference – governments, companies, media and other NGOs. And they are committed to core professional standards.

In short: The diversity of the NGO sector is a strength, not a weakness.

And it is a direct reflection of the many ways in which their supporters – ordinary people in Ireland moved by the injustice of global poverty and exclusion – are seeking to end poverty.

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Also read:

• “How to look at NGO mergers” (2013)
• “Are iNGO mergers the wave of the future?” (2013)
• “NGO mergers & acquisitions: a growing trend?” (2013)
• “Why are there so many NGOs?” (2010)
• “Is it time to stop the proliferation of charities?” (2000)
• “Time for the non-profit sector to consolidate” (2012)
• “Competition, outsourcing, mergers: NGOs adapt to economic realities” (2012)

 

• Our collection of articles on Why NGOs form networks
• NGO cooperation and competition – survey (2013)
• Time for some network thinking in your organisation? (2013)
• Lessons learned from running NGO networks (2008)

 

• Dóchas reaction to merger of Self Help Africa and Gorta (2014)