Workshop on Resource Mobilization for CSO held in Karachi
by Zulfiqar Ali Khan
KARACHI, August 24: The 4-day workshop on resource mobilisation for civil society organisation (CSOs) was concluded at a local hotel in Karachi, with the conclusion that diversification of funding sources is critical for the existence and sustainability of CSOs.
The workshop was organised by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for his partner organisations in Pakistan, with the main objective to enhance the knowledge of participants on various ways of resource mobilisation in local context. The participating organisations included Karakoram Area Development Organisation (KADO), Baltistan Culture and Development Foundation (BSF), Veer D I Khan, SPARC, Shirkat Gha, South Asia Partnership and Khwendo Khor.
During the sessions, experts from the Family Education Services Foundation (FESF), Akhuwat, Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy and The Citizen Foundation made presentations regarding their resource mobilisation experiences. JS Investment, Acumen Fun, Shell Pakistan, Indus Motors, Engro Group, Shekha
and Mufti Chartered Accountants also shared detailed presentations about the funds dispersed and available to organisations under corporate social responsibilities (CSR). The SDC partner organisations also shared with each other their resource mobilisation experiences and developed draft resource mobilisation plans for their organisations.
Nicole Ruder, Acting Country Director, SDC stressed the organisation to diversify its funding sources in order to sustain services to their target communities. The participating organisations highlighted the need to organise forums in order to build linkages and understandings among corporate sector and CSOs
to implement different development projects.
Can see majority of the participants from KADO, i don’t know why SDC is so kind to take you all there. the only thing i can assume is that SDC wants you people to catch fish for yourself. No more fish will be available from the comming summer. We must be thankful to them and now put our skills and fishing accesseries (taught and given by SDC) togather to catch some BIG fish….. let’s see if we can make it happen…..
I think It is the Mangement/AGM of the organization that can clearily depict the situation of an organization and its funding constraints, or way to secure funds for future. perhaps Ajaz too is a member of AGM, KADO? I am sure he is, if he is.
Aziz
lets request AGM to put Aziz in management or BOD, he is only critisizing, not giving any suggestion or idea with his wast experience of research & ruler development.. how is this idea??
Javed Aly
Dubai, UAE
Dear Javed,
1. I raised a question, and being a professional you should answer it (if you can?) otherwise, you need not to loose your temper. be patient yar.
2. As I wrote, it is the management that knew the exact situation of an organization, especially the funding issues, but making speculations about future of an organization in this way is not good especially by the ex-employees,
3. I do not have vast experience in the development sector, as you said, just a beginner my friend, me and you still need years and years to become BOD of such an organization.
4. BOD of KADO very well know, efficient and visionary people and I am sure they do not see the future of KADO, like many others do.
Aziz
I really liked the way Mr. Aziz is criticizing KADO. I don’t know if he is that much critical to other organizations as well. This time it seems he build upon my comment on Resource Mobilization Training and KADO, so let me put together few more words again.
When we are talking about the situation of funding constraints of NGO in our part of the world we will explore that it is not only KADO facing the same problem, but the entire NGO community is going through the same situation. When our area got exposed to the rest of the world it was one of the most remote and vulnerable region in the world, so the international donor community put their efforts to bring a considerable change in the lives of people living there. Now it has been a long time, almost more than 25 years, that various NGOs are attracting external money in. This effort has brought about a significant change in the lives of local people. Now they, to certain extent, can take care of their matter. The global situation has also changed so the donors’ priority and focus. Now our world is facing problems beyond health, education and women/gender development etc. Now the international donors are more responsive to specific situations: war, conflict, peacemaking, human rights, democracy, good governance etc in certain part of the world.
So saying that KADO is suffering, no more donors available etc. to some extent make sense but it is not due to the inability of its BOD or Management. So making every point a clue of KADO’s failure for my understandings is not rational. Such approach tell only one story, the critic has some personal grudges with KADO or with any of its BOD member/Management.
So far Aejaz is concern he does not have any affiliation with KADO BOD or Management (AGM…? By the way it stands for Annual General Meeting). He was a former associate of KADO so he has an in-depth understanding and knowledge of its mechanism, system, resources, strengths and weaknesses.
Aejaz Karim
Washington, DC
Dear Ajaz,
For your kind information I never criticized KADO, but I raised a question on your comment being an ex-exployee of the organization.
Same was the reaction of Javed when I raised a question on his comment in the last news about KADO, to that question many people replied including Amin Beg Sb, Sultan Ahmed Sb and yourself, and we all knewthe indside story in detail , and got answers to most of the questions we have in mind.
As far as making every point a clue for KADO’s failure is concern, I think you need to go through my comment again If I have really mentioned any failure of KADO? I have’nt.
I have no personal grudge with KADO or any of its BOD, and certainly grudges of a person with an organization????????? is a foolish idea.
Aziz
Dear Aziz, thanks for clarification, I am sorry actually i messed up two different comments together and made my words flow… sorry for that…
You did a great job of puting this event on net……I appreciate you people.
Tahir Shah BCDF