A

ON
ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE IN
NONGOVERNMENT
ORGANISATION
JP Institute of Engineering & Technology, Meerut
(AFFLIATED TO UTTAR PRADESH TECHNIAL UNIVERSITY,
LUCKNOW)

ACADEMIC SESSION
2008-2010

Under Guidance of:

Submitted By :

Mr. Bharat Ghalot

MBA (Lecturer)

Shalu Rana
Roll No. 0 828270432
M.B.A. 4th Semester

Declaration
This is to certify that the project entitled Role OF Human Resource in
NonGovernment Organisation is a bonafied work done by me Shalu
Rana Under the guidance of Mr. Bharat Ghalot (Lecturer) in fulfillment
of requirement of award of MBA .

Place..
Date:.

(Shalu Rana)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At the onset of this report, we take this opportunity to express our deepest
gratitude to all those who helped us during our research project.
I would like to thanks my teachers Dr. Rajul Dutt (Director), Mr. Neeraj
Mittal (HOD) and Mr. Mandeep (Lecturer), JP Institute of Engineering
& Technology, Meerut without whose feedback & encouragement this
project report would not has been possible, their help gave long way in
successful completion of my report.

Contents
Declaration by HOD
I.

Undertaking by Students

II.

Acknowledgment

Index

Chapter 1 - Introduction

5-35

Chapter 2 Objective and Scope

36-38

Chapter 3 Organization profile

39-50

Chapter 4 Research Methodology

51-53

Chapter 5 Findings & Data Analysis

54-88

Chapter 6-

89-90

Conclusion

Chapter 7 Recommendations

91-93

Appendices and Annexure

Bibliography

Chapter 1
Introduction

Introduction
Over the past several decades, NGOs have become major players in the field
of international development. Since the mid-1970s, the NGO sector in both
developed and developing countries has experienced exponential growth.
From 1970 to 1985 total development aid disbursed by international NGOs
increased ten-fold. In 1992 international NGOs channeled over $7.6 billion
of aid to developing countries. It is now estimated that over 15 percent of
total overseas development aid is channeled through NGOs. While statistics
about global numbers of NGOs are notoriously incomplete, it is currently
estimated that there is somewhere between 6,000 and 30,000 national NGOs
in developing countries. CBOs across the developing world number in the
hundreds of thousands.
The World Bank defines NGOs as "private organizations that pursue
activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the
environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community
development". In wider usage, the term NGO can be applied to any nonprofit organization which is independent from government. NGOs are
typically value-based organizations which depend, in whole or in part, on
charitable donations and voluntary service. Although the NGO sector has
become increasingly professionalized over the last two decades, principles
6

of altruism and voluntarism remain key defining characteristics.

The term NGO is very broad and encompasses many different types of
organizations. In the field of development, NGOs range from large,
Northern-based charities such as CARE, Oxfam and World Vision to
community-based self-help groups in the South. They also include research
institutes, churches, professional associations and lobby groups The World
Bank tends to interact with two main categories of NGOs: i) operational
NGOs - whose primary purpose is the design and implementation of
development-related projects, and; ii) advocacy NGOs - whose primary
purpose is to defend or promote a specific cause and who seek to influence
the policies and practices of the Bank. A growing number of NGOs engage
in both operational and advocacy activities, and some advocacy groups,
while not directly involved in designing and implementing projects, focus on
specific project-related concerns.
Further operational NGOs is categorized into three main groups: i)
community-based organizations (CBOs) - which serve a specific population
in a narrow geographic area; ii) national organizations - which operate in
individual developing countries, and; iii) international organizations - which
are typically headquartered in developed countries and carry out operations
in more than one developing country.
7

In recent years, however, this trend has been reversed. Among projects
involving NGO collaboration recorded in FY94, 40% involved CBOs, 70%
involved

national

organizations

and

10%

involved

international

organizations.
CBOs (also referred to as grassroots organizations or peoples' organizations)
are distinct in nature and purpose from other NGOs. While national and
international organizations are "intermediary" NGOs which are formed to
serve others; CBOs are normally "membership" organizations made up of a
group of individuals who have joined together to further their own interests
(e.g.: women's groups, credit circles, youth clubs, cooperatives and farmer
associations). In the context of Bank-financed activities, national or
international NGOs are normally contracted to deliver services, design
projects or conduct research. CBOs are more likely to be the recipients of
project goods and services. In projects which promote participatory
development, grassroots organizations play the key function of providing an
institutional framework for beneficiary participation. CBOs might, for
example: be consulted during design to ensure that project goals reflect
beneficiary interests; undertake the implementation of community-level
project components; or receive funds to design and implement sub-projects.
Individual operational NGOs vary enormously according to their purpose,
8

philosophy, sectoral expertise and scope of activities. A number of different

NGO typologies exist. For example, NGOs have been classified according to
whether they are more relief or development-oriented; whether they are
religious or secular; whether they stress service delivery or participation and
whether they are more public or private-oriented. Sources for further reading
on NGO typologies are listed at the end of this section.
1.1 Characteristics of NGOs:

Strength of NGOs, particularly those operating at the field level, is

their ability to form close linkages to local communities, and to
engender community ownership and participation in development
efforts.

NGOs often can respond quickly to new circumstances and can

experiment with innovative approaches.

NGOs can identify emerging issues, and through their consultative

and participatory approaches can identify and express beneficiary
views that otherwise might not be heard.

NGOs often are successful intermediaries between actors in the

development arena, building bridges between people and communities
on one side, and governments, development institutions, and donors
9

and development agencies on the other.

In an advocacy role, NGOs frequently represent issues and views

important in the dynamics of the development process.
NGOs sometimes may have limited strategic perspectives and weak linkages
with other actors in development. NGOs may have limited managerial and
organizational capacities. In some countries, the relationship between NGOs
and government may involve political, legal, ideological, and administrative
constraints. Because of their voluntary nature, there may be questions
regarding the legitimacy, accountability, and credibility of NGOs and their
claims as to mandate and constituencies represented. Questions sometimes
arise concerning the motivations and objectives of NGOs, and the degree of
accountability NGOs accept for the ultimate impact of policies and positions
they advocate.
1.2 Typical Forms of NGOs:
Advocacy
These NGOs basically work on advocacy or campaigning on issues or
causes. As a focus, they do not implement programmes. e.g. PETA works on
advocating the cause of Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is not an animal
shelter, which many expect.

10

Consultancy / Research Organisations

These NGOs work on Social and Developmental Research & Consultancy
Training / Capacity Building Organisations
In the NGO Sector, training is usually called as Capacity Building. Some
NGOs only work on Capacity Building of the other NGOs
Networking Organisations
These NGOs provide vital network opportunities for NGOs in a specific
field e.g.

Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development

(AVARD) works on networking of NGOs working in the field of Rural

Development
Mother NGOs
These NGOs are recipients as well as givers e.g. large NGOs like CRY,
Concern India receive funds as well as disburse funds. They have a work
focus, but instead of implementing projects, they identify projects and
monitor, evaluate and build capacities of participating NGOs
Grassroot Organisations
These NGOs work directly with the community e.g. Apnalaya works with
the underprivileged in the slums of Giovanni directly. Traditionally one can

11

look at all Mahila Mandals fall in this category.

City Based Organisations
These NGOs restrict their focus to cities e.g. AGNI focuses its work in
Mumbai City.
National Organisations
These NGOs have national presence. In India, very few NGOs are national
level. e.g. CRY, Pratham, Concern India.
International Organisations
These are part of International NGOs e.g. CARE India is an integral part of
CARE's global operations. Like mother NGOs, these NGOs receive and
disburse grants.
Self Help Groups
They are not typically terms as NGOs. These are formed by beneficiary
communities, typically women who come together in a group of 10 plus.
India is witnessing a great movement of SHGs presently and these women
are transforming the Rural Andhra Pradesh and Rural Tamil Nadu.
Religious NGOs
Large percentage of NGO Funding goes to religious based Organisations.

12

e.g. Siddhivinayak Trust in Mumbai.

1.3 Significance of NGOs:
NGOs usually help to strengthening the political or social goals of
their members or founders.
Helps in improving the state of the natural environment.
Encourage the observance of human rights by improving the welfare
of the disadvantaged.
Helps in representing a corporate agenda through Corporate Social
Responsibility activities.

13

NGO Sector a SWOT analysis:

Strength:
Strong grassroots links.
Field-based development

Weakness:

expertise.
The ability to innovate and adapt
Process-oriented approach to
development.
Participatory methodologies and
tools.
Long-term commitment and
emphasis on sustainability.

Limited financial and

management expertise.
Limited institutional capacity.
Low levels of self-sustainability.
Isolation/lack of interorganizational communication
and/or coordination.
Small scale interventions.
Lack of understanding of the
broader social or economic
context.

Opportunities:

Threats:

They work on topical issue.

The Government claims to want

Will the report be too politically

to listen to the voice of the local

NGOs
Other NGO from same region
will support.

14

sensitive & threaten funding

from sponsors?
There is a pool of counterevidence that could be used to
discredit our research and
therefore our organisation.

Conceptual Overview & Review of Literature

3.1 Conceptual Overview:
3.1.1.Human Resource Management in Non-Government Organization.
If Non Governmental Organizations can play better role in the corporate
social responsibility, the question here is who can play better role in linking
industry with community. The answer here is Human Resource Management
Department of the industry. The HR managers should take lead in its effort
to make a linkage between community and the industry. To develop better
rapport with the people, HR managers have to make use of their Strategic
Relationship Management Skills. They should interact with the community
by establishing better linkage with the Non Governmental Organizations
working there in the locality. The HR managers can initially conduct Focus
Group Discussion (FGD) with the community and community leaders with
the help of Non Governmental Organizations and need evaluation and need
prioritization is to be conducted.
Non-government organizations (NGOs) have become significant players in
development policy over the last two decades. The evolving relationship
among NGOs, developing states and donors are a critical aspect of
international development assistance and the wider development policy

15

debate. NGOs vary in their missions, internal management, scope of

engagement, source of funding, relations with developing sates and targeted
areas of operations.
NGOs are the vanguard of civil society. They have increasingly been seen as
the vehicles of the new polices agenda of economics liberalization and
political channeling resource through northern and indigenous NGOs
support grassroots organizations, social change, political empowerment and
sustainable development. Developing states have ceded space to NGOs to
deliver services, perform contract development work and promote
institutional capacity building.
The role of NGOs in the contemporary world is elaborately described in the
present study along with the management challenges and other issues faced
by NGOs, social activity, policy-makers and all concerned.
3.1.2. NGOs get more professional:
The recruitment patterns of the voluntary sector have seen a perceptible
change in its workforce profile, with more engineering and management
graduates opting to work in this sector. Does this mean that voluntary work
has changed into a pulsating profession with exciting growth possibilities,
especially those that are technology-driven? What is the role of these

16

professionals in this sector?

It has happened in spurts in the past. It has happened elsewhere in the world.
But the trend is now strengthening in India. If you follow the recruitment
patterns of the voluntary sector in the country, you will see a perceptible
change in its workforce profile.
At least 0.3-0.5 per cent of the country's workforce is in this sector, and
according to experts, there is significant increase in the number of
engineering and management graduates opting to work for the not-for-profit
organisations. This is apart from professional filmmakers, designers and
mass communication graduates that constantly seek to satisfy their creative
urges here.
Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS, a Jaipur-based consumer
awareness society, confirms that the hiring pattern has changed both
qualitatively and quantitatively. He pins down this transformation to the
increased flow of funds from donors to the voluntary sector and the
Government and a stronger inclination of the Government to implement
projects through NGOs. Therefore, the overall demand for people in this
sector has gone up.
On the flip side, the scope of work of the voluntary sector has also enlarged

17

to include more technical work, thus calling for absorption of technical

graduates. But he also points to one niggling factor in the trend: Those
NGOs that are in a position to afford competitive remuneration to MBAs do
hire their services and it is also true that NGOs are hiring MBAs to inculcate
professionalism as it exists in the corporate sector.
However, he questions the quality of these professionals. "Do MBAs from
top business schools come to NGOs? In most cases, they have the degree,
but not the same level of expertise." At the same time, another development
is taking place simultaneously: senior managers, having an MBA degree
from top business schools, leaving their corporate job and opting for
voluntary work.
Mehta's doubts about top-class professionals opting for jobs in the social
sector are answered by this year's summer placement preferences at the
Indian Institutes of Management. About 20 students from the Institutes in
Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata and the Indian Institute of Technology,
Mumbai, have chosen to go for an internship at the National Kidney
Foundation, an NGO based in Singapore.
Ganesh N. Prabhu, Associate Professor and Chairperson, Placements, IIM,
Bangalore, says that the organisation has previously recruited students from
top B schools in the US, and the reason they are looking at Asian students
18

now is for the obvious `cultural match'.

In India, Prabhu says, in the past, organisations such as Green Peace
Foundation, Action Aid, Basic and Public Affairs Centre have approached
the Institute for talent either for summer placement or lateral placements.
For instance, CRY which is in the field of consumer marketing needs
professionals with brand building skills and has recruited MBAs even in the
early 1990s.
"And career growth is unlimited with distinct possibilities of such
professionals rising to the very top depending on their application,
commitment and diligence. Some professionals work for NGOs in the
beginning of their career and then move onto the corporate sector, and vice
versa.
3.1.3 Career opportunities in NGOs
There is an increasing number of NGO staff leaving the voluntary sector to
work in government and vice versa. David Lewis outlines research being
undertaken at LSE to find out more about this cross over phenomenon.
The movement of NGO staff into government, and government staff into
NGOs, is on the increase in many countries. Yet despite this growing
phenomenon, little analytical attention to date has been focused on this

19

boundary between the governmental and the non-governmental worlds, or

the people who cross over it during their careers.
This 'cross-over' is particularly interesting because unusually, it is a feature
of both Northern and Southern countries. However, the reasons for crossover are likely to be unique to particular countries and situations.
North - In the UK, changes in development policy due to the 1997 White
Paper, and the creation of DFID, attracted some individuals, who had
previously been more comfortable with the values of the NGO sector, to
move into government posts in the expectation that new opportunities for
larger-scale change might exist within this changing institutional and policy
environment. Some NGO staff have found working in an official agency has
given them more power and greater scope to operate, while others quickly
became alienated by a completely different working culture. Others care
little about whether they work in the NGO sector or the government as long
as they can do interesting work, and simply find that shifting organisations
gives them greater perspective. As UK aid levels increase towards UN
targets, new recruitment by DFID seems likely to draw in more people from
the NGO sector during the coming years, particularly as specialized
knowledge on issues such as conflict and emergency work is increasingly
required.
20

South - In the Philippines, the fall of the authoritarian Marcos regime in

1986 led to a generation of agrarian reform activists moving from the NGO
sector directly into high-level government posts within successive
democratic governments. Looking back, some of these individuals can point
to important achievements in pushing through elements of land reform 'from
within' government that arguably would not have been possible had they
remained as NGO leaders seeking to pressure government from the outside.
It may be that such boundary-crossing is an inherently powerful act, one
which opens up new opportunities both for individual learning and
unlocking new thinking for public action.
3.1.4 The Human-Resource Challenges:
The HR challenges are political, economic, socio-cultural and technological.
Globalization, liberalization and privatization, coupled with continuous
changing technology, the nature of competition in the markets and gaps in
skills and knowledge continue to pose major challenges to the management
of HR in NGOs.
However, we can go around the challenges if we adhere to the philosophy of
people management based on the belief that HR is uniquely important to
sustained business success. An organisation gains competitive advantage by
using its people effectively, drawing on their expertise and ingenuity to meet
21

clearly defined objectives. Human resources management is aimed at

recruiting capable and committed people, followed up by rewarding their
performance and developing key competencies.
Even in conditions of high unemployment, environmental constraints on resourcing results in shortages of people with skills that may be in demand.
Under the circumstances, it is advisable to gain access to the labour market
and to tap into the labour reservoirs.
There is greater demand for high skilled workers than for low skilled
workers. This shows that the HR function is clearly shifting from being a
"service provider" to a business partner. The argument is that human
resource managers/specialists should play a central role in resolving
questions about how to attract, motivate and develop workers with scarce
but critical abilities, and developing effective processes for NonGovernment Organisations.
We also urge HR managers and specialists to send in articles on experiences
in human resource management and on the subject of tapping into the
expertise of Africans in the Diaspora.
Many Non-profit organisations do not establish a formal Human Resources
(HR) function due to having a small number of staff and /or trying to

22

achieve efficiencies. Rather, organisational staffs whose responsibilities lie

within other areas are responsible for performing HR activities such as
recruitment, training, performance reviews, design and delivery of benefit
programs and termination. Most typically, the finance staff, office manager
or other administration staffs perform HR duties.
While this may be the best option in small organisations, at a certain point
the size of the organisation necessitates a separate, dedicated HR function. In
sum, when an organisation reaches a critical mass a point that varies
depending on the specifics of the organisation it is more efficient to have a
dedicated HR function.
As each department grows and develops, the potential is high for staff to
identify only with the single department where they are employed instead of
with a larger organisational entity. Providing strong, flexible and competent
central HR service
To be effective, the HR function has to be seen as a strategic partner in the
work of the institutes. HR in a complex organisation requires a very special
skills set. It has to be firm in areas of policy, safety, quality and with the
organisations core cultural values in order to bring some sense of cohesion
and unity. The HR function has to find balance between the negotiable and
the non-negotiable.
23

Since HR has the core responsibility of risk management, it also has to know
the departmental realities and employee relation issues, as well as the labour
laws and insurance requirements in all sites of the organisation. HR needs to
balance the management of employee risk with the development of tools,
resources, training and policies that would increase organisational
effectiveness. These are not mutually exclusive but one can err on either
extreme.
In an organisation where HR is new, the objective would be to create an HR
function that would:
Balance systems needs and staff concerns;
Protect the institution from liability without treating each employee as
a potential litigant;
Engage and influence staff without exerting overt control;
Be perceived as a resource, mentor and educator rather than a rule
maker and obstacle; and,
Be an ally in the work of management and staff, supporting the
attainment of the organisations mission.
NGO, to all of us mean serious work and commitment. The only thing that
sets the NGO is motivation and patience. Setting up an NGO or managing an
24

NGO calls for complete commitment. It is not easy or relaxing. NGO

performs variety of roles in our society and there is hardly any area which is
left untouched by the NGO, be it natural resources, finance, human
settlements, social development, culture, education and energy.
3.1.5 Roles of NGOs:
Among the wide variety of roles that NGOs play, the following six can be
identified as important, at the risk of generalization:
Development and Operation of Infrastructure:
Community-based organizations and cooperatives can acquire, subdivide
and develop land, construct housing, provide infrastructure and operate and
maintain infrastructure such as wells or public toilets and solid waste
collection services. They can also develop building material supply centers
and other community-based economic enterprises. In many cases, they will
need technical assistance or advice from governmental agencies or higherlevel NGOs.
Supporting Innovation, Demonstration and Pilot Projects:
NGO have the advantage of selecting particular places for innovative
projects and specify in advance the length of time which they will be
supporting the project - overcoming some of the shortcomings that

25

governments face in this respect. NGOs can also be pilots for larger
government projects by virtue of their ability to act more quickly than the
government bureaucracy.
Facilitating Communication:
NGOs use interpersonal methods of communication, and study the right
entry points whereby they gain the trust of the community they seek to
benefit. They would also have a good idea of the feasibility of the projects
they take up. The significance of this role to the government is that NGOs
can communicate to the policy-making levels of government, information
bout the lives, capabilities, attitudes and cultural characteristics of people at
the local level. NGOs can facilitate communication upward from people tot
he government and downward from the government tot he people.
Communication upward involves informing government about what local
people are thinking, doing and feeling while communication downward
involves informing local people about what the government is planning and
doing. NGOs are also in a unique position to share information horizontally,
networking between other organizations doing similar work.
Technical Assistance and Training:
Training institutions and NGOs can develop a technical assistance and

26

training capacity and use this to assist both CBOs and governments.
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation:
Innovative activities need to be carefully documented and shared - effective
participatory monitoring would permit the sharing of results with the people
themselves as well as with the project staff.
Advocacy for and with the Poor:
In some cases, NGOs become spokespersons or ombudsmen for the poor
and attempt to influence government policies and programmes on their
behalf. This may be done through a variety of means ranging from
demonstration and pilot projects to participation in public forums and the
formulation of government policy and plans, to publicizing research results
and case studies of the poor. Thus NGOs play roles from advocates for the
poor to implementers of government programmes; from agitators and critics
to partners and advisors; from sponsors of pilot projects to mediators.
3.1.6 Training & Development; a NGOs perspective:
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.
W. Edwards Deming
Learning often involves new skills, developing new behaviors. After many
years of classroom education, it's easy for us to take a course where all we
27

must do is attend each meeting, take notes and pass tests -- and call this
learning. One can complete a Masters in Business Administration (MBA),
but unless they're willing to actually apply new information, they'll most
likely end up with an office full of unreferenced textbooks and a head full of
data, but little knowledge and wisdom. For the learning process to succeed,
the individual must be willing to take risks. Stick you neck out, including by
telling the instructor when you're confused or disappointed in the course.
It is good to have goodwill,
it is good to have enthusiasm,
But it is essential to have training
Jawahar Lal Nehru
Training involves an expert working with learners to transfer to them certain
areas of knowledge or skills to improve in their current jobs. Development is
a broad, ongoing multi-faceted set of activities (training activities among
them) to bring someone or an organization up to another threshold of
performance, often to perform some job or new role in the future.
Training and development can be initiated for a variety of reasons for an
employee or group of employees, e.g.
a.) When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is
28

needed.
b.) To "benchmark" the status of improvement so far in a performance
improvement effort.
c.) As part of an overall professional development program.
d.) As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a
planned change in role in the organization.
e.) To "pilot", or test, the operation of a new performance management
system.
f.) To train about a specific topic.

Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond;

cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
Mark Twain

3.1.7 The effectiveness of training and development interventions can be

evaluated at three different levels e.g.
1. Knowledge and skills acquisition
2. Individual performance

29

3. Impact on achievement of strategic objectives

Step1-Knowledge and skills
Before commencing the training or development activity, clearly define the
specific learning objectives.
On completion of the training or development intervention, assess
participants (using oral questioning, written tests, simulated activities etc) to
check whether they have effectively acquired the knowledge and skills.
Step2- Individual performance
Before commencing the learning programme, clearly define its overall aim
in terms of the standard of performance required.
On completion of the learning programme and a period of supervised
practice, assess participants (using observation, reflective accounts, witness
testimony, oral questioning etc) to check whether their performance now
meets

the

required

standard.

Step3- Impact on strategic objectives

Before commencing the learning programme, be clear how competent
performance in these activities contributes to the achievement of the
strategic objectives of the team, organisation or partnership and which
strategic objectives would not be met if these activities were not carried out
30

competently.
Evaluate the contribution of the learning programme in delivering competent
performance and therefore meeting the strategic objectives.
The training programmes are formulated on topics of interest to NGOs,
some of which are indicated below:
1. Project proposal preparation for Govt. funded 7 other financial
institution schemes.
2. Fund raising.
3. Requirements of Charity Commissioners office and taxation
matters.
4. Accounting, Auditing, Budgeting and Budgetary control.
5. Organization of New NGOs.
6. Diversification of funding sources and financial sustainability.
7. Income Generation Activities.
8. Capacity Building and Gender Sensitization..
9. HIV/ AIDS programmes.
10. RCH Programmes
11. Self Help Groups and Bank Linkages.
31

Human Resource Development of NGOs through conduct of need based

training programme has been main thrust areas of SOSVAS activities since
its inception in the year 1984. This was necessary because of engagement of
NGOS in a wide range of activities, which can be made more effective only
by developing their personal through proper and need based training. Thus
the need and importance of training of the volunteer sector is long
recognized, SOSVA established a full-fledged training wing known as sosva
training institute in September 1996, with generous financial support from
donor institution such as CEBEMO, Industrial Development Bank of India
(IDBI), State Bank of India and FORD Foundation who were interested in
the development of NGO`s. The Sosva training institute was developed into
SOSVA TRAINING AND PROMOTION ISTITUTE (STAPI). In the year
2001 as a separate NGO exclusively to take care of the training and
promotion activities.
3.2 Review of Literature:
An extensive research done by PRIA, a leading NGO in India, on the NGO
Sector indicates the following facts about NGOs in India:

32

Paid Staff

% of NGOs

One paid staff

73.4%

Between 2 to 5 paid staff

13.3%

Between 6 to 10 paid staff

04.8%

Above 10 paid staff

08.5%

Number of people working in the NGO sector in India:

All India / State

Number

Volunteers

Paid

All India

19.4 million

85%

15%

West Bengal

1.52 million

90%

10%

Tamil Nadu

1.49 million

72%

28%

Delhi

1.03 million

80%

20%

Maharashtra

0.77 million

89%

11%

Meghalaya

0.12 million

83%

17%

Number of full time equivalent persons working in NGOs in India

All India / State

Number

Volunteers

Paid

All India

60.35 lakhs

56%

44%

West Bengal

3.51 lakhs

62%

38%

33

Tamil Nadu

6.41 lakhs

42.5%

57.5%

Delhi

3.45 lakhs

50%

50%

Maharashtra

2.43 lakhs

71.3%

28.7%

Meghalaya

0.43 lakhs

55%

45%

From the above data it is reveled that most of the NGOs are staffed with
voluntary workers and many of them have one or two paid staff. The
question arises, how many personnel in NGOs are professionals if very few
people are remunerated for their services.
Review of various literature such as books, journals and unpublished
research reports reveals that empowerment of human resource professionals
is high on the agenda in development plans and policies. NGOs have proved
to have the potential to facilitate the process of empowerment
among professionals. The definition encompasses a few key elements such
as power, autonomy and self-reliance, entitlement, participation, awareness
development and capacity building.

For a proper understanding of the

process of empowerment, a systems view is presented in which all the

relevant inter-linked elements have been analyzed, such as the external
agency (NGO), target group, development project/program, immediate
environments of the target group and external agency, and the macroenvironment in which the target group and the NGO exist. Such a systems

34

view would throw light on the differential impact of similar NGO initiated
projects and processes on different target groups/communities. Further a
seven-step process of assessment of professionals empowerment is
discussed within the systems framework. The steps are assessments of the
macro-environment, the external agency environment, the external agency,
the target group environment, the target group, the development
program/project and lastly integration of the assessment process.

35

Chapter 2
Objectives

36

Objectives
Scope
Today the Non-Government Organisation sector has become more
professional and is now a viable career option. The recruitment patterns of
the voluntary sector have seen a perceptible change in its workforce profile,
with more engineering and management graduates opting to work in this
sector. Does this mean that voluntary work has changed into a pulsating
profession with exciting growth possibilities, especially those that are
technology-driven? What is the role of these professionals in this sector?
The rationale of the study or this research is to find out the applicable
answer to the above posed questions. The relevance and sustainability of the
Human-Resource,

the

most

valuable

asset

in

Non-Government

Organisation, by evaluating the career growth opportunity and accessing the

effectiveness of the Training & Development programs. Capacity building of
NGOs is critical in enhancing their effectiveness. It has been envisaged that
training will help to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills
resulting in achievement of schemes objectives. Capacity building of NGOs
has been seen as a continuous process. The focus of this research work is to
highlight the potential of Training and Development programs and career

37

growth in this sector by seeking answer to questions like what extent

organizational objectives are balanced with training program?. To what
extent methods used for imparting training are effective?. To what extent
professionals MBA are significant for NGOs?
Objectives of Study:

To learn about the functioning of Non-Government welfare

organisations in NCR region.

To understand the significance of Human Resource Management

in NGOs.

To identify the career opportunity and growth for Human Resource

Management professionals in NGO sector.

To assess the effectiveness of Training & development

programmes in NGOs.

38

Chapter 3
Organization
Profile

39

Organization Profile
NGOs Profile:
Action-Aid India:
Action-Aid International is an international development agency that is
presently working in 43 countries to fight poverty and injustice. We are
governed by an International Governing Board comprising of 15 honorary
members of international repute, supported by an International Secretariat,
based in Johannesburg with its regional and sub-regional offices, in Asia ,
Africa , Latin America and Europe.
Action Aid India was setup in 1972 with the Vision of an India and world
without poverty and injustice, one in which every woman, man, girl and boy
enjoys the right to life with dignity.
Our Mission is to work with poor and excluded women, men, girls and boys
to fight poverty and injustice. In the three decades of our work in India, we
have formed partnerships with nearly 400 NGOs and community based
organizations (CBO) to support more than 5 million of the poorest and most
marginalized people to participate in the development process by accessing
their human rights and entitlements.

40

The Values:

Mutual respect, requiring us to recognize the innate worth of all

people and the value of diversity

Equity and justice, requiring us to work to ensure equal opportunity to

everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, HIV
status, color, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion

Honesty and transparency: being accountable at all levels for the

effectiveness of our actions and open in our judgments and
communications with others

Solidarity with the poor, powerless and excluded will be the only bias
in our commitment to the fight against poverty & injustice.

Courage of conviction, requiring us to be creative and radical, bold

and innovative without fear of failure in pursuit of making the
greatest possible impact on the causes of poverty

Independence from any religious or party-political affiliation

Humility in our presentation and behavior, recognizing that we are

part of a wider alliance against poverty & injustice

41

Human Resource:
Action-Aid India presently has an experienced human resource base of 188
regular staff and 29 staff on contract. Among these nearly 35 percent are
women staff.
Our human resources are drawn from Universities, Institutes and Social
Work Schools of national and International repute as also from among the
communities we work with. All members of our programs teams have either
post-graduation or post-doctoral degrees. Also, a number of experienced
social activists are working with us. We pride ourselves of the quality of our
staff - the passion with which we work, our orientation for learning and
sharing, ensuring downward accountability, aligning our work to our vision,
mission and values.
We believe that our commitment to gender and social equality must not be
limited to our programs work, but should also reflect in our organization.
During the last few years, we have made conscious efforts to recruit more
women staff and people from the communities we work with, so to have an
equal and balanced staff ratio.

42

We are convinced that to achieve our mission we must have the human
resources with right competencies staff who can empathize and bond with
the poor and marginalized people and their issues.
Help-Age India:
Help-Age India is working for the cause and care of Older Persons, with the
ultimate aim of empowering them to take decisions pertaining to their own
lives.
From Welfare to Development
Over the years Help-Age India has changed its orientation from
implementing welfare projects to those that focus on development. It now
lays stress on income-generation and micro-credit projects that enable the
participation of Older Persons in the mainstream of society.
Help-Age India is
A registered national level voluntary organisation
A secular, apolitical, non-profit and a non-governmental organisation
Registered under the Societies' Registration Act, 1860, in 1978

43

Historical Background
Formed in 1978 with active help from Mr. Cecil Jackson Cole, founder
member of Help the Aged in United Kingdom
Aims & Objectives
To foster the welfare of the aged in India especially the needy aged
To raise funds for projects which assist the elderly irrespective of cast or
creed
To create in the younger generation and in society a social awareness
about the problems of the elderly in India today
Organizational Structure
Mr. R Venkataraman , Former President of India is the patron of HelpAge India.
It's Governing Body, comprising eminent persons from different walks
of life, oversees the activities of the society
Mr. Amal Ganguli is the President and Mr. Mathew Cherian is the Chief
Executive.
Mr. M M Sabharwal is the President Emeritus.
The Chief Executive of HelpAge India looks after the forward planning
and implementation of its policies and programs with the support of

44

functional Directorates at Head Office. Help-Age India has 33 regional and

area offices located all over the country.
Deepalaya:
Deepalaya was started on July 16, 1979, with 5 children, 2 teachers and an
investment of Rs 17,500/- by Seven founding members. Pre school
education was the initial programme.
By 1985 this number jumped to 133 with 7 staff undertaking primary
education with an annual budget of Rs 1,00,000/-.
By 1992, the growth reached 13,000 children and 400 staff, undertaking
integrated child development. The annual budget was around Rs 25 million,
major part of which coming from International funding Organizations.
By 2000 Deepalaya is benefiting over 35,000 children, their families and
communities undertaking integrated development and involving in other
issue based areas. Annual budget is in the vicinity of Rs.30 million.
By 2001 Deepalaya educated over 40,000 children involved their families
and communities in integrated development and other issue based areas. It is
a registered society under Societies Act of India. It is registered with Income
Tax Department under Section 12A and has tax exception status under 80G
45

and 35AC of IT Act of India. It is also registered with Home Ministry under
foreign contribution Regulation Act and is eligible to receive foreign aid.
Vision:
A society based on legitimate rights, equity, justice, honesty, social
sensitivity and a culture of service in which all are self-reliant.
Mission:
Deepalaya commits itself to:

Continue to identify with and work along the economically and

socially deprived, the physically and mentally challenged starting
with children, so that they become educated, skilled and aware;

Enable them to be self-reliant and enjoy a healthy, dignified and

sustainable quality of life

And to that end, act as a resource to and collaborate with other agencies governmental or non-governmental, as well as suitably intervene in
policy formulation.
Child Relief You (CRY):
At a glance
46

Name : CRY - Child Rights and You. (CRY changed its name from Child
Relief and You to Child Rights and You as on April 1, 2006.)
Status : Non-Government Organisation (NGO)
CRY India is a non-profit organisation registered in the India that exists for
underprivileged children, especially Indian, providing them with hope and a
means to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Mission:
To enable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived child,
especially Indian, and so motivate them to confront the situation through
collective action thereby giving the child and themselves an opportunity to
realise their full potential.
The study conducted on Role of Human Resource in Non-Government
Organisation aims at understanding the significance of Human Resource
Management in Non-Government organisations (NGOs) besides learning
about the functioning of Non-Government welfare organisations, assessing
the effectiveness of Training & Development programs in NGOs and
identifying the career opportunity and growth for Human Resource
Management professionals in NGO sector.

47

For an understanding of Human Resource functioning and its significance in

the Non-Government Organisation, four NGOs: namely Action-Aid India;
Help-Age India, Deeply and Child Relief and You (CRY) are taken for
study. A detailed research was carried out with the help of the well structured
questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of the Training & Development
programs and to identify the career opportunity and growth for Human
Resource Management professionals in these respective NGOs.
The findings reveal that today there are more opportunities for people to do
something for the society compared to earlier time as, NGO sector has
become more professional and is now a viable career option. The field of
Non-Government Organisation is drawing some of Indias brightest and the
best professionals today. With Human-Resource playing a vibrant and
significant role in developing employees by conducting various Training &
development programs and by a large Society.
Exploratory research design has been used in this project, which required
systematic and scientific way to acquire new knowledge about the career
growth opportunity and effectiveness of training & development
programmes in Non-Government organization.
The study reveals that Human Resource Management is playing a decisive
and dynamic role in these Non-Government Organisations and has taken
48

centre-stage in their day to day functioning. Non-Government Organisations

have fostered a culture of participation and modernism for employee growth
and contribution.
A high slandered of social ethics and religious dedications in their day to day
activities have made these organisations grow more professionally. There is
an atmosphere of complete harmony and support in these organisations.
Their unique work culture is based on trust, openness and a commitment to
creativity and consultation.

A section of Training and Development

programs handles all training activities on a predetermined basis. Various

kind of training methods are being followed which enrich employees with
better social skills and empower them for future development. Employees
show high motivation and are dedicated to their jobs and responsibilities.
Based on the results of the findings carried out in the organization following
is suggestions are made:
The Training programs should be planned so that it relates to the
trainees

previous

experience/

background

and

present

job

requirement. This background should be used as a foundation for

development & new behavior.

49

 The Training programs should be made more interesting & the

employees intelligence & motivational level should be checked
throughout the programs.
Attract and encourage zealous professionals as well as fresh
management graduates with competitive pay benefits, and by building
awareness using different media across the country. Make
improvement and streamline selection process to ensure that eminence
professional join the organisation.

50

Chapter 4
Research
Methodology

51

Research Methodology
Research Design:
Exploratory research design has been used in this project, which required
systematic and scientific way to acquire new knowledge about the career
growth opportunity and effectiveness of training & development programs in
Non-Government organization.
Sample Size:
Convenience sampling; that comes under non-probability sampling method
is chosen because it is more suitable for exploratory research.
Advantage:
Researcher can select the responded according to his convenience.
Working can be faster with the help of convenience sampling.
Data Collection Method:
Secondary data: Internet, Articles, book.
Target respondents: Executives, working in HR department of the NGOs.

Survey the available literature on Human Resource Management in

NGOs.

Identify Human Resource Functioning/ objectives in NGOs.

52

 To draw up a Questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of Training and

development programs, and career opportunity pertaining to Human
Resource Management in NGOs.

Collection & Analysis of the Data.

Research Conclusion
Limitation of the research:
Questionnaires are being considered as a very important means of collection
Primary Data, but several times it has been found that it does not result into
fruitful results. This due to the following reasons:
Busy-bee employees
Individual perception
Conscious response
Unwillingness of respondents

53

CHAPTER 5
Findings & Data
Analysis

54

Findings & Data Analysis

5.1 Findings:
5.1.1 Functioning of Non-Government Welfare Organisation:
From the data collected from the four: Action Aid India; Help-Age
India; Deepalaya; and Child Relief and You (CRY); respective NonGovernment Organisation operating in NCR/Delhi, we can observe that
Non-Government Organisation have become significant players in
development policies over the last two decades. The evolving relationship
among NGOs, developing states and donors are a critical aspect of
international development assistance and the wider development policy
debate. NGOs vary in their missions, internal management, scope of
engagement, source of funding, relations with developing states and targeted
areas of operations.
NGOs are the vanguard of civil society. They have increasingly been seen as
the vehicles of the new policy agenda of economic liberalization and
political democratization. Donors have been generous in channeling
resources through northern and indigenous NGOs to support grassroots
organisation, social change, political empowerment and sustainable
development. Developing states have ceded space to NGOs to deliver

55

services, perform contract development work and promote institutional

capacity building.
The role of NGOs in the contemporary world is elaborately described in the
present dissertation work. The management challenges and other issues
faced by NGOs are also examined. It will highly useful to NGOs, social
activists, policy-makers and all concerned.
Management of NGOs:
Many management development and training services available to NGOs are
derived from experiences in other types of organisation in the context of the
industrialized developed nations. NGOs therefore rightly ask the question,
Is whats on offer suitable for who we are, where we are and for what we
do? however NGOs have a problem in answering this question because
they dont find it easy to define the critical difference between organisations
whose purpose is social-economic development in the developing countries
and other whose purpose is profit or the running of a nation state. NGOs
seldom have a clear idea of the necessary distinctions and demands-in
management terms-between themselves and these other types of
organisation. As a result, NGOs find it difficult to decide what is appropriate
management for development and therefore how best to develop their
management.
56

Almost thirty years of development effort provides grounds for identifying

the necessary difference between the management of social development and
other enterprises. Analysis of contrasts between commercial, governmental
and non-profit voluntary organisations can therefore help in:
Designing appropriate methods for improving NGO management,
Determining the suitability of the management services already available,
and
Providing NGOs with insight and more self-confidence in arguing about
what can or cant be learnt from the commercial and government sectors
in the North.
The management of NGOs involved in rural socio-economics development
in developing countries must differ from the other two types of organisation
if they are to be effective. Four factors are contrasted:
The relationship between the producers and the clients of what the
organisation achieves;
The organizations environmental relations;
The sources of an organisations resources;
Differences in regulation of organizational performance through client

57

feedback.
By understanding differences in these areas NGOs will be in a better
position to decide how to tackle the development of their management
capabilities; to select from the services on offer; and, most importantly, to
relies that most of the learning about improving NGO performance will have
to come from within the NGO sector itself.
The input of financial and Human Resources in pilot projects is often too
high to be widely replicable within existing resources. Any single standard
package may not have enough flexibility to be adapted to a wide variety of
specific

local

institutions

and

cultural

contexts.

Often

voluntary

organizations have initiated projects with no involvement or low

involvement of government; thus they have not had to deal with the real-life
constraints of government bureaucracy, and therefore, have less credibility.
Sometimes there is not enough community involvement in all the stages to
assure appropriateness, cost-effectiveness, coverage, and continuity.
Sometimes the innovative are in too much of a hurry to establish a large
program and to go to scale nationally. Government officials are often
skeptical or suspicious of voluntary agencies.

58

Key issues in Scaling up an NGO:

1. Getting the attention of policymakers and convincing then of the
usefulness, practicality, affordability and replicability of the approach.
2. Scaling up calls for a different kind of managerial capacity which will be
less personal and informal at the top.
3. Selection and maintenance of staff with requisite attitudes, skills and
motivation.
4. Training a sufficiently large cadre of field workers and project officers
for participatory projects.
5. Maintenance of an emphasis on participatory process, rather than the
result alone.
6. Maintenance of accountability to the people at the grass roots by all
levels of planners and administrators.
Skills required of an NGO:
Community organizing:
Group dynamics
Community integration

59

Problem identification
Community investigation
Facilitation
Mobilization
Communication
Role playing
Objectivity, monitoring and evaluation
Participatory Action Research:
Identification of research problem
Identification of different research tools
Data gathering
Analysis of data
Consultation with the community and validation of data
Drawing of conclusions
Making of recommendations
Business Skills:
Planning

60

Participatory (circular) management

Accounting and bookkeeping
Marketing and purchasing
Negotiation
Monitoring and record keeping
Technical skill in micro-computers
Documentation, dissemination of Information:
Small group formation
Clarification of values and vision
Group dynamics
Different kinds of media production
Communication skills and visual aids
Concretization/ sanitizing skills
Advocacy
Networking and linkages
Training Methods:
Use of cultural forms

61

Use of media
On-the-job training - participant observation
Workshop organization
Group dynamics
Practice-Theory/Action-reflection
Exposure programs
Group discussion and synthesis, brain-storming
Self-learning kits and modules
NGO, to all of us mean serious work and commitment. The only thing that
sets the NGO is motivation and patience. Setting up an NGO or managing an
NGO calls for complete commitment. It is not easy or relaxing.
NGO performs variety of roles in our society and there is hardly any area
which is left untouched by the NGO, be it natural resources, finance, human
settlements, social development, culture, education and energy.
NGO's have played an effective role in changing the scenario of the present
world either by setting agendas or by pushing government to do things,
which they needed to do.
By networking, coordinating and circulating information, by follow up and

62

monitoring implementation problems, challenging power relationships,

supporting the voice of the community and civil society and networking to
exchange practical experience and mobilize resources for projects, NGO
performs a wide variety of function.
Not all people working for non-governmental organizations are volunteers.
Paid staff members typically receive lower pay than in the commercial
private sector. Employees are highly committed to the aims and principles of
the organization. The reasons why people volunteer are not necessarily
purely altruistic, and can provide immediate benefits for themselves as well
as those they serve, including skills, experience and contacts.
Results suggested that there are different types of NGOs, but one unifying
pattern has been their focus on welfare development. Though many NGOs
engage in multiple activities, most of them have a dominant focus. Based on
their dominant focus these NGOs can be broadly classified into four groups:
(a) agriculture and livestock focused, (b) natural resource management
focused, (c) credit-linked enterprise focused, and (d) education and health
focused NGOs. It was revealed that these NGOs have a considerable size of
human resources and the need for professional managers is growing. The
total estimated size of employment in these four respondent organisations
across India is about 55,000 and the estimated size of the technical and
63

managerial

professionals

employed

is

about

15,000.

Managerial

professionals constituted about 6.5% of the total employment in the NGOs

surveyed.
If an individual has strong feeling towards some specific issues and want to
make some difference in NGO sector, and he/ she posses initiative and
integrity, this is the field they should belong to. The opportunities are
incredible now and growing every day. Whether they plan to open an NGO,
provide funding for an NGO or work in an NGO the involvement would be
emotionally rewarding. The opportunities offered in NGOs will give them
insight into the career, give them the answers to their "getting started"
questions and inform them as to the many ways to be a part of the world of
the NGO's.

64

5.1.2 Significance of Human Resource Management in Non-Government

Organization.
From the Data Collected from the four NGOs, we can observe that NGOs
face numerous challenges with regards to Human Resource management
(HRM). The need to ensure that the legal obligations by both employer and
employee are adhered to is very neatly regulated by numerous statutory
requirements, which can be easily sourced through various sources.
Furthermore, there are a number of new organisational developments and
shifting economic trends, which impose upon the often unwilling NGO
manager a range of new management approaches that are at odds with both
their intrinsic sense of compassion and fairness as well as the values base
that drives the NGO sector.
Weighed against this desire to be sensitive to the many dimensions of each
employee's life, is the fact that there are some employees who do not
reciprocate in a similar fashion and choose rather to exploit any opportunity
to serve their own interests. The legal instruments for remedying this
situation are simple enough. However, the repercussions in terms of staff
morale and the consequences resulting from the unnecessary amount of time
spent in meetings, trying to resolve such disputes, can be far less simple to
65

deal with.
Finally, there is the case of volunteer workers. Such people also need to be
"managed" effectively and given the opportunity to direct their energies in a
way that can be rewarding for both parties. Again, this is another area
requiring further investigation by the NGO sector so that new ideas are
shared and successful approaches can be adopted.
Nonprofit organizations are full of intelligent people with a passion for their
work (many with graduate degrees and years of experience in the sector).
Many people switch between the nonprofit, government, and private sectors
during their careers. Each line of work presents its own set of challenges, but
there are many talented people in all three sectors. Business people are often
surprised to learn how difficult it is to make the transition into the nonprofit
sector, which has different, often rigorous standards of success.
Working in the nonprofit sector sometimes is considered taking a break from
the real world, with the implied assumption that it is not an option to
spend a lifetime doing this work. In reality, the nonprofit sector provides
many people with lifetime of exciting work. Nonprofits also tend to offer
young people more leadership opportunities than other sectors.
The most visible nonprofits are often soup kitchens, mentoring programs,

66

and other organizations that involve people working directly with other
people who need some form of assistance. But many people who work for
nonprofits are accountants, computer programmers, sales people, human
resources professionals, managers, fundraisers, and executives. Many more
are researchers and advocates for certain issues or supporting the work of
direct service organizations.
Human Resource Management consists of a set of tools to help NonGovernment Organizations anticipate and respond to threats and
opportunities in their external environment. Human Resource management
requires that organizational managers and leaders continuously assess
external threats and opportunities arising from political, economic,
technological, and socio-cultural trends. It also requires an understanding of
competitive markets, especially in the NGO sector as organizations compete
for resources, visibility, prestige, and credibility. The essence of HRM is the
ability to build and sustain the organizations comparative advantage by
leveraging the organizations strengths to take advantage of emerging
opportunities in the environment. Human resource Management places
special demands on organizational leaders, requiring them to have an
external as well as internal perspective on their organizations. HRM also
requires leaders to develop human resource strategies (recruitment,

67

placement,

assessment,

and

development)

that

contribute

to

the

organizations strategic goals.

Human Resource Management in NGOs

Motivation/
Development

Organizatio
n
Mission,
Goals and
HRM
Policies

HRM Tools:
Recruitment,
selection,
orientation,
wages, benefits

HRD Strategies:
Supervision,
coaching,
support,
delegation,
training

Task,
Added Value
and
Relational
Performance
Appraisals

Discipline
and
Termination

68

C
A
R
E
E
R
S
E
R
V
I
C
E

The purpose of an organization is to make the strengths of people productive

and their weaknesses irrelevant
Peter
Drucker

Human Resource management, or HRM as it is referred to, is the process

used to obtain, place, manage, and develop the people needed by an
organisation to achieve its mission. The success or failure of every NGO will
depend in large measure on its ability to attract, develop, and hold
committed people. Peter Drucker suggests that NGO managers should be
asking three important questions about the organisations human resources.
Are we attracting people we are willing to entrust this organisation to?
Are we developing them so that they are going to be better than we are?
Are we holding them, inspiring them, recognizing them? Are we, in other
words, building for tomorrow in our people decisions, or are we settling
for the convenience and the easy today?
At the heart of any effective human resource management system whether in
an NGO, CBO, local government, or private organisation is a collection of

69

management tasks. These tasks must be carried out effectively to equip and
encourage the organisations paid and volunteer employees to serve
effectively and with commitment for long periods of time. While we can
group these tasks into six functional categories, we might want to organize
them a bit differently depending on local traditions or requirements. If an
individual manage small NGOs with only a handful of employees, he/she
might find all these functions in their formal clothing a bit overwhelming.
Our suggestion is to: 1) think about each of the tasks in the following
diagram in terms of how you currently manage each of these functions; and
2) consider ways you might increase your HRM effectiveness by adapting
and adopting those functions that will help your organisation better achieve
its mission.
Classification of essential Human Resource Management tasks
Functions

Tasks

Recruitment

Procedures are established for recruitment to fill vacancies,

and hiring

for selecting the best qualified persons according to valid

Wages and

criteria, and for orienting new employees and volunteers.

Job descriptions are prepared for all positions, pay is

benefits

assigned to jobs based on their relative worth to the

organisation and to similar jobs in the job market, and a
package of employment benefits is made available consistent
70

with current practice.

Employee

Motivation and support strategies are designed to encourage

motivation

creative inputs and initiatives and provide intrinsic rewards

Workforce

for employees.
Managers direct and support the work of their subordinates

management

by varying their styles of management consistent with the

Training and

ability and motivation of each volunteer and employee.

Training is used to correct discrepancies in performance

development

resulting from lack of knowledge or skill and results are

evaluated against planned performance improvements.
Training is also an important strategy for personal and
professional development.

71

From

the

Comprehensive
findings and the data
collected

from

four

respective

NGOs,

we

the

can

observe that Human

Resource is playing a
decisive and dynamic role in these non-government organisations and has
taken centre-stage in there day to day functioning. Human Resource
executives across these four Non-Government Organisations have
significantly marked 37% (fully) & 49% (satisfied) agree that there is a great
potential for Human resource management in NGOs. On the contrary a very
few 2% executives feel there is not at all any potential for growth in Human
Resource in NGOs. 39% (fully) & 45% (satisfied) executives believe that
with the change in time and radical growth, in this sector MBAs are key
performance drivers in Non-government organisation. However 15%
(neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) executive feel people from all walks of life

72

can play a significant role an individual need not been a MBA. e.g. ActionAid India presently has an experienced human resource base of 188 regular
staff and 29 staff on contract. Among these nearly 35 percent are women
staff.
Their human resources are drawn from Universities, Institutes and Social
Work Schools of national and International repute as also from among the
communities we work with. All members of their programme teams have
either post-graduation or post-doctoral degrees. Also, a number of
experienced social activists are working with them. They pride themselves
of the quality of their staff - the passion with which they work, their
orientation for learning and sharing, ensuring downward accountability,
aligning their work to their vision, mission and values.
They believe that their commitment to gender and social equality must not
be limited to our programme work, but should also reflect in their
organization. During the last few years, they have made conscious efforts to
recruit more women staff and people from the communities we work with,
so to have an equal and balanced.
We are convinced that to achieve our mission we must have the human
resources with right competencies staff who can empathize and bond with
the poor and marginalized people and their issues.
73

5.1.3 Career growth opportunity in NGOs:

From the Data Collected from the four NGOs, we can observe that The
recruitment patterns of the voluntary sector have seen a perceptible change
in its workforce profile, with more engineering and management graduates
opting to work in this sector. This means that voluntary work has changed
into a pulsating profession with exciting growth possibilities, especially
those that are technology-driven.
The role of these professionals in this sector has taken a center-stage. If we
follow the recruitment patterns of the voluntary sector in the country, we will
see a perceptible change in its workforce profile. At least 0.3-0.5 per cent of
the country's workforce is in this sector, and according to experts, there is
significant increase in the number of engineering and management graduates
opting to work for the non-government organisations. This is apart from
professional filmmakers, designers and mass communication graduates that
constantly seek to satisfy their creative urges here.
The findings, from the collected data confirm that the hiring pattern has
changed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Study pins down this
transformation to the increased flow of funds from donors to the voluntary
sector and the Government and a stronger inclination of the Government to
74

implement projects through NGOs. Therefore, the overall demand for people
in this sector has gone up.
On the flip side, the scope of work of the voluntary sector has also enlarged
to include more technical work, thus calling for absorption of technical
graduates. But he also points to one niggling factor in the trend: Those
NGOs that are in a position to afford competitive remuneration to MBAs do
hire their services and it is also true that NGOs are hiring MBAs to inculcate
professionalism as it exists in the corporate sector.
However, this study also focused the quality of these professionals. "Do
MBAs from top business schools come to NGOs? On the basis of the
findings we can observe, in most cases, they have the degree, but not the
same level of expertise." At the same time, another development is taking
place simultaneously: senior managers, having an MBA degree from top
business schools, leaving their corporate job and opting for voluntary work.
Organisations have previously recruited students from top B schools in the
US, and the reason they are looking at Asian students now is for the obvious
`cultural match'.
In India, in the past, organisations such as Green Peace Foundation, ActionAid, Basic and Public Affairs Centre have approached the Institute for talent
either for summer placement or lateral placements. For instance, CRY
75

which is in the field of consumer marketing needs professionals with

brand building skills and has recruited MBAs even in the early 1990s. "They
(NGOs) have been recruiting professionals and qualified people for quite
some time now." Big business houses have promoted NGOs to work in
different fields science and technology, rural development, social
development, energy, etc and they naturally look for qualified manpower.
Moreover, funding agencies are more comfortable with NGOs that have
qualified people with high caliber.
In other words, it is managed like an efficiently managed company with a lot
of fund raising activities. NGOs have the largest fund collecting outfits in
this part of the world. And most of the funds are raised through TV shows
and live events. "These MBAs are expected to put together pretty much the
same media, communication and direct marketing plans. NGOs are also
looking at final placements from IIM.
"And career growth is unlimited with distinct possibilities of such
professionals rising to the very top depending on their application,
commitment and diligence, Some professionals work for NGOs in the
beginning of their career and then move onto the corporate sector, and vice
versa. This trend is expected to strengthen as many in the corporate sector

76

are looking for people having NGO background as the meaning of public
relations has changed considerably in recent times.
On the other hand, the scenario has changed considerably in the NGO sector
with profit no longer being such a dirty word, as say, 10 years ago. Now
sustainability is important. For this it's important to have the right personnel
and perhaps management graduates could just fit into the jigsaw puzzle that
had the `profit' space vacant and gaping. Remuneration is one area that
needs a lot of bolstering in the NGO sector, but there are some who have
started giving "good salary to professionals, though not on par with
corporate sector, adding, "Over the last decade, the voluntary sector in
India has realized the meaning of the term: if you give peanuts, you will get
monkeys. The remuneration is at par with the corporate sector as far as
international donor agencies are concerned.
"Salary levels are not strictly comparable with what is available in the
corporate sector but they come close enough to attract a certain kind of
talent." For many NGOs, the Pay Commission recommendations are some
sort of a guideline/baseline especially because there are a number of
government-funded projects also.

77

From

the

above

Comprehensive
findings and the data
collected from the
four

respective

NGOs,

we

can

observe that the field

of social work or
Non-government organisation is drawing some of Indias brightest and best
today. The NGO sector has become more professional and is now a viable
career option. Human Resource is playing a decisive and dynamic role in
these non-government organisations and has taken centre-stage in there day
to day functioning. Human Resource Executives across these four
organisations have overall rated 4 (Satisfied) on the scale of 5 the training
Programs and methods and career growth opportunity in NGOs. The sample
size (i.e. 100) 38% (fully) while 50% (satisfied) agree training &
development programs plays a crucial role in their career development. 61%
(satisfied) with the methods used for imparting training. Most significant
37% (fully) & 49% (satisfied) agree that there is a great potential for Human
resource management in NGOs. On the contrary a very few 2% executives

78

feel there is not at all any potential for growth in Human Resource in NGOs.
39% (fully) & 45% (satisfied) executives believe that with the change in
time and radical growth, in this sector MBAs are key performance drivers in
Non-government organisation. However 15% (neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied) executive feel people from all walks of life can play a
significant role an individual need not been a MBA.

5.1.4 Accessing, the effectiveness of Training & development programs

in NGOs:

From the Data Collected from the four NGOs, we can observe that Human
Resource Development of NGOs through conduct of need based Training &
Development programs has been main thrust areas of activities since there
inception. This was necessary because of engagement of NGOS in a wide
range of activities, which can be made more effective only by developing
their personal through proper and need based training. Thus the need and
importance of training of the volunteer sector is long recognized, Various
NGOs established a full-fledged training wing, with generous financial
support from donor institution like Industrial Development Bank of India
(IDBI), State Bank of India and FORD Foundation who were interested in
79

the development of NGOs.

Supporting individuals in the Non-government organizations in India as they
endeavor to construct the basic building blocks of democracy is the work of
the NGOs Training and Resource Center. By serving vulnerable populations
and advocating for citizens' rights, non-governmental organizations are
essential agents of change in creating and strengthening civil societies.
For eg. The IAMR would provide about 10 days training to the 50 identified
NGOs in a group of 25 participants each. Two representatives from each
NGO would be trained in organizing and imparting the skill development
programs to unemployed rural poor according to the demand of trades at
local level. The training will be conducted by IAMR at suitable venues
either for the individual State or groups of States depending upon the
number of NGOs selected in those States. The training content would
include the topics such as how to organize a training programs, the training
techniques, financial management, micro-entrepreneurial management,
networking skills, marketing of products, community mobilization,
preparation of project for banks, etc. and also the training in soft skills such
as leadership, communication, attitude change, team-building, motivation,
etc. The training would be started immediately after the identification of
NGOs as well as trades.
80

At Deepalaya The trained NGOs will organize training programs at local

levels for the identified rural educated poor. Selection of participants from
rural poor will be based on eligibility criteria such as education, age,
motivation, record of employment/ training, coverage under other schemes,
etc.

The selection criteria would be prepared in consultation with

management level. The selection of the participants according to the criteria

would have to be approved by a Committee consisting of representatives
from organisation, NGOs, Local Authorities and experts. Coverage of the
rural poor would be done on the basis of the priority categories. 80 per cent
trainers would be selected from volunteers.
Preferences will also be given to women, SC/ STs and disabled.

The

duration of the training to the employees would vary from 15 days to 180
days depending upon the nature of trade. The certificate to the trainees
would be ed only after a competency test.
From the Comprehensive findings and the data collected from the four
respective NGOs, we can observe that the field of social work or Nongovernment organisation is drawing some of Indias brightest and best today.
The NGO sector has become more professional and is now a viable career
option.
Human Resource is playing a decisive and dynamic role in these non81

government organisations and has taken centre-stage in there day to day

functioning. At the same time it is worth noticing that Training
&Development activities are helping the employees to inculcate high ethical
values in them and boosting their career growth in the organisation.
Human Resource Executives across these four organisations have overall
rated 4 (Satisfied) on the scale of 5 the training Programs and methods and
career growth opportunity in NGOs.

82

When

asked

According to your
professional need, to
what extent Training
program/
formulation
effective?
executives

programs
is
33%
agreed

(fully) and 53% executives marked (satisfied) to the fact that training
programs are formulated according to the professional need.

83

50% (fully) & 35%

(satisfied) agree that
the

Organizational

objectives

are

balanced

with

Training

program/

programs.
(fully)

34%
&

55%

(satisfied) agree that training programs meet the changes taking place in the
work environment hence helping them to keep a pace with the competition.

84

38%

(fully)

while

50% (satisfied) agree

training

&

development
programs

plays

crucial role in their

career development.

85

Methods used for imparting training are

effective?

with the methods

5(Fully)

0%
30%

4(Satisfied)
3(Neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied
2(dissatisfied)

61%

(satisfied)

used for imparting

0%
9%

61%

training.

Most

significant

37%

(fully)

49%

&

1(Not at all)

(satisfied)

agree

that there is a great

potential for Human resource management in NGOs. On the contrary a very
few 2% executives feel there is not at all any potential for growth in Human
Resource in NGOs. 39% (fully) & 45% (satisfied) executives believe that
with the change in time and radical growth, in this sector MBAs are key
performance drivers in Non-government organisation. However 15%
(neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) executive feel people from all walks of life
can play a significant role an individual need not been a MBA.

86

36% human resource

executive agreed (fully)
44% where (satisfied)
with the Training &
development

program

helping them to handle

there

current

job

responsibilities.
However 16% executives marked (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) and 4%
marked (dissatisfied) with the training program playing any role in
improving or handling there current job responsibilities.

87

CHAPTER 6
Conclusion

88

Conclusion
Conclusion
Based on the findings and interactive, responses from the respondents.
Finally I would like to conclude that Non-Government Organisations have
fostered a culture of participation and modernism for employee growth and
contribution. A high slandered of social ethics and religious dedication in
there day to day activities have made these arganisation grow more
professionally. There is an atmosphere of complete harmony and support in
these organisations. There unique work culture is based on trust, openness
and a commitment to creativity and consultation. A section of Training and
development programs handles all training activities on a predetermined
basis. Various kind of training methods are being followed which enrich
employees with better social skills and empower them for future
development. Employees show high motivation and are dedicated to their
jobs and responsibilities.
It may be pertinent to note that a substantial number of executives in nongovernment organisation find training directly, indirectly, or in some way
relevant. They also feel that training has helped them in changing their
attitude, brought in greater self-confidence and improved their performance.
The recruitment patterns of the voluntary sector have seen a perceptible
change in its workforce profile, with more engineering and management
graduates opting to work in this sector. It is worth noticing that voluntary
work has changed into a pulsating profession with exciting growth
possibilities, especially those that are technology-driven, the role of the
89

professionals in this sector has taken a canter-stage and they are the keydrivers of high performance and integrity.
It has happened in spurts in the past. It has happened elsewhere in the world.
But the trend is now strengthening in India.

90

CHAPTER 7
Conclusion

91

Recommendation
6.3 Recommendation:

Based on the results of the findings carried out in the organization following
recommendations are made:

The Training programs should be planned so that it relates to the

trainees

previous

experience/

background

and

present

job

requirement. This background should be used as a foundation for

development & new behavior.

The Training programs should be made more interesting & the

employees intelligence & motivational level should be checked
throughout the programs.

Attract and encourage zealous professionals as well as fresh

management graduates with competitive pay benefits, and by building
awareness using different media across the country. Make
improvement and streamline selection process to ensure that eminence
professional join the organisation.

92

Bibliography:
References:
Non-governmental organisations: Performance and Accountability beyond
the Magic: by Michael Edwards, David Hulme
Kamat, Sangeeta. Development hegemony: NGOs and the State in India,
Delhi, New York; Oxford University Press, 2002
The State and NGOs: Perspective from Asia: by Shinoichi Shigetomi.
Strategic management: NGO management- by R.K Gupta.
Guidelines for NGOs Management in India: Snehlata Chandra. New Delhi,
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference, Enterprise Information
Systems (ICEIS), Miami, USA, May 24-28, 2005: Jos Vasconcelos , Paulo
Castro Seixas , Paulo Gens Lemos and Chris Kimble
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 2530: Shanti Jagannathan
Ross School of Business Paper No. 1055: Thomas P. Lyon and John W.
Maxwell
Community-Based Scheme Working Paper No. 3: International Labour
Office and Saliya Kanathigoda
Internet References:
http://www.cry.org/intro.html
http://www.actionaidindia.org/
http://www.deepalaya.org/
http://www.helpageindia.org/

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94