Funding as an NGO challenge in the context of sustainable development : the case study of Bramley Children's Home, Pretoria / Yolandi Venter

• Main Author: Venter, Yolandi
• Language: en
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Corporate Social Investment (CSI); Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Funding; Non-Government Organisation (NGO); Social dimension; Sustainable development
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/15747

Non-government organisations (NGOs) are special kinds of organisation which focus on serving the common good in society. Historically they have helped the needy, disadvantaged and vulnerable people and communities. The view that society had of NGOs has changed: they are no longer seen as charity and welfare organisations but as valuable partners in the context of sustainable development. Although many different non-profit organisations exist, all strive towards development, betterment and upliftment. These organisations are dependent on funding, yet need to be sustainable, which creates the challenge of obtaining funding in order to render services. This research explored the current funding context, using Bramley’s Children’s Home as a case study, in order to identify the challenges experienced by NGOs in obtaining adequate funding. It also investigated the perceptions of management regarding the impact of these challenges on the sustainability of the organisation. The research findings indicate that funding is seen as a common dilemma in this sector, and that there is a lack of sufficient long-term investment from donors. The effect is that NGOs struggle to implement much-needed services and therefore improving services in order to address the constantly changing needs of people remains a challenge. Emphasis has been placed on the importance of collaboration between the NGO sector, the business sector and government. By establishing partnerships each sector can benefit when contributing to sustainable development and can possibly also address the challenge of funding within NGOs. This research strives to showcase the important role of NGOs within the context of sustainable development, with specific reference to Bramley Children’s Home in addressing the social problem of caring for and protecting vulnerable children. === Master of Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015