A Screening Indicator for Holding International Non-Governmental Organizations to Standards of Professionalism and Accountability

Journal of Social Research & Policy, Volume: 7, Issue: 1, Online First

Date: July 2016

ISSN: 2067-2640 (print), 2068-9861 (electronic)

Abstract: This article offers an easy-to-use indicator to measure whether certain types of non-governmental organizations (particularly those in international “development” work) meet professional and development standards for “mission” and “vision” oriented organizations, fulfilling international legal and public policy objectives on solving the root causes of problems in sustainable ways. Use of the indicator exposes many organizations as having compromised their missions and standards for self-interest and having been corrupted by agendas of major donors that have transformed them into “businesses” serving essentially as administrative agencies for often illegal donor objectives; simply throwing money at slogans or symptoms. The indicator can be used as an accountability tool to spot and counter these abuses. The piece uses an Oxfam country office and a small new organization claiming to be in the area of “legal empowerment”, one of the new donor slogans without real content, as case studies of what has gone wrong.

Keywords: Non-Governmental Organizations; Development; Aid; Management; Strategic Planning; Organizational Mission; Oxfam; Namati.