Interviews
GETTING FUNDING, YES, BUT MORE PROFESSIONALLY
Interview with Cecile, international solidarity professional, head of strategy and organization for Chemins d’Enfances
You have experience with financing associations in developing countries. What are the main difficulties?
First, it is very difficult for these associations to obtain funds and therefore to give their projects sufficient visibility. Public donors such as the European Commission or ministries stipulate increasingly restrictive conditions for obtaining subsidies: co-funding of the activities, experience with similar projects, refusal to cover the costs of support ... and yet without them these programs cannot operate.
As for other Western donors, they are often reluctant to send funds to a local association they do not know. Therefore, they most often go through associations in their own countries which can act as a guarantee, but this puts the local associations in a situation of total dependence.
Finally, when they do obtain funds, it is often through grants, which are allocated to a specific program. However, to work effectively, they also need to cover their costs of structure, research, communication, and evaluation. Some private donations can help them in this respect but the associations rarely have access to them.
Aren’t public donors starting to open up their funding to local associations?
Yes, but the conditions are often the same as for international NGOs. They must submit very detailed applications (at least ten pages) and frequent progress reports, although they do not have the necessary qualified staff: poor English writing skills, a local culture that is poorly adapted to the logic of European reports, difficulties in planning a budget. Finally, they often do not know whom to contact or do not dare to do so as they are unsure of their English, of their project, of their capabilities…
What do you recommend that local associations do to strengthen their financial situation?
We recommend that they apply concepts borrowed from the business world to their finances: budget planning, budget monitoring, transparency and cost rationalization. They must appear to be reliable, to be able to present structured reports. They must understand that for providers of funds, it is essential and perfectly normal to have a clear vision of how the money they give is used, as they must often also report to their own donors.
Good management of a first budget often determines the renewal of a subsidy or its nonrenewal. It is therefore necessary for these associations to manage their resources more professionally and make the job of administrator or financial director a key position in their organization.