The Global Pandemic in 2020 has brought the world to a stand still and it has caused immense economic and social problems for people all over the world, especially the poor and homeless. It was during this time that the NGOs (Non Governmental Organisation) got more recognition among the general public by catering to the needs of this particular section of the society by distributing food and other necessities but having said that, along with recognition there are certain myths or misconceptions about NGOs as well. Let’s bust these myths here !
- People who work in NGOs are mediocre talents –
It is a common perception that people who run NGOs or work in NGOs are very poorly skilled in their work and hence they decided to work in NGOs but the truth is some of the brightest people work in this sector and instead of running after money their goal is to bring in positive change in the life of the people by using their education and skills.
- NGOs are all about philanthropy and not a serious career option –
Although this is partially correct, people who chose NGOs as their careers also have a family to take care of and they do so very efficiently as they are compensated well for their talents and hence this has become a career path for many.
- Running an NGO is a piece of cake –
It is one of the biggest misconceptions that it’s very easy to run an NGO. People don’t realise the amount of effort it takes to raise money which is like the backbone of an NGO. The lack of initial brand recognition makes it even more difficult to raise money and on top of that the government rules and regulations these organisations have to adhere to makes the job of successfully running an NGO even more hectic.
- NGOs are all about charity –
There’s a very popular proverb which says “Give a man a fish and you feed for a day but teach a man how to fish you feed him for a lifetime” This goes very well with this myth as people perceive that NGOs are all about charity like donating food, blankets, etc but the truth is NGOs work on various other fields like behavioural changes and imparting knowledge about various skills which can help the beneficiaries in their life.
- NGOs don’t have to worry about making profits –
Another major myth about NGOs is that they can run losses and still be successful but it’s nothing but false. NGOs need to be very profitable so that they can sustain for a long time especially for times when raising money becomes difficult.
- NGOs misuse donations received –
It is one of the common misconceptions people have about NGOs. They think that the majority of the donations received by the NGOs are misused by the NGOs which is completely wrong as NGOs use most of their donations for the welfare of their beneficiaries. Also, it is to be noted that no NGO can utilise 100% of its donations for welfare activities as they also need to pay salaries to their staff for their effort and time. This is why the government has special regulations regarding NGOs audits.
- Donors have no clue about the utilisation of their money –
This might have been true in earlier times but nowadays donors are very much aware about the utilisation of their donations. Donors can easily check about the authenticity of the respective NGO and the kind of work they do. Donors can also easily enquire about the results of their donations.
- NGOs function only on donations –
This is a very wrong conception people have towards NGOs but the truth is most NGOs provide services for common people just like any organisation and also have various products that can be brought by customers and these products are generally developed by people in the NGOs and these products and services makes an NGO very much self reliant.
These are the eight common myths people have about NGOs but having said that there are also few bad apples which malign the reputation of genuine NGOs because of their unethical practices. So, a person should know how to differentiate between the both before investing their time, money and efforts towards NGOs and this will not only save them wasting their resources on wrong NGOs but also help the genuine NGOs in continuing their welfare work for a longer period of time.