Improving the effectiveness of strategic planning in local NGOs in Malawi

Abstract

The study set out to investigate factors influencing the effectiveness of strategic planning processes among local NGOs in Malawi. Employing qualitative methods, the study used the 'levels of complexity' and 'stages of organization development' models to analyze factors influencing the strategic planning process and the roles and responsibilities played by the board, management, donors, consultants and communities respectively in five selected local NGOs.

The study revealed that the level of implementation of the strategic plans was low (46%). In comparison, the implementation was lower for organizational capacity building activities as compared to project activities. HIV and AIDS NGOs had higher levels of implementation as compared to their human rights counterparts. The major causes of the low implementation were the local NGOs' inadequate financial independence from donors to respond effectively and autonomously to the needs and priorities of their beneficiaries; and inadequate capacity for the boards, management, donors, consultants and communities to effectively go through the strategic planning process.

In order to improve the strategic planning processes among the local NGOs, the study recommends that local NGOs must become less dependent on 'non developmental donor funding' through: • Making themselves and their services more relevant and therefore more needed by both the beneficiaries and the donors, • Developing skills to negotiate with donors for more 'developmental or good quality funding', • Identifying alternative sources of funding while taking care not to be distracted from their core mandate and; • Investing in the 'strategic capacity' of the board, management, donors, consultants and communities to effectively manage the strategic planning process. Finally, the study recommends that in order to ensure effectiveness of the strategic planning processes, literature or theories guiding the strategic planning processes in local NGOs need to provide guidance on the facts that most local NGOs are not financially sustainable, they do not have adequate capacity to effectively manage the strategic planning process and that they often are not accountable to the communities they serve.