Every NGO Founder Needs to Know This

It’s a classroom not a pedestal

Photo by Urban Sanden on Unsplash

We need more passionate people in the world that will drive social change. Selflessly.

I keep this in mind as I approach this topic with caution as it’s a no-brainer that people get easily put off the idea of participating in non-profit causes. But watching the aggrandisement of NGO (non-profit organization) founders that hardly corresponds with society’s solutions, gives me a moral obligation to write about this.

I accepted the LinkedIn request of a recent graduate who described his ideal job in a post as one which offers him independence to make money, gain social recognition and gives him the opportunity to find answers to some of the world’s problems.

After a few weeks of following him, I observed he had edited his status from ‘Job-seeker’ to ‘Founder’. Tony Anjorin, Founder, Initiative for Youth Empowerment and Rehabilitation. Then the bio section read ‘A Social entrepreneur, making impact, one person at a time’. How noble.

I’ve met a few people like Tony. Really cool people. But they fall into the temptation of starting a nonprofit or foundation. Founding something comes naturally to altruistic people it seems. But after a couple of solo efforts undertaking drug abuse outreaches, breast cancer awareness campaigns and youth mentoring sessions, the reality of charity fundraising settles in.

Registering a charity becomes a logical way to legitimize ‘good’ motives in order to attract donors. So, we end up with all these people becoming founders.

You may ask, “what is unremarkable about becoming an NGO founder, if you really want to make a difference and you don’t get the platform to do it?” If no one gives you a seat at the table, shouldn’t you bring your own chair?

You might also argue that the world needs change agents to tackle poverty in Africa, immigration in Europe and terrorism in Asia. The more the merrier.

I’ll tell you this.

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