Message-ID: <9606262232.AA29137@mail.candw.lc> Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 17:32:20 -0500 From: mailto:daym@CANDW.LC> Subject: Re: Nonprofit Entrepreneurship Research To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Nonprofit Entrepreneurship ResearchI come from the private sector. I retired in 1990 at 37 and choose to devote my time and energy to assisting NGO's with income generation and financial sustainability. I have found the past six years very fustrating. I do not think that the organizations I have worked with have the structures necessary to be "entrepernurial". I have also wondered if the people who gravitate to this sector are also capable of giving what it takes to make an NGO a financially sucessful enterprise .
We have asked NGO's to me more entrepernurial but when the clock strikes 4:30 sparks are flying from the soles of the employees shoes as they hit the pavement on their way home.
I currently serve on the Council (board of directors) of the National Trust of St. Lucia. They struggle with issues of income generation all the time, but they have so many other considerations that are more important to them that they can't avail themselves of opportunity presented in a timely fashion. They just seem incapable of moving quick enough to seize the moment.
Businsses succeed because their goal is to make a net profit. NGOs have other goals (mission statements) and profit is not high on their list. In fact A major challege is that if an organization wants to make a profit, they need to call it profit, make it their goal, and not be ashamed of it. The organizations I have worked with are afraid of the word "profit", like its somekind of dirty word.
I would love to be on your team.
I would writemore but we have a scheduled power outage in 15 minutes and I need to send this and shut down.
Marcus Day St. Lucia
On Fri, 21 Jun 1996, Lee Davis <mailto:lee@FS2.BP.REC.HU> wrote: >Dear Fellow Devel-l colleagues,
>
>I am currently developing research on the idea of NGO/nonprofit
>commerical ventures and
>entrepreneurship as a part of an initiative to identify alternative
>methods around the world for financing the work of development
>NGOs in light of shrinking government and international assistance
>budgets. I am exploring a number of different models, including:
>NGO-run businesses, NGO/private sector business partnerships, NGO
>for-profit subsidiaries, etc. all of which generate revenues for NGO
>programmatic activities in this area.
>
>I am currently working to put together a team of individuals around
>the world who are interested in this topic, and I wonder if any of
>you are interested in this or are in a position to recommend
>specific practical cases of NGOs around the world which have
>engaged in for-profit/commercial ventures to raise resources for their
>programmatic activities that might be useful for the preliminary
>research. I am happy to share additional details with anyone who is
>interested.
>
>I look forward to hearing from you. I can be
>reached at: mailto:lee@fs2.bp.rec.hu. I am currently based in Budapest
>in the Public Participation Program at the
>Regional Environmental Centre. I can be reached at the Centre at
>Tel:(361) 250-3401 or Fax: (361) 250-3403.
>
> Sincerely,
> Lee Davis
>Project Coordinator, REC
>and Researcher, SAIS
>
>
>
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