NGOs: Pros and Cons of Professional Fundraisers, Marketing, and PR

This essay delves into the crucial need for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to embrace professional fundraising, marketing teams, and public relations lobbyists to thrive in today's competitive landscape. It meticulously examines the advantages and disadvantages of each. The essay highlights the benefits of professional fundraisers, such as attracting corporate sponsorships and raising substantial funds efficiently, while also acknowledging the associated costs and risks. It explores how marketing teams can enhance an NGO's ability to secure funds, while also considering the challenges of maintaining internal expertise versus outsourcing. Finally, the essay analyzes the role of public relations lobbyists in advocating for NGOs' causes, acknowledging the potential for misuse of influence. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach, urging NGOs to carefully weigh the pros and cons before adopting these strategies to ensure their long-term success and adherence to their core missions.

NGOs NEED HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISERS, MARKETING TEAMS AND PUBLIC RELATION
LOBBYIST. ARGUE THE PROS AND CONS OF THE SAID PROPOSITION
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INTRODUCTION
Non-government organizations or as is also said not for profit organisations, are formed to
basically help the needy, poor, women empowerment, deal with child abuses of various kinds
etc. They ensure upliftment of the society in a sustained manner and across the borders as
well. These organizations are focussed on particular tasks and the participants are individuals
who have a common interest. The NGOs’ main work is to bring the various issues and
problems of the citizens in the eyes of the government so that the government can take certain
steps for the prevention of the same. However, the present day NGOs should look upon
upgrading their internal technical competencies immediately. NGOs work upon the funds
they receive as charities from the various organizations and individuals and are very high on
maintaining public relations. But globalisation has led to the emergence of a need of better
fundraising techniques which is more professional in nature, a team who could market about
their NGO in a more attractive manner so as to attract more people to become their members
and also help in receiving huge amounts of charity and also successful in maintain high end

public relations (International Institute of Sustainable Development, 2013). The said essay
discusses upon the advantages and disadvantages of the said proposition i.e. the need of the
NGOs of professional fundraisers, marketing teams and public relation lobbyists.
PROS AND CONS OF HAVING PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISERS BY THE NGOs
Fund raising in a more professional manner has become very crucial for all NGOs because of
the increase in the quantum of the NGOs. Earlier people had very less choice for giving
donations, but nowadays the numbers of NGOs opened have increased. Since these are not
for profit organizations, hence they do not have profits generated which they can plough back
and carry out the work of their organization. Thus the NGOs are highly dependent upon the
funds they receive from the donors. Therefore, due to the same, the need for professional
fundraisers has become very important, but unfortunately it also calls for various
disadvantages also along with the benefits it has to offer.
Planning various fundraising events on its own by the NGOs can pose various challenges as
well along with the benefits it has to offer. Since the fundraising procedures are basically
putting up of events which needs a lot of planning prior to execution as well as execution at a
highly professional level due to the growing competition, planning of any event on a big scale
or a small one necessitates the attention of the people who would donate money and also to
make people aware of the happening of the event by good advertisement gimmicks.
However, the same is not possible without the help of a professional as they know how to
attract the crowd and what to highlight in front of those who are willing to make a big
donation for the organization (Cherico 2014). These professional fundraising teams would
help to prepare a more convincing memorandum and prospectus which would help in
collecting the funds more easily. However these benefits are there for the appointment of the
professionals, but at the same time is the budget that the NGOs have in organising such
events. It should cross the amount of funds received else such events would be of no
economic benefit. The biggest disadvantage is the investment and the risk involved which is
very high and whether the return would be good or not.
However, the number of advantages it has to offer is many. First and foremost is that these
professionals help the NGO get various corporate sponsorships which are a must for the
successful union of any event specially for NGOs who basically do not have their own funds.
It also helps to raise a huge quantum of money and that too within a very short period of time,
which these NGOs would have find it very difficult to otherwise. Since these professionals

are well versed with the kind of events which would attract the crowd, they would ensure that
every penny is received back by the entity. Last but not the least, professional fundraising
methods helps in branding a NGO which would help in raising funds in future as well.
PROS AND CONS OF HAVING MARKETING TEAMS BY NGOs
NGOs are organizations that need to market their objectives and aim to the society so that
they can procure funds as these are entities formed for not seeking any profit and hence work
basis the funds received by the members and those willing to donate. Consequently they need
to appoint professional marketing teams who would help to raise funds easily. Since NGOs
generally run very low budget thus appointing marketing teams would turn out to be a costly
affair for them, further to this if the said team is internalised then they have to assure to
provide them with frequent training of the various developments which would help them to
market in newer and better ways (Kenner, 2005). They cannot market their firms in a
commercialised manner unlike the corporates. However more than the disadvantage of
having a separate marketing team, the said prospect of the now NGOs need a separate
marketing team since the competition is so high that if the marketing team is not well versed
with fresh ideas then the competitors would be ahead and they would lack raising of adequate
funds. Specifically, the benefits are more if the marketing team is not inbound and outsourced
both monetary wise as well as experience wise. The internal team may lack the required
expertise as they have a significant learning curve which the outsourced marketing teams do
not as they have experience in their kitty (Arora, 2016). Thereby to fight the pros and cons of
having a marketing team from the perspective of a NGO, they should appropriately have a
mix of both internal as well as outsourced.
PROS AND CONS OF HAVING PUBLIC RELATION LOBBYIST IN NGO
Lobbying is a rapid emergent ground that is intimately associated to public relations as the
role of lobbyist is to manipulate and persuade the legislators, by means of the skill of
affiliation on behalf of organisation’s view point on different problems. NGOs are basically
formed with a mission in their mind such as educating the crowd about various issues and
how to deal with the same (Saylor Academy. 2012). Lobbyist in public relation has gained
importance as they make efforts on behalf of the NGOs in circulating and propagating civic
information, convincing the people to adopt those views of the NGO with the usage of press
as an agent and asymmetric public relations and the usage of symmetrical public relations so
that funding from various donors can increase as well as funding from the government

(Kennerknecht, 2017). Generally those who form NGOs are very influential people such as
former government workers or employees and there way of lobbying public relation is
partnering with the various leaders such as political and social to fulfil their aims and the
initiatives. Although it is very beneficial as it helps these NGOs to seek help and funds very
easily, but the disadvantage of the same is that these influential people often try to take undue
advantage of their position and utilise these NGOs for siphoning of their funds (Howard,
2014). Unfortunately the main aim and goal of forming a NGO gets defeated as soon as such
lobbyist get into the picture. Thus even though they are helpful in making people aware of the
various issues being dealt by the NGOs, but their need for funds make these NGOs as well
also to indulge into such manipulations and laundering of funds.
CONCLUSION
Thus the fact that these NGOs will succeed in this competitive world only via proper
professional attitude towards raising of funds rather than depending upon their traditional
methods of knocking at various doors, ensuring that the marketing team is well versed with
the requirement of the present hour and the fact that outsourcing brings with it experience as
well with knowledge and lobbying the public relation since it is very difficult to get through
influential people otherwise and without them also it becomes difficult for the NGOs to do
branding of their entity and procure funds to meet the cause of the organization cannot be
denied. But further to this one cannot even ignore the darker side of the same wherein
appointing of professionals would hit the budget part of the NGO, the outsourcing of the
marketing team is not the sole solution and thus a mix is very important and along with the
same maintaining a parity between the two i.e. internal and external team is a difficult task
and last but not the least, lobbying public relation may at times defeat the whole purpose of
forming a NGO. Thus even though adoption of these methods are seemingly becoming a
must for all NGOs due to the immense competition, yet they should adopt only after
analysing both sides of the coin so that the organization is not in a lost position.

REFERENCES:
Arora,S., (2016), How Marketing and Communication Strategies can help NGOs achieve
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marketing-communications-strategies-help-ngos-achieve-fundraising-success/ (Accessed 13th
September 2017)
Cherico,C., (2014), Challenges and Benefits of Non-profit Event Fundraising, Available at
https://trust.guidestar.org/blog/2014/03/25/challenges-and-benefits-of-nonprofit-event-
fundraising/ (Accessed 13th September 2017)
Kenner,K., (2005), 5 Outsourcing advantages for your marketing team, Available at
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Kennerknecht,M., (2017), Is PR the New Lobbying? Available at
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corporate-ngo-partnerships (Accessed 13th September 2017)
International Institute of Sustainable Development, (2013), The rise and role of NGOs in
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(Accessed 13th September 2017)
Saylor Academy., (2012), Mastering Public Relations: Chapter 10: The Practice of Public
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