Quote of the week
I've a problem with the word charity because I think that NGOs, as I prefer calling them, really do take the work of moral and social responsibilities that ought to be taken on by governments.
- Emma Thompson.
Comment of the week
In these uncertain times, it is imperative that the economic actors in both the public and private sectors work towards growing the economy through effective service delivery, and attracting foreign investment.
- Ahmed Mohamed, Institute for Democracy in South Africa.
SN-Announce
SN-Announce is an e-mail advertising service with a readership of more than 10 000 people. Subscription to the SN-Announce service is free. For more information contact Nicolle Beeby on +27 11 403-4935 or nicolle@sangonet.org.za
Prodder Directory
Prodder is the most comprehensive directory of NGOs and development organisations in South Africa. To view the directory, click here. Order your copy of Prodder - NGOs and Development in South Africa 2008, here.
SANGOTeCH
SANGOTeCH provides software and hardware to NGOs at discounted fees in conjunction with ICT donor partners. It supports NGOs to make the most of their ICT purchases and infrastructure. For more information about SANGOTeCH, click here.
BackaBuddy
SANGONeT supports BackaBuddy, an online fundraising website which combines the power of sport and the reach of the Internet in support of NGOs in South Africa. For more information contact David Barnard or Matthew de Gale on +27 11 403-4935 or e-mail: info@sangonet.org.za
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Budgeting, Saving Energy, Prodder/GuideStar…
The comments we received in response to last week’s Special NGO Pulse Edition: 2009/10 National Budget point to a shared concern amongst civil society organisations about the impact of the global financial crisis on the NGO sector. The budget edition prompted questions about online fundraising, retrenchments in the sector and, as expressed in some of the contributions, how to ensure delivery in the context of a declining pool of funding.
Writing in this week’s edition of NGO, Pulse Errol Goetsch, director of the Centre for Social Impact - South Africa, writes that non-profits must make the most of fewer funding opportunities. He offers some practical advice on how to ‘up-size’ funding applications and ensure that activities are adequately budgeted for. “There is one thing worse than having a good proposal rejected - having a bad one accepted! Proposal writing is unfunded, so many fundraisers normally skimp the work plans and budgets. In the rush of deadlines, with information missing, budgets are often inaccurate – and for honest organisations, too small rather than too big”, he writes. Click here to read the full article.
A good sense of the non-profit sector is invaluable for donors, CSI roleplayers and NGOs themselves. Knowing who does what, when, where and how helps develop good networks, can reduce duplication and also assists donors when making decisions about allocating funding. Also in this issue, Aadila Molale and David Barnard write of the launch of the Prodder/GuideStar NGO Directory Project – a strategic partnership between SANGONeT and GuideStar International and the next step in the evolution of SANGONeT’s Prodder NGO Directory. The new project, write Molale and Barnard, will provide more in depth organisational listings and a much more powerful search functionality.
“The Prodder/GuideStar NGO Directory Project will utilise the existing Prodder NGO Directory to create a searchable database of profiles and reports on individual NGOs in South Africa. The service will be inclusive, publicly accessible and non-evaluative. The service will promote transparency in the NGO sector by assembling and displaying various reports on individual NGOs. Those who would like to donate to, contract or partner with NGOs can conduct preliminary research on suitable candidate NGOs”, they writes. Click here to read the full article.
Butjwana Seokoma, SANGONeT’s information coordinator, takes us back to a time of “cold, dark nights without any TV or heaters” as he shares his thoughts on Eskom’s energy saving campaign. Arguing that Eskom should include business, particularly high energy consuming industries in their campaign, he writes: “If Eskom believes that the fluorescent bulbs that it rolls out to communities save more electricity, why is a parastatal like Metrorail, for example, allowed to get away with still using 100 watts globes in its trains? Imagine my shock when I, on my way home from buying the energy-saving globes myself (the good citizen that I am), realise that the train I am travelling in is using the very globes that I am replacing!” Click here for the full article.
Lastly, Charlotte Sutherland, writing in the Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s ‘Gender Issues in Africa’ newsletter, which we republish today, reflects on the recent repeal of the Republican inspired Mexico City Policy, otherwise known as the ‘global gag rule’ by US President Barak Obama. “President Obama’s dedication to positive legal changes in favour of gender equality and women’s empowerment is like a fresh breeze through the repetitive and often hollow political discourses (and actions) on gender issues. Hopefully the positive repercussions of Obama’s decision in the US will spread out to touch African women’s lives as well”, she writes. Click here to read the full article.
The long-awaited SANGONeT roadshow is getting underway. Remember to diarise 9 March if you are in Durban and 12 March if you are in Cape Town when you will be able to find out more about SANGONeT’s programmes and services and also participate in a training session on how to make NGO Pulse work for you and your organisation. RSVP to Dipuo Mahanyele @ SANGONeT by 4 March 2009 on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or dipuo@sangonet.org.za. We look forward to seeing you there.
Remember that you can collect free copies of the SANGONeT 2009 Development Calendar at the SANGONeT office in Braamfontein. This year the calendar has been produced in partnership with the Southern Africa Trust.
As always we invite your comments ideas and suggestions.
Editor, editor@sangonet.org.za
New Jobs, Proposals & Events
Employment Opportunities
- The Development Institute for Training, Support and Education for Labour invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the position of Deputy Director to be based in Johannesburg. The application deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, a NGO which promotes reconciliation, transitional justice and democratic nation-building in Africa, seeks to appoint a Political Researcher. The application deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- Save the Children invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the position of Education Manager to be based in Pretoria. The application deadline is 2 March 2009. For more information, click here.
Proposals, Grants & Awards
- One World Broadcasting Trust invites entries for the Special Award for Development Media, which aims to recognise an outstanding media project or organisation working on the ground in the developing world. The submission deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- Entries are invited for the SADC Media Awards Competition 2009 from South African journalists who have covered the South African Chapter of the Southern African Development Community in 2008. The submission deadline is 31 March 2009. For more information, click here.
- Entries are invited for the WACC Photographic Competition 2009. The first prize is US$500 and each commendation will be awarded US$200. The submission deadline is 1 May 2009. For more information, click here.
New Events
- The Western Cape Provincial Development Council, in partnership with the South African NGO Coalition Western Cape, is hosting a one-day Western Cape Civil Society Leaders’ Summit on 21 February 2009 in Goudini. For more information, click here.
- The Duduza Development and Resource Centre, in partnership with the Siyafunda Community Development Centre, invites 50 people to the launch of their Third Computer Technology Centre on 24 February 2009 in Nigel. For more information, click here.
- The Department of Minerals and Energy is hosting the Renewable Energy Summit 2009 from 19-20 March 2009 in Centurion, Pretoria. For more information, click here.
Training
- The Training Centre for Development Cooperation in Eastern and Southern Africa is conducting a course on Civic Education for Political Empowerment 2009 from 16-27 November 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania. For more information, click here.
- Inyathelo – The South African Institute for Advancement is conducting a course on Advancement and Fundraising Basics from 4-5 March 2009 in Cape Town. The registration deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- The University of South Africa is launching Free Online Courses in African Languages on 26 February 2009 in Pretoria. RSVP on or before 23 February 2009. For more information, click here.
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