NGO support toolkit (English)  >  Partner and project selection 

Selecting NGOs and CBOs

Different approaches to selecting NGO and CBO partners are used by different NSPs depending on the types of support functions they aim to provide. This section focuses on the selection of NGOs and CBOs by NSPs providing grants and/or technical support.

Careful selection of NGO and CBO partners is important in order to ensure that NSPs work with the most appropriate organisations in order to achieve their goals and objectives. The process will enable NSPs to identify which organisations have the potential financial and programmatic capacity to manage activities, but also to work with the appropriate beneficiaries in their respective communities. This may involve identification and support of organisations that are newly established and organisationally informal, especially those working with, or representing, marginalised populations. It is also an opportunity to fill programmatic and geographical gaps.

There are various strategies and methods available for selecting NGO and CBO partners, the appropriateness of which will depend on the objectives of the NSP. For example, NSPs can decide to cast their net wide initially by issuing announcements requesting concept papers, expressions of interest or proposals, and from the responses received narrow the selection through a process of review, capacity assessments and community checks. Other strategies may include a targeted solicitation to a smaller group of pre-identified potential organisations in a given geographical area or piloting with a select group of organisations that have experience in working with a specific population.

The selection process of partner organisations needs to be transparent, accessible and easy to understand, so that those with limited experience of these processes are not obstructed from applying. It is also important that the selection of partners and disbursal of funds is, and is seen to be, done on the basis of fair and open selection. Ongoing review of the process may lead to some partners being added, some reselected and others deselected.

Issues to consider

• There may be gaps in the institutional response for certain vulnerable groups or specific services; e.g. STI treatment for men who have sex with men. Support groups for some populations may exist without formal recognition or support, which can be strengthened by NSPs. If services need to be established quickly, organisations with potential for working with such populations can be identified and supported to develop appropriate projects.
• NSPs will need to manage the expectations of potential NGO/CBO partners. This is particularly difficult when there are multiple steps involved in the full grant-making process.
• Sometimes being ‘selected’ might result in a CBO being transformed into a NGO. For example, this might occur through the establishment of more formal working arrangements, or through the organisation growing in size, or when volunteers become paid workers through access to funding. This raises many issues needing close attention and conscious choices. For example, CBOs play a distinct and important role, and there is often a temptation to ‘grow’ them without thinking through the implications.
• Selecting NGOs and selecting CBOs can often be a quite different process. NSPs should reflect on whether it is in their mandate to work with both and if so, attention needs to be given to developing appropriate criteria.
• Both programmatic and financial staff should be involved in the selection process of partner organisations. This dual perspective will help to ensure that organisations with an appropriate balance of programmatic, financial and administrative capacity are selected.

Related themes

Mobilising broader involvement

Collective action

Partnerships

Project selection

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