By Bianca Limonge Avancin
In Brazil, from the 1940s onwards, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) were known for movements formed by Churches (Catholic and Protestant) that prioritized the structuring of solidarity and humanitarian actions throughout the territory. Over the years, this conception of what an NGO would be gained different perspectives, including popular education movements, combating the military dictatorship and countercultural movements.
Since the 90s, NGOs have been subjected to another logic: they prioritize work in “partnership” with the State and/or companies and praise the fact that they operate on a non-profit basis (COUTINHO, s/d). The outline of these first decades of consolidation of NGOs in Brazil shows us how one of the main characteristics that has been overcome in recent years in relation to work in the third sector was formed – volunteering. It is very common for Brazilian society to link the performance of work, which is premised on social justice, to something done completely voluntarily by professionals, something you do in your “free time”. However, to achieve satisfactory levels of change in society, robust work strategies and professionalism are necessary. This is where the dialogue about the importance of the institutional development of each third sector organization comes into play.
The institutional development of an organization, according to Ana Flávia Godoi, includes the construction of an identity – visualization of the impact that is desired to be achieved in the long term; structuring internal and external communication with narratives that project new partners and investors; monitoring and evaluation – construction of indicators for transformative action; investment in governance – succession, council and leaders who think about the sustainability of the organization and the structuring of a fundraising area – with annual strategic plans and investment in updating fundraising techniques. Complementing the consultant's ideas, everything that makes up the organizational management of a CSO – administrative, financial and legal – is added as part of institutional development.
A few years ago, for FunBEA – Brazilian Environmental Education Fund, it would have been almost impossible to think about this entire institutional development scheme with the financiers we had contact with, since the vast majority of investors were interested in projects with well-defined goals, and with predicted beginning, middle and end.
However, this old strategy did not allow for the consolidation of an organization in the long term, even harming contact with the beneficiary public, which became fragile and punctual, which from the perspective of community philanthropy and environmental education did not provide structural changes towards societies fairer and more sustainable.
According to Domingos Armani, in the publication “Institutional strengthening of organizations is fundamental to address complex issues” by GIFE, receiving institutional support means having resources to develop projects and, at the same time, taking care of oneself, allocating attention, energy and resources to the dimensions of institutional life, promoting the development of the institution. With this, the tendency is to contribute to systemic and more sustainable impacts.
In view of this, it is important to say that the importance of large financiers making room for investment in Institutional Strengthening is becoming increasingly unquestionable, which is nothing more than the external support that an organization receives to invest in its institutional development.
From this perspective, being part of Rede Comuá enabled FunBEA to integrate with other funds, expanding its repertoire within this theme. In addition to conceptual support, being within this Network makes it possible to join the Incidence Program, which has as its premise the institutional strengthening of its members, something innovative and very powerful.
Adding this strategy, which has a strong argument for strengthening the Brazilian philanthropic ecosystem and how we need to show the relevance of the actions of civil society organizations in the context of maintaining democracy and the fight against socio-environmental inequalities, enabled FunBEA to invest in maintenance and construction bureaucratic procedures, legal security, accounting security and auditing. Considering that these demands are annual and require a lot of resources for their execution, they are often neglected by OSCS in strategic planning due to lack of support, and once they are not carried out, they compromise credibility and prospecting for new resources.
In view of the actions carried out in 2022, FunBEA emphatically reaffirms that investing in the institutional strengthening of an organization is to boost its image as a strategic organization in achieving a fairer and more sustainable society. In this way, the more CSOs are valued and enhanced, the more resources will be distributed equally throughout the territory, being positive for all actors and actresses in the Brazilian philanthropic ecosystem.
References: https://gife.org.br/fortalecimento-institucional-de-oscs-e-fundamental-para- enderecar-pautas-complexas/
Support for FunBEA was made possible by Strategic Support Program, within the scope of the Rede Comuá Incidence Program, whose objective is to support the development and strengthening of member organizations, contributing to growth and action in the fields of community philanthropy and social justice.
Bianca Limonge Avancin is Project manager at FunBEA, Forestry Engineer (ESALQ/USP) and Environmental Technician (ETB-Enfermap). Coming from a self-managed work environment, as Executive Secretary and Environmental Educator of the Specialization Course “Environmental Education and Transition to Sustainable Societies” USP (2019-2021).
