Networking Mysore NGOs

Date: Mar 12, 2006

Networking Mysore NGOs

Date: Mar 12, 2006

Thanks for the link Mr. GVK. I did go on the new ngo's website that any NGO can use to highlight their activities and perhaps interact, I guess that is the main objective. I do hope this information gets disseminated to all Mysore based NGO's so that they can start using it for their own use. And free, looks like-there is such a thing as charity and free lunch after all! However, no NGO has picked up the gauntlet, so to speak, and start putting their issues on line.

I can think of MGP for instance when they mentioned that one had to visit their office in person to get info on their activities and that they did not have a web site of their own. Thanks to Mr. Sanjay, they now have a forum. Time for them to get other Mysoreans interested in their projects and issues by highlighting their plans, achievements and future plans so that those (including other NGO's) who may want to assist or interact with MGP either online or through other forms of participation, may do so.

Lets wait and see if your free "citizens initiative" is take up by the NGO's and made use of or whether we will see more excuses! This is the future medium of communication and expression (among many other things), lets see how current these NGO's are in terms of putting the latest technology to good use.

Date: Mar 17, 2006

My 2 'paise' working on some NGO boards:

It is indeed great to note the new forum! A ‘watering hole’ serves its purpose when people really need the drink. If what is served is what people want, people will come.

On a serious note there is really no difference between an NGO and regular trade or business organization. Each has its own agenda, of sell or give away their very own ‘mouse trap’. Business models may be different (charge or no charge, however each has their way to recover – revenue or funding) but the end goal of any business or NGO is very much the same. Both aim to satisfy a core need in the community and that would be to please their set of select customers. Take away “customers” and both die very rapidly! Competition makes all thrive. Metrics of any competition rest with numbers. Review total delivered goods or services, customer complaints or satisfaction scores, waste, and efficiency (#of people, transactions, response time etc.) and you have an appreciation for the value of their competency or business practice.

Do we ever get to see Cisco and Juniper Networks at a joint forum or GM and Hyundai? What brings competition and others to the table are really common set of problems (perceived or real). I believe with NGOs too the situation is really no different.

As a vegetarian I head to the (common) market place and head straight to the vegetables section, the ‘pucca’ meat eater likewise heads to the meat section. The common grounds then are really your entrance and exit ports and not the bazaar! However, there are common ‘pain’ issues that would forcibly bring us two to meet and discuss for a congruent problem, eg., taxes, reforms, the Y2K, environmental issues etc.

Why would we get together? Perhaps we see value in banding together. Or choose to evaluate an available solution that can benefit both and yet not jeopardize or confuse our business practice. Join solutions enable reducing waste, benefited by all!

Hence, if we wish to create a ‘common watering hole’ let’s make sure there is enough water, ensure it is potable, keep others who want to ‘prey’ on visitors away. Typical discussion topics could center around customer needs, services needed etc. Make solution providers post available solutions for free. If there is shareware or cost effective solutions available that people may want to market etc., bring them on! Bring on executive training, leadership programs, waste control measures as points of discussion. People are likely to swarm.

Respectfully,

Srinivas Rao

Date: Mar 17, 2006

Nice to read Mr. Srinivas Rao's note. It is apt and convincing. The creators of the NGO forum have done so to facilitate NGO's and perhaps, as Mr. Rao puts it, other sections of society not banded together (or perhaps they are!). However, the creators of the blog space/website cannot, I think, on their own, keep the "watering hole" filled all the time. This site will depend on the NGO's and other users to air their views, make their viewpoints known, elicit support for their programmes and so on. It is this group of users that have to do some "rainwater harvesting" so to speak and keep the watering hole filled and used. The builders of the blog have built the tank to hold the water. NGO's, get my drift? If these people don't use this site for whatever they want to do, it will die. My hope is that this does not happen and that all sections of the society keep this going. The creators have thrown the gauntlet. Lets see who picks it up.

One thing I do not agree about Mr. Rao's observation is that the part where there is a talk of whether Cisco and Juniper or Hyundai and GM can sit on the same forum. Actually, most of the NGO's that I have seen in Mysore have completely different agendas. They are not like people who make similar products such as software or cars or whatever. While one NGO is into teaching primary government school kids English, another one is an orphanage and another one is creating awareness in Mysore society about the City's civic problems and so on. I don't see why each one of these NGO's cannot come on the same forum and create awareness of each other's problems and let the rest of the society respond to them.

Date: Mar 20, 2006

Uniting NGOs on the common platform is really a valuable and noteworthy action. This is service in itself.

Effective NGOs really involve their comunity. To break the ice I am of the opinion that we include a section (on the website) :

where people (who have volunteered) can write their own impression around 'volunteering'. As the description would be personal it ought to be OK to communicate - what agency provided the valuable opportunity. If something did not work out do allow the volunteer to write how it could have been effective. Error correction is more valuable than fault finding.
When details get filled in identifying name of an NGO allow an e-mail to go directly to the NGO so they know a comment was left by a volunteer and was available on the web.
Another section be included where NGOs could write what kinds of skilled volunteers, equipment, materials etc. they may be seeking.
Corporations with 'matching' donations ought to be identified. Volunteers may want to stretch donated finance. Companies may wish to contribute directly to the identified request in kind.
Some volunteers may also be able to not just address but also provide the skilled training necessary to bring on the needed capability.

A steady stream of hard working, dilligent, committed volunteers makes all the difference in enlarging the scope and quality of service rendered by an NGO. If a roster of volunteers is available with identified skills, NGOs can communicate directly with these willing volunteers .

Peole writing their stories how they derived joy through their own selfless act could really draw more to experience the joy of service. In this way we gradually involve the community and share our love.

Respectfully,

Srinivas Rao

Date: Mar 21, 2006

Took the liberty of posting Mr Rao's pertinent input and suggestions in www.mysorengosforum.com. Look up 'Nitty-gritty of networking NGOs.

Date: Mar 22, 2006

Excellent suggestions by Mr Rao, the most constructive ideas that I have heard. I particularly like the idea of a volunteer roster to be sourced by any NGO whenever specialized services are required on a voluntary basis. Thanks Mr. GVK for posting this on the NGO forum.

Date: Apr 16, 2006

We have gone in for a design revamp of the site in a bid to make it more user-friendly. Fresh 'avatar' of Mysore NGOs Forum can be accessed at www.mysorengo.com.