Safeguarding is a crucial element in the global nonprofit sector, ensuring that organizations protect their beneficiaries from harm. Donors and funders play a significant role in promoting safeguarding implementation, especially in countries like Nigeria, where vulnerabilities exist due to economic challenges, social structures, and conflict zones. For organizations – particularly upcoming NGOs – adopting robust safeguarding mechanisms and understanding donor expectations can be pivotal in obtaining grant approval.
The Role of Donors in Safeguarding
Donors, especially international ones, emphasize safeguarding to ensure that their funds do not contribute to harm or exploitation. This responsibility is not just ethical but practical; funders are increasingly accountable to their own regulatory bodies and stakeholders. As a result, they often require potential grant recipients to have clear safeguarding policies, mechanisms for reporting abuses, and evidence of how these measures are being implemented.
Many Nigerian NGOs, particularly emerging ones, may face challenges in meeting these expectations due to a lack of resources or expertise. Therefore, donors have begun providing support in building organizational capacities in safeguarding through training, resources, and technical assistance. Donors also sometimes include safeguarding audits or reviews in their project monitoring processes, ensuring that safeguarding measures are consistently applied throughout the project lifecycle.
Areas Where Upcoming NGOs Can Secure Grants
While securing funding from major international donors is increasingly competitive, there are avenues where emerging Nigerian NGOs can improve their chances of success:
- Aligning with Donor Priorities: NGOs that align their missions and programmes with donor focus areas – whether it’s health, education, or social justice – are more likely to secure funding. Upcoming NGOs should thoroughly research the specific objectives of each donor or grant-making body and tailor their proposals accordingly.
- Demonstrating Impact: NGOs that can provide data or evidence of their effectiveness have an edge. Funders are more inclined to invest in organizations that can demonstrate the tangible results of their programmes.
- Partnerships and Collaboration: Working with other organizations, particularly well-established ones, can increase the credibility of smaller NGOs. Forming partnerships with larger or international NGOs allows upcoming organizations to share resources and benefit from a more established safeguarding framework.
- Transparency and Accountability: Donors appreciate transparency in reporting, both financially and programmatically. Establishing rigorous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes can help upcoming NGOs demonstrate their commitment to responsible management of funds.
Why Proposals Are Rejected
Despite best efforts, many proposals are turned down for a variety of reasons. A significant challenge lies in the highly competitive nature of grant applications. With hundreds or thousands of submissions for a limited pool of funds, even well-written proposals may not succeed. Key reasons for rejection include:
- Lack of alignment with funder priorities: Many applications fail because they do not align closely enough with what the donor aims to achieve. For example, if a donor prioritizes health interventions, submitting a project focused on education might not be successful.
- Insufficient safeguarding policies: Given the global focus on safeguarding, NGOs that lack comprehensive safeguarding measures may be perceived as high-risk, leading to proposal rejection.
- Poor proposal structure or unclear objectives: Proposals that are poorly written or do not clearly outline the project goals, activities, and outcomes often fail to make it past the first stage of review.
Understanding Selection Criteria
To stand a better chance of securing grants, NGOs need to deeply understand the selection criteria of potential funders. These criteria typically focus on:
- Relevance: Does the proposal align with the donor’s mission?
- Feasibility: Can the proposed activities realistically be carried out with the available resources?
- Impact: How will the project make a difference in the target community?
- Sustainability: Will the project have lasting effects beyond the grant period?
What Sets Successful NGOs Apart?
NGOs that succeed in securing funding are often those that:
- Engage in thorough research to understand donor priorities.
- Clearly articulate their goals and objectives in line with donor requirements.
- Show evidence of past impact and potential for future success.
- Demonstrate robust safeguarding policies and compliance with international standards.
- Are transparent and accountable, maintaining clear financial records and reporting mechanisms.
In conclusion, while the path to securing funding is competitive, Nigerian NGOs can improve their chances by aligning their work with donor priorities, demonstrating impact, and strengthening their safeguarding mechanisms. For upcoming NGOs, success often lies in attention to detail, collaboration, and transparency. Understanding why proposals fail and addressing these gaps can help more organizations secure the funding they need to continue their vital work.
