- Make sure you have the right leader. (integrity to burn, well connected, can motivate others NOT a one man band, lots of drive).
- Attract doers not talkers to your Board. Plus you want a broad range of skill sets including legal, finance, marketing, engineering and project planning.
- Be accountable to anyone who gives you from 5 cents and more. Tell them where their money went.
- Say thanks frequently to your volunteers and donors and then say thanks again and again.
- Have a very clear single minded focus for your NGO. Resist the temptation to be pulled in all sorts of directions. Own one thing.
- Make friends with the media. Cultivate one on one relationships with specific reporters and make them an ally for your cause.
- Find other NGO’s (local and foreign) that you can “twin” with and use as a mentor for best practices.
- Develop a strong digital capability, i.e. online and mobile. Capture e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers for permission based communications. Have a simple, cohesive website and a social media presence that’s real and relevant.
- Keep attracting new blood into your group regularly.
- Ask your customers how you are performing. (Organisations and persons that give you and persons you give)
