More service with sustainability
Project Overview
‘Not for profit organizations’ usually face challenges of sustainability in case if government support is withdrawn or is expiring. One of the established and highly reputed NGO aspired to find out ‘ways and means’ to sustain its project without external support. The support provided by the government was to be withdrawn within 36 months of the start of our project. The NGO was operational in a highly disturbed territory of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs wanted the project to succeed at any cost.
Our Solution
To achieve overall sustainability, the strategy was to make each subproject of the NGO revenue sustainable. We undertook meetings with the staff of the NGO at ground zero at different locations in the territory. We also carried out market research of the local markets for species, solar lights and snack food.
The NGO supported traditional handicraft artisans at one of the centres, we strategized to make the centre as a main revenue churner of the project. In order to support small artisans, possibility of small revenue streams were established. However there was a need to generate many sources of revenue, thus we focused on the individual centre’s connectivity with the large Indian market. We evolved strategy to connect with Bollywood designers and various exhibitions on pan India basis in order to showcase local artisans’ handicraft.
For spices and solar different methods of distribution of material to the local and nearby institutional markets were chalked out. Any strategy when linked with adequate structure leads to sustainable impact. We chalked out an effective organization structure for the project to carry forward the strategy over long period of time.
The Impact
Bollywood designer Ms. Ritu Kumar paid a visit to the centre where handicraft work was being produced. The revenue from the Bollywood designer’s purchase was very encouraging.
Institutional sales of snack food and spices reached an excellent level. The confidence and motivation level of artisans working at different centres increased like never before.