Prospects of Non-Profit Consulting
- 180dcdrcblogs
- Jan 14, 2022
- 3 min read
Introduction
The consulting landscape is very diverse and ever-expanding. With the spotlight put on Management and Strategy consulting, another type of consulting has been deepening its roots and expanding its scope in India - Non-Profit Consulting. Similar to traditional consultants, a non-profit consultant assumes various specialized roles such as grant writing, conference planning, training for board or staff, strategic planning, workshop and retreat facilitation, executive coaching, copywriting and web development among many others. The NPOs usually hire staff who specialize only in one operation. For a non-profit consulting firm, core functioning usually requires formulating a proper mix of fundraising, marketing, human resources and even technological strategies. The inability of Nonprofits to have an expert at each domain makes the need for consultants even more profound. The expertise in said domains is usually assessed through the experience of the consultants in the specific roles and responsibilities assumed in the past.
Why is Non-Profit Consulting the need of the hour?
It has been estimated that there are 3.3 million Non - Profit organizations in India. The reason for this huge number has been attributed to a mix of causes like increasing wealth, rising entrepreneurial awareness and social imbalance. The pandemic has been harsh on the capacities of these NPOs, impairing their sustainability and funding. These organizations worked at the forefront for providing food and other basic facilities to the affected and stranded people throughout the pandemic during its peak. Research conducted by the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy highlighted the following three as pressing problems faced by the NPOs in the past 2 years:
1. Shortage of funds:
Many Non-Profits were regularly indulged in the relief efforts provided in form of distribution of grains, sanitary kits, cooked meals, etc. Further, the funding from philanthropy was directed towards healthcare and Covid relief, the NPOs fear for the long term funding for their activities which were put on hold.
2. Adjournment of Core activities:
Core activities of the organizations lost their progress due to a lack of physical contacts and shifting focus on relief efforts.
3. Transition to digital platforms:
The Digital India Campaign was successful in highlighting the need for digitization in India, but the pandemic made this campaign indispensable. Most of the NPOs were locally based and had limited reach. Whilst switching to digital platforms, lack of requisite knowledge became a concrete wall.
The woes of the NPOs cannot be seen from the lens of a normal client problem of increasing sales or capturing huge market share. The pandemic diversified and added to the complexity of the problem. The troubles faced by the Non-Profits can be catered to mostly by services offered by specialists in the aforementioned domains. Hence, Non-Profit Consulting services observe a greater exigency worldwide.
Recognizing Challenges
The nonprofits require a focused consultancy in each and every domain of their operations. With diverse goals and ventures. Although diversity is necessary and well-acknowledged, it presents a unique issue when strategizing cohesively. Hence, Non-Profit Consultants need to have specialists in every sphere of the organization.
Despite there being a need for specialization, the non-profits prefer low cost, high effectivity services that are not a common trend in the consulting industry. There is much need for expert intervention for the survival of NPOs but they often lack the necessary budgets and hire low-cost consultancy services, which in turn narrows the scope of this field.
Small NPOs might struggle with more than one functional problem and unlike big organizations, these can be identified easily. The consultants can be rehired to cater to these emerging issues and so there can't be any one-stop solutions for the NPOs, even though the services are currently marketed like that.
Solutions and Expectations
With the surge in social workers, philanthropists, and responsible social organizations in India, the horizon of Non-Profit Consulting is expected to expand in the near future. The consultants in this domain are consequently put to more rigorous training to adapt themselves to the changing trends and needs of the clients in a social environment. Non-Profit consulting in India became accepted and famous as a pro bono service in the wake of a global humanitarian crisis as well. The future of consulting in India looks brighter with ever-diversifying fields and extensive training of consultants to compete with the global standards.
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