NGO productivity – A must for sustainability
THE JAMAICA Productivity Centre’s recently held Productivity Forum was a gentle reminder that productivity in the NGO sector is a must.
As expected, the conversation was mostly focused on the manufacturing and distribution of products and services through the private and public sectors. The expectations in these sectors, set by the organisation or by general public perception, are generally understood to be high, with taxpayers and stakeholders respectively either praising successes or lashing out Members of the Immaculate Conception High School Productivity Club pay keen attention during the forum recently held by the Jamaica Productivity Centre. against substandard customer service and/or products and services.
In essence, while the jury may be out on what a productive organisation really looks like, the public perception is that the private and public sectors are expected to be highly productive. This brings to question the productivity of the third sector (as defined below), where many development-related services are offered to the public at large and to niche populations who may otherwise not have access to critical services.
This third sector of charities, non-profit organisations, voluntary organisations, community-based organisations, service clubs and social enterprises is a vibrant system of change agents who are focused on meeting social needs at the community and national levels.