Superhero NGOs
Consider NGO to be a hero. Like a hero, it wants to save the World by fighting injustice, inequality, and poverty. Like heroes, NGOs are anti-establishment and the voice of the weak. But times have changed, and though we like heroes, we are crazy about superheroes who can fly, are super strong, and can throw fire. How does a hero become a superhero?
Of course, by unleashing its superpower. For example, Super Man can fly, and Aqua man can breathe underwater; What superpower does NGO have?
SuperPower 1: Niche Market
Thor has a hammer, and Spiderman is super flexible. Like each superhero has a unique trait, Super Hero NGOs focus on a niche (education, health, inequality) because they understand that with so many NGOs (over two lakhs in India), it will be impossible to gain visibility working in many verticals.
SuperPower 2: Strong Partnership
Like the Avengers had several superheroes together to fight against Thanos, SuperHero NGOs collaborate with strong partners to solve big problems.
SuperPower 3: Capacity Building & Sustainability
Superheroes don’t just help people; they motivate people to become hero themselves. Similarly, Super NGOs (not only provide food, supply, and vaccine) build capacity and raise awareness so that community can solve their problem.
SuperPower 4: Showcase Impact
Why do we love superheroes? Because we can see them saving millions of lives. In the same fashion, Super NGOs showcase their impact not just through videos and case studies but also by showing scientific evidence to a theory of change.
SuperPower 5: Scalability
What is the difference between heroes and superheroes?
While a hero saves the day or a family, superheroes save the planet. Similarly, Super NGOs create scalable models to make significant impacts.
SuperPower 6: Technology
Bruce Wayne used the power of technology to become a superhero so strong that he even beat superman. That’s what super NGOs like Khan Academy have done. Using the potential of technology, it provides high-quality educational content to millions of children for free.
SuperPower 7: Innovation
What did Tony Stark do after been kidnapped in Afghanistan? He built himself an Iron suit—an ideal example of using fewer resources to solve a problem. With so many NGOs in India, Super NGOs thrive because they find new ways to solve a problem.
A great example of a Super NGO is Grameen Bank. Grameen Bank, a bank for the poor, fights against the biggest villain, poverty. It was born in Bangladesh to an economist named Mohammed Yunus. When other banks didn’t lend money to the poor, Grameen Bank stepped up. What is the superpower did it use? Innovation – “peer-lending,” in which borrowers operate with the lender through groups, with individual borrower status dependent upon all group members’ performance. The bank’s social capital utilization by organizing borrowers into small groups led to an innovative and successful social intervention.
SuperPower 8: Social Media
A superpower that even none of the superheroes have is social media. Super NGOs use social media to drive strong campaigns.
A great example would be the “me too” campaign started by activist Tarana Burke which broke the silence of many women who faced sexual abuse and harassment at the workplace.
Author:
Kushal is an educationalist and an entrepreneur with over 8 years of experience in providing training, coaching, and managing projects.
Kushal has completed his Master’s Degree from Springfield College, USA. Before pursuing his master’s degree, Kushal worked for a global IT firm for six years before quitting. He has worked in various industries such as IT, marketing, events management, and non-profit during his career lifespan.