{"id":754,"date":"2018-05-30T12:11:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T12:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/funding-beyond-programmes-two-way-street\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T12:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T07:21:13","slug":"funding-beyond-programmes-two-way-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/funding-beyond-programmes-two-way-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Why funding beyond the programme is a two way street"},"content":{"rendered":"

Across the world, there is ample evidence to suggest that the use of technology and innovation can help transform lives. And yet, when it comes to the need to harness technology for social good, we seem to fall short.<\/p>

One reason for this perhaps, is the difficulty nonprofits face when it comes to funding non-programmatic expenses, such as ‘management’ costs, employee salaries, research, technology, innovation, and so on.<\/p>

In a Bridgespan survey<\/a> involving 145 nonprofit leaders, 80 percent of the respondents agreed that innovation is the way forward if we are to achieve socioeconomic development. Long-term solutions to problems such as hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, and so on, lie in innovation. However, only 40 percent of these respondents were confident of their organisations’ capacity to innovate.<\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

Lack of funding to set up infrastructure to support innovation is one of the hurdles organisations face when it comes to capacity building. While there is no dearth of generous donors who are willing to give away millions for causes such as poverty alleviation, hunger eradication, promotion of education, and so on, most of them want their funds to be utilised for programme costs: they want every rupee donated by them to be used to feed, educate, or shelter someone.<\/p>

Related article: Why funders must invest in organisational capacity<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

What funders must do to change the scenario<\/h3>
1.  Invest beyond the programme<\/strong><\/div>

Funders want their money to support organisations that can deliver at scale. To be able to do this, however, nonprofits must have all the necessary tools, including human capital, technology, systems and processes.<\/p>

Investing in non-programmatic enablers equips nonprofits to deliver quality services to their communities–at scale and over the long-term:<\/p>