Obstacle 10 – we’re too busy to campaign

I see this so often – we are so busy delivering services meeting the need that we can’t make campaign. So that nothing ever changes, so that you stay busy. I just get excited by those smaller NGOs, which can both deliver services but also embed their campaigning into the soul of their organisation. They do both activities because they know they need to do both – but one fits seamlessly into the other – they see these actions as being on one continuum.

But I have also come across NGOs who are so immersed in their service delivery that they cannot lift their heads up and see a world where their services will not be needed. Indeed they are comfortable delivering these services and managing their lives around these services. They cannot envisage a world where their services are not needed.

I do think that for many NGOs their ultimate purpose should be to do themselves out of work because they are just not needed, and an effective advocacy campaign will be a part of achieving that goal.

I am always wary of the person or organisation, which tell me that they are too busy to campaign – do their service users feel the same way? Being busy should not be a reason not to campaign.