NGOs are Business

In the past weeks I have been interning at the US Mexico Foundation, a non-profit organization (NGOs) that promotes bilateral philanthropy. Being a business major at Ohio State I have realized how similar non-profit organization and private corporations run their operations. Products and services become projects and visions, customers are called donors, and profits are called results. Research is done extensively in both as well, like a corporation would hire a consulting firm to reach a new market before they release a new product, NGOs are constantly gathering data to reach a new donor that would be interested in supporting their cause.

            NGOs are still multi-million dollar corporations. And they are involved in every aspect of society. Some NGOs through time make powerful impacts on society and policymaking, others growth are limited. While working at the US Mexico Foundation I have realized that the key for an NGO to be successful and grab support is not how different or original their idea is, its their networking. Going back to the 20-dollar joke between the two economists, it is very likely that others have thought about an idea or problems before, but they haven’t succeeded in gaining support.  Having people inside the foundation who are well connected, powerful, influent, and can potentially open the doors for the foundation is what will make the big difference.

            In the case of the US Mexico Foundation it was created in 1994 after the creation of NAFTA, but it didn’t had any relevant project until 2009 when an influential networking base was added to the board of directors inside the foundation. This board includes: ex-president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo and major political actors in Mexico and the US like Henry Cisneros and Pedro Aspe. The board also has CEOs of important corporations in both countries like FEMSA, Coca-Cola, and Wal-Mart. After this addition to the foundation, the support and attention the foundation has increased significantly.

            The non-profit sector has a lot of ties with both, the corporate and the public sector. Its management style, strategic growth and partnerships are things that I am closely observing in able to acquire experience and knowledge for future career opportunities. So far my experience has been amazing, hope to learn more for the rest of the summer.

Luis T