From fund-raising to implementation: A case study of rural development participation in Africa by a major American nongovernmental organization

Local community participation in overseas development projects as a critical ingredient for long-term program sustainability has become a central policy issue for both government and non-government organizations. It has been recognized that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are viable channels for funding participatory programs. Yet, while NGO strengths for implementing and managing participatory development projects have been extolled, there is little research to demonstrate their effectiveness at the field level. It has also been recognized that NGOs' overseas programs are influenced by the process and circumstances of identifying and obtaining program resources. What is lacking in the analysis of NGOs as channels for participatory development programs is the specific relationship between fundraising and the facilitation of community participation at the project level.;This research has sought to determine the relationship between the facilitation of local community participation and fundraising in overseas development projects. This has been accomplished through an in-depth case analysis of both the fundraising and project field experience of an NGO based in the United States. The study examines how the NGO's development policy compared with its actual field program implementation practice. A comparison was also made between the NGO's traditional small-scale community development work with a more recent large-scale project experience.;Overall, this research has demonstrated that, in the case of the NGO studied, there is a relationship between fundraising and the facilitation of community participation in the agency's overseas projects. Five primary areas of fundraising adversely influencing the facilitation of community participation were identified.;Evidence collected in the field case of the Louga large scale project in Senegal demonstrated that significant local community participation was occurring.;In comparing findings from the large-scale project experience in Louga with findings from the small-scale project research, seven similarities and six differences were identified. Identified are five areas where the small-scale sponsorship approach to fundraising adversely influences the field staffs' ability to facilitate community participation.