Paper short abstract:

In the last decade, a dozen Canadian development NGOs have faced potentially fatal funding crises and three such NGOs have gone out of business. This paper analyses how the survival strategies used by these NGOs in crisis interacted with their dying appeals to public opinion, and with what results.

Paper long abstract:

Historically, many Canadian development NGOs have depended heavily on the Government of Canada for funding their activities, reflecting (some would say) their lack of popular support and consequent inability to raise funds directly from the Canadian public. High dependency on government funding can put the NGO's very survival at risk if and when government funding dries up. In the last decade, a dozen Canadian development NGOs have faced potentially fatal funding crises and three such NGOs have gone out of business. This paper asks 1) what survival strategies these NGOs used during their moments of crisis; 2) what appeals, if any, to public opinion the NGOs made; 3) what kinds of appeals for public support they made (e.g. targeted, elite or broad-based appeals; emotive, rational or political); and 4) how the survival strategies interacted with their appeals to public opinion, and with what results. Based on analysis of annual reports and financial statements, key informant interviews and media reports, this paper studies and compares the near-death experiences of Canada World Youth, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, Farm Radio International, Kairos, Katimavik, and Match Fund, and the deaths of the Canadian Hunger Foundation, FOCAL and the North-South Institute. We hypothesise that Canadian public opinion is less important for an NGO's survival in such a crisis than smaller, deeper pools of potential supporters such as members, alumni and faith groups. Broad appeals for public support are unlikely to succeed unless accompanied by other, more targeted and concrete measures.