5

The CEOs of Social Change

This section focuses on leadership in not-for-profit organizations and foundations that work in the areas of public or social welfare. Their main purpose is to champion social causes and reach masses that government bodies may not be able to reach on a regular basis. NGOs focus on causes like education, shelter, food, health, child protection and security, old-age homes, environment and vocational training. They mostly help the weaker section of society by providing access to basic necessities like food, shelter and education. Leading an NGO requires unique skills. One has to be passionate and committed towards the social cause and also have the ability to run an organization.

Key Challenges of Leading NGOs

Like a corporate start-up, the founder’s passion for a cause and commitment to it brings the NGO alive. However, as the NGO grows, the founder might realize that the skills and knowledge required to run, grow and sustain the organization are very different from those needed to run a corporate start-up. Arundhati Ramanathan,1 in her article in the Mint newspaper, outlines some of the interesting challenges that CEOs face as their organizations grow, and the skills required to overcome these challenges. With funding agencies looking for better-planned and organized NGOs, the CEOs need to have skills such as:

  1. a) Vision and planning: Funding agencies are reluctant to support NGOs that do not have a long-term plan. NGOs should have a sustainable model of making an impact on the cause. The CEO, therefore, needs to articulate the long-term plans, rather than just the short-term requirements.
  2. b) Managing finance: Financial accountability is the key to an NGO’s efficiency. It is important that the CEO is able to manage finances, from overall budgeting to ensuring that the funds are prudently spent.
  3. c) Human resources: Many employees join NGOs because of their passion for the cause; this automatically makes them accountable. It is important that the NGOs are able to attract the right talent, and inculcate the right practices.
  4. d) Managing technology: NGOs cannot remain isolated from the use of technology. With the growth in operations, it is important that CEOs are able to embrace technology.
  5. e) Resourcefulness: Leaders of NGOs should have the ability to seek new avenues to enhance the impact of the NGO, the ability to pool resources, such as finance, administration and creative execution, and should maintain beneficial partnerships.

There are two critical aspects that are essential for leading NGOs: first, efficient field operations that ensure the available funds are utilized with the right impact; and second, a well-managed organization, that is able to support the operations, ensuring efficiency and transparency.

Balakrishnan Madhavan Kutty, Resident Representative, World Bank

Balakrishnan has more than a decade of experience working in the social sector, both in India and the US. He has led design and implementation of varied interventions aimed at enhancing livelihoods of marginalized rural communities. He is an expert in strategic leadership of large-scale non-profits and rural development initiatives of the government. Balakrishnan was a Fulbright Scholar for his master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

What are the key qualities that you look for in the CEO of an NGO?

One of the key skills of a CEO is to balance multiple and varied investors. For example, if there are multiple funding agencies like the government, corporates and high-net-worth individuals, then expectations in terms of results, systems and processes would vary. For example, corporates might like to see reports that are well-structured and result-driven while the government might be interested in input compliance [like when and for whom the funding is spent]. The ability to manage these multiple stakeholders and ensure internal systems and processes that can cater to diverse stakeholders is a key skill. A CEO should also have the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders through sheer charisma and conviction. He/she should be able to work with people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The CEO should be able to engage with donors and beneficiaries with equal ease. He/she should have the persistence and stamina to build an institution as non-profit organizations take a longer time to mature.

The stakeholders of an NGO are very different. What are the skills required for a CEO of an NGO in this context?

In the current context, new stakeholders have come into the picture. These are people from the private sector [CSR funding], private philanthropy [high-net-worth individuals], socially conscious individuals [linked through crowd funding], volunteers [urban middle class] and companies that invest in the equity of ventures that focus on social causes. A successful CEO should be able to influence and manage these stakeholders.

What do you think are the key skills that a CEO in a not-for-profit organization needs?

In my experience of working with different CEOs, some of the key skills are:

  1. Ability to communicate with private-sector donors in their language
  2. Entrepreneurial skills—the ability to network, search for opportunities and be adaptive to a changing environment
  3. Building relationships with people different from you—in terms of ideology and skill sets
  4. Media-savvy, especially social media
  5. Informed about innovations in the sector
  6. Flexible with organizational strategies
  7. Comfortable in wearing multiple hats within the sector: convener, doer, catalyser, thinker and technical expert

You have worked in NGOs in different countries—what can CEOs of NGOs in India learn from the practices abroad?

Some of the best CEOs think beyond the organization. They consider human resources as an investment and not just a ‘cost’. There should be a balance between data-driven decision-making and strategies built on knowledge and intuition.

Another major trend I see in Western countries is the lack of fear to grow and become big. In India, few follow this trend to garner resources and have an impact on a much larger sphere of the society. It is important to realize that ‘small is beautiful’ might not help in creating the impact that you would like to make.

What are the factors that can hamper the effectiveness of CEOs in NGOs?

The most important factor is the trust that the CEOs should build with internal and external stakeholders. It is critical that they ‘walk the talk’. Lack of ethical conduct and an attitude that does not espouse the social change the organization is pursuing can lead to disengagement from both internal and external stakeholders.

Leading Successfully

Successful leaders have a clear vision and are able to influence multiple stakeholders in the direction of social change. The leader of an NGO or a foundation is also accountable for the funds the organization has taken from investors. In 2006, Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, pledged USD 30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the various initiatives it had taken for social change globally. In 2016, Buffett wrote a letter to the foundation requesting them to reflect on the impact of the funding. In this letter, Warren Buffett2 encouraged Bill and Melinda Gates to measure their success. Their reply has been discussed quite a bit in terms of the expectations that Warren Buffett had. The response from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation outlined some of the key indicators of social change that the fund supported.

  1. According to statistics, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has had a direct impact on the reduction of fatal diseases, and saved 122 million children by providing them with immunization against such diseases.
  2. The number of neonatal deaths has gone down.
  3. The number of children with polio and malnutrition has reduced.
  4. Self-help groups are increasing in number across India.
  5. There has been a reduction in polio cases.
  6. Extreme poverty was almost cut by half, thereby increasing optimism in the way people view widespread poverty.

The letter from Warren Buffett and the response from Bill and Melinda Gates dig deep into the core issue of governance in an NGO or a foundation. Unlike in a business entity, showing ROI (return on investment) is not easy for NGOs. Many times, there are no numbers to show the progress quantitatively, and at times it might not be practical to do so either. However, it is important for a leader to build a relationship based on trust with the funders. Some NGO leaders are able to show numbers while others rely on observable evidence. Even if metrics don’t exist, it is important that the NGO shows the work it has done at the grass-roots level, says Sreekanth Sreedharan, who is the programme manager of the Azim Premji Foundation. He also shares his experience of working with Anurag Behar, the co-CEO. Anurag spends a large amount of time on field activities and this helps him have clarity on what is happening on the ground and share a good picture of the same with the key stakeholders. He writes about change in the educational sector and the change that needs to come about in his column in the business newspaper, Mint. Creating an impact is the main focus of established NGOs. For example, Tata Trusts has reworked its strategy to reach the grass-roots level. Earlier, Tata Trusts used to work with other NGOs to execute their activities on the ground, but based on Ratan Tata’s vision, they changed focus to direct implementation.

Jamie Merisotis, in his article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review,3 sums up leadership capabilities of CEOs in the social sector under ‘the three pillars of leadership in philanthropy’.

Utilizing external funds for a social cause places tremendous responsibility on the CEO of an NGO. He/she has to be accountable, transparent and, at the same time, ensure execution with measurable impact.

Values of a CEO

An effective CEO in the sector is able to shape the thoughts of the society and push for desired change. An interesting example is Sudha Murthy, the chairperson of Infosys Foundation. Murthy, through her writings and interviews, shares a picture of the sustainable efforts she has put in through Infosys to help the underprivileged. In an interview with Anindita Ghose of Vogue magazine,4 she says it is important to start from the areas that you are comfortable with. For example, coming from a middle-class background, she understood the importance of reading and studying, so, early on in her work with the foundation, she undertook the project of building a library in every government school.

She also believes that as a ‘giver’ to the society, you should not expect anything in return. This helps in being true to your cause rather than getting influenced by beneficiaries. Leaders should have an exit strategy to make change sustainable and help the local communities be more self-sufficient, instead of making them dependent on others. Murthy has also upheld her personal values of simplicity and selflessness, thereby reinforcing her personal commitment to the social cause. Research5 shows authentic leadership and accountability form the bedrock of success in the sector. Authentic leadership entails an honest, transparent and moral approach, which opens new dimensions for future challenges. Accountability emanates from self-awareness, where leaders have to understand their own roles, acknowledge their importance and set relevant priorities before they can begin to influence followers.

Balakrishnan Madhavan Kutty, the resident representative of World Bank (interview in the box), says that unethical behaviour, lack of transparency or arrogance can lead to the downfall of a CEO. An interesting example of how extravagance and lack of ethical behaviour can lead to leadership failure is that of T.T. Durai, former CEO of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Singapore,6 a not-for-profit that helps patients cope with kidney diseases and supports their treatment. They encourage and promote renal research, and also conduct educational programmes on kidney diseases. A scandal exposed the lack of financial prudence and governance on the part of the CEO. Durai admitted to spending the donated money for his personal comforts and luxuries, such as travelling frequently in first class, using funds for lavish interior fittings in his office, manipulating information on how the funds were utilized and more. The exposé led to the removal of the board of NKF Singapore, and even led the government to form a new regulation to ensure transparency and accountability in not-for-profits.

Leading the Growth of an NGO

In the initial phase, the founder’s vision and passion for the cause lead the activities of the NGO. Like in the case of Jyoti Thyagarajan, founder of Meghshala Trust, (see box for interview), the primary purpose of the organization should be clearly articulated, and the resources should be aligned with it. An example of translating a powerful cause to a broader social impact is Akshaya Trust.7 Narayanan Krishnan who is the founder of the Akshaya Trust was recognized by CNN as one of the top ten heroes of 2010. Once a celebrated chef, Krishnan started Akshaya Trust to aid the helpless, homeless, sick, elderly, mentally ill and destitute in Madurai by providing food, care and the opportunity to rehabilitate in order to restore human dignity. Inspired by a destitute elderly man in 2002, who was homeless and starving, Narayanan started his efforts to feed the needy from his own savings. Akshaya Trust has served more than 1.7 million meals to the needy by now. The trust has also built homes to provide shelter for homeless people. Akshaya Trust was able to get funding from multiple contributors including corporations. The trust also has branch in the US. Akshaya Trust and Narayanan Krishnan are good examples of how a CEO can build an institution that brings together the cause, infrastructure, volunteers and supporters to create a sustainable model. The power of the cause and the founder’s commitment to it become the backbone of the organization.

Initially the organization can operate with a small team of passionate people. However, as the organization grows, it requires more resources in all aspects—financial resources, human resources, infrastructure and so on. Thus, the ability of the founder CEO to amalgamate these resources is essential for the growth and expansion of an organization. As Jyoti mentions, the formal process of management and governance play a role in this phase. Gradually, the organization has to bring on board experts in technology, human resources and financial management. They complement the core purpose by ensuring that the organization runs smoothly.

Jyoti Thyagarajan, Founder, Meghshala Trust

Interview with Jyoti Thyagarajan,8 founder of Meghshala Trust, an NGO that focuses on building teachers’ capability to enhance the learning experience of schoolgoing children in some of the remotest corners of the world through a scalable model.

Tell us about Meghshala and its journey till now.

I’ve been a teacher all my life and have taught in some of the best private schools attended by kids of ‘important’ people, with the belief that if I teach them well, they will go on to become the movers and shakers of the world and will do the right things. Suddenly, at the end of my career, I realized I was catering to the wrong end of the population! So I started talking to people to do something about the millions of children in the lower strata of the society who never get good teachers. We realized that good teaching is very hard to scale. I had taught around 600 kids in my life, how do we reach out to 60 million kids? We realized that it had to be a technology-enabled intervention. Hence, the idea of Meghalaya was born. We developed a tablet-based platform, on which we built a virtual school and included 3400 lessons from all subjects, to help teachers deliver the subjects better. We started offering it to a few government schools and now we are in 120 schools, from Mysore to Pakistan to East Africa. The Tata Trust supported our efforts, so we were able to provide the tablets for free. Our dream is to reach out to the remote, excluded and troubled places of the world, like Syria and Kashmir, to facilitate education, so that those kids will grow up to be adults who will change the world they live in.

How difficult was it to design the curriculum? How long does it take to develop the content?

We design the content exactly on the lines of the school curriculum, and we cover all the subjects for classes 1 to 8. It is challenging because a topic can be taught in multiple ways depending on the teacher’s style. The content also has to be modified for contextual relevance in different geographies. We have a team of twenty-eight people, including analysts, proofreaders, translators and designers, who study various approaches and develop comprehensive content which will suit different teaching styles and geographies. It is then uploaded to the cloud where the instructor can access it. We have streamlined the process to ensure that one person can develop a module in one and a half days. That is how we were able to develop more than 3400 lessons in a year with a small team.

How do you manage to attract and retain these smart and efficient people?

We believe that one cannot get a man to build a boat unless he is taken to the seashore, and shown the beauty of the horizon. He will then yearn for the sea, and will himself learn to build the boat. So, we motivate people by showing them the potential impact of what we do. We are a non-profit, but we ensure that we get enough funds to pay these people appropriately for the great work they do because we have to match what they would get paid elsewhere for similar work. We are also a flat hierarchy, which gives them the freedom and autonomy to do things they are interested in.

How do you contextualize the content for different geographies?

We actually send our people there, to spend time and know about the people in those regions. Be it Kashmir or Bandipur, our team interacts with the locals and gains these insights.

When did you realize you wanted to do something to improve rural education?

I didn’t always want to do this, and like I said, I realized it very late in life. But I did know that the problem existed and would keep thinking about how to solve it.

Since you target places that are excluded and remote, does the lack of infrastructure hinder the performance of your product?

Yes, electricity and connectivity are problems. We have designed our product to handle these constraints. In areas where Internet connectivity is poor, we provide tablets with preloaded content so that they don’t need Internet. Also, the devices consume very little power for charging and last a long time on a single charge. We also give a pico-projector, which can wirelessly project images and videos on to walls and notebooks.

Does this automation of content make teachers redundant?

No, it makes them much more important and much more efficient. The tablet enables a teacher to teach better, but it cannot replace the teacher. Teaching is not a trivial activity, and just like any other profession, it needs its own preparation and skills. The tablet just makes the teacher’s job easier.

What were the challenges in dealing with different stakeholders?

When we initially approached the local government, we were unable to convince them about the potential of the product due to linguistic barriers, but some politicians have been very supportive. However, the larger pushback was from the teachers, who were used to a particular style of teaching and found it difficult to adapt to the tablet. You have to also realize that the life of most rural teachers is tough; most female teachers have to juggle between their household obligations and deal with hardships every day when they set out for school. We wanted to make their lives easier. So, we approached some early adopters and gained their trust; we trained them to use the tablet, and then turned them into influencers. Thankfully, our timing was right as people are becoming more tech-savvy nowadays.

How many students are being taught with your product as of now?

We have already impacted around 5000 students after launching for just one semester. And we don’t even have salespeople!

Do you think you would need more people to manage the product as you scale up?

We will need more help when we launch in a new geography, especially in the initial adoption of the technology. But we have a plan for that. We were told that retired army veterans go back to their villages and work in their farms. They’re all technically able because they’ve been signal officers, electricians, etc. So, these people can use the product and train others to use it. We plan to appoint them to spearhead the adoption and operations in their respective villages.

Can you get a lot of information because of these inroads?

Yes, in fact, we can generate big data. Apart from anything else, it can be the first-information network. For example, if there are eight people in one village, and all of their children have chikungunya, you know you have to direct your supplies there. Another example is an activity where we asked children to bring water samples from their homes to test with an aquarium stick, and we collected all this data and plotted the water quality of various regions on a map. This information can be very useful for the government.

How has the transition been, from a teacher to an enabler of a teaching process?

Being a teacher, the challenge of surviving in a teenage classroom makes you a negotiator, an enabler; you develop a strong sense of humour, you develop a real appreciation for different kinds of cleverness. So I feel the teaching experience was useful in preparing me for this transition.

What is the most important skill that has helped you succeed?

I would say it is weighing all possibilities, comparing and contrasting and picking the one that you think is set for success. Sometimes we pick wrong and it’s a failure, but if you don’t make that wrong decision you don’t learn. So just remember that when you fail you can always pick yourself up and get going.

Is this your first entrepreneurial stint, or have you tried something before?

Every new class that I walked in to teach was an entrepreneurial adventure for me.

How does your husband support you?

He has worked with many NGOs before, so he’s very useful in ensuring that the finances are in place. He touches base with the team regularly and ensures everything is working fine. Apart from anything else, he continually makes sure that I eat.

What is the worst decision you have made and what is the best one?

As a teacher, I believed that every kid has potential, and should be given a chance. This affects my hiring decisions. I often make the mistake of putting too much faith in people, which sometimes leads to disasters. I need to be stricter. My office has learnt to put up with some of my bad decisions [laughs]. The best decision was to start Meghshala.

How is the culture in the organization?

That’s an interesting question. The organization actually runs itself. We have a reporting line, where everyone, including me, reports to somebody else. We have collective responsibilities to do things, and we are accountable for each other. People are happy, and we always get together and eat together so it’s a very family-like atmosphere. It’s an equal atmosphere, in the sense that everybody earns roughly the same, as far as possible.

What is your vision for this space five years from now?

I want Meghshala to be an example for others to build educational products and services for rural children. I would like to see more people work in this area because there are too many kids who need help. I want to help in building an ecosystem that enables and facilitates others who want to do something in this space. We are already working with a lot of people, and seeing this network grow into a large movement.

How much time do you dedicate to Meghshala?

Almost all my time. I have other projects, but they all got sidelined after Meghshala started growing. I spend my entire day in the office, sometimes even on weekends.

Social entrepreneurs often face funding challenges. How did you sell your idea to funders?

We didn’t have a hard time because the cause and idea were good enough to get people interested and invested. Apart from one or two sceptics, everyone loved the idea for its simplicity and potential to scale. Initially, we were running on my own funds so it was a honeymoon period as we were not answerable to anyone. But once we had someone else’s money we became very responsible and efficient, and that’s a good thing because it helped us become more sustainable.

Tell us some interesting stories from people who have used your tablet.

My favourite story is that of a teacher who used the pico-projector in a unique way. She had a worksheet to discuss with the class and got the children to fill it [which, by the way, was not even in our curriculum]. So, she had this idea where she took a picture of it with the tablet and then projected it on the wall. All her students gathered around it and began calling out the answers as if it were a game they were playing, and it was a very exciting activity for everyone!

Do you see Meghshala taking on a more formal management structure as it grows?

We are still small and work like a family, but I do realize that as we grow, we will have to become more professional and will need some managerial structures to handle our projects and activities. I do see myself stepping aside and making way for someone more capable of handling the affairs. Because how long can a grey-haired physics teacher run a space-age company!

Sabu Thomas, chairman, United Way, a not-for-profit organization, in his interview (see box below) states some interesting aspects of the role of a CEO of an NGO. It provides a multidimensional understanding of the social sector and its stakeholders, along with a professional manager’s expertise of the corporate sector. Unlike the corporate sector, the ultimate success of an NGO is when it is able to meaningfully address the challenges of society. An effective leader in this sector should be able to fulfil the commitment to the cause. This requires bringing in resources for growth, sustaining the field activities and building the right organizational infrastructure. This involves working on three different aspects:

  1. a) Clarity of the purpose and creating a strategy to enable the same
  2. b) Pooling the required resources—finances, technology and people
  3. c) Enabling the organization with right practices and processes

An interesting example is Raj Shekhar, who was the consultant CEO of Magic Bus, an NGO that supports children between the age of twelve and seventeen, and helps them get a formal education so that they are eligible for job opportunities. Raj Shekhar was the head of operations at Mastek Limited, an IT technology provider, before he joined Magic Bus. Raj acted as a full-time adviser to the founder of Magic Bus, and helped in streamlining the operations and ensuring better effectiveness on the ground. The main levers that he used were:

  1. The purpose of the organization: Raj helped the organization decide its purpose and stay focused to achieve the same.
  2. Value alignment: The next step was to translate the values which define the culture of an organization into model behaviour. For example, how do we define and practise values such as accountability in the day-to-day activities of an NGO?
  3. Increasing transparency: This was achieved by sharing the direction of the company and how the organization progressed in a short period of time. This helped build better performance culture and trust across the board.
  4. Developing leadership skills: The main focus was on how to effectively work with the society and its stakeholders. Raj focused on changing the culture from a command and control model to one which was collaborative in nature. This helped the teams take responsibility, and inspired and motivated the volunteers. This further helped build a culture of trust; teams supported each other and focused on the purpose rather than working in silos or waiting to take instructions within the organization.
  5. Building credibility: To build credibility, Raj started discussing the progress reviews of the programmes with donors. He made efforts to improve the situation by fulfilling the promises made to them. This helped them have a better line of sight of how their funds were being spent and also appreciate the work of the NGO.
  6. Creating more financial and operational control with auditable information: This helped to increase transparency in the organization. The donors were also encouraged to see the work of the NGO in villages.
  7. Creating IPs: Raj focused on developing a blueprint for building a technology platform for designing curriculums, distributing them in remote villages and collaborating with other NGOs to increase the efficiency. This was still a work-in-progress when his tenure came to an end as per the agreement with the founder/director, i.e., to find a CEO who would be passionate enough to bring in a social change and at the same time continue the transformation of the NGO to operate like a corporate.
Sabu Thomas, Ex-chairman, United Way, Bengaluru Chapter

United Way is the world’s largest NGO and it has its presence in forty-three countries around the world. Sabu is the former chairman of the Bengaluru chapter. He has been associated with the organization as a board member since its inception in 2008. He is also the chief people officer (India operations) of Allstate, a personal insurer. He tells us about his journey of setting up United Way in Bengaluru and his role as the founding board member and then as its chairman for three and a half years.

How has the journey been so far?

United Way, Bengaluru chapter, started in 2008. I got the invitation to be on the board of the chapter and I took it up as I was keen to contribute to the society.

The local chapters of the NGO were empowered to choose the campaigns they wanted to work for.

The Bengaluru chapter started its journey with a seed funding of USD 10,000 from the Deshpande Foundation, a non-governmental organization. After a few months of basic operations, the core team went for a retreat to decide what we wanted to achieve as an NGO.

One of the key initiatives that we came up with was to revive the lakes in Bengaluru. Experts have predicted a water famine in the city in 2020. Fast industrialization and rapid urbanization have led to the depletion of waterbodies. Once famous for having more than 1000 lakes, Bengaluru now has less than 300 left. The rest were encroached on for building community spaces and industrialization. Of the 288 remaining, many of them are polluted and can’t sustain the ecosystem within or around them. The first key campaign of United Way (UW) Bengaluru is ‘Wake the Lake’.

The second key area we wanted to focus on was educating underprivileged children. Malnutrition is a major factor that prevents children from going to school or excelling at studies. The ‘Born Learning Campaign’ came about to help more children excel in schools. The campaign focused on educating parents, supplying nutritious food, supporting the government and funding such initiatives.

How are the UW Bengaluru campaigns different from other such initiatives?

We were able to bring together various organizations that helped bring about a change. For example, in the case of the ‘Wake the Lake’ campaign, UW contacted government bodies that own or maintain the lakes, experts in the field who could help revive them, and organizations that could help with funding to support the various activities. We also educated the local community about the importance of the waterbodies and how to protect them. This helped create an impact and bring about sustainable change.

How did you hire the team for UW? What qualifications did you look for?

We hired highly qualified people who were passionate for the cause. We had a mix of people from both social and corporate sectors, who brought complementary skills to the table. We hired a professional who had worked with well-reputed NGOs to be the CEO/executive director. The CEO had an excellent professional background and communication skills.

In your opinion what qualities are important to run an NGO?

It is very important that the individual has a deep interest in the social sector and the causes the NGO works for. The person should have the ability to connect with multiple stakeholders—society, government, funding agencies, media—and bring them together for the common cause. It is important to realize that the government is a very crucial stakeholder in making large-scale social change as it can impact the society, and a successful leader should harness this power.

The leader should be comfortable in running the operations of the organization and also have a sense of how the social sector works. This will help him/her remain connected with field activities and influence the effectiveness of the work at grass-roots levels.

Like the corporate sector, not-for-profit organizations are attracting talent from all fields. Although the compensation is relatively low, the sector is drawing qualified professionals, experts and consultants who add value to specific areas of work. For example, the national director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is Nachiket Mor, who completed his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked with Pradan, another well-known NGO, ICICI Foundation, and is also a board member of the Reserve Bank of India. With NGOs trying to make an impact at a larger scale, the profiles of many CEOs of noted NGOs come with a respected educational background and achievements in the professional field.

With emphasis on effectiveness and scale-up, CEOs of NGOs should focus on the use of technology, innovative and cost-effective means of reaching out to the grass-roots level, and building a professional team.9 The social sector is adopting practices like design thinking to help create better community solutions. From inspiration to ideation and implementation, design thinking helps to find innovative solutions to social issues. As a CEO in a not-for-profit organization, it is important to appreciate the latest concepts and sustainable models of social change. Led by Prasanth Nair, the district collector of Kozhikode, ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ is an interesting initiative which brings together volunteers to support various social causes, such as taking care of a mental health hospital, providing meals to hungry citizens, supporting orphan kids to experience the love of families, or providing better support to elderly citizens. Prasanth, as the district collector, was able to formulate multiple high-impact social programmes and get support from fellow citizens of the state for these initiatives. He also used the power of social media (such as Facebook) to reach out to the masses and urge them to contribute and volunteer for the activities. Volunteers and experts from various sections of society formed core groups for various activities. Prasanth’s use of humour in his social media posts also attracted thousands of citizens to these social initiatives. He was profiled as one of the top ten promising bureaucrats by Outlook magazine.10 Though not a CEO of an NGO, Prasanth’s contribution as a district collector has lessons for those heading not-for-profit organizations; these are: the ability to communicate with the masses, focusing on key social issues, the use of social media and technology for impacting social change, and leveraging key stakeholders like the government, expert volunteers, the public and media.

In a Nutshell

The key skills required by successful CEOs are: