Credibility Alliance National Conference, India Habitat Centre, Delhi

On 22nd October 2010 I attended the Credibility Alliance National Conference on "Mainstreaming Good Governance in Voluntary Organisations in the next decade", organised in partnership with Oxfam India, VSO India and the Public Affairs Centre.

Representatives from government and international and national NGOs gave talks on accountability for non-profits, and how volunteering can enhance accountability. Information was provided on the Credibility Alliance, the India NGO Partnerships System, Guidestar India and GiveIndia, which all are working on their mechanisms for ensuring transparency and accountability in the NGO sector.

Points of note made by INGO CEOs include:

• the fact that international NGOs (Oxfam, Save the Children etc.) in India are now starting to raise funds locally in India (rather than relying solely on external grants), due to the growth of wealthier middle classes - therefore more knowledge and training are needed on local fundraising
• accountability should be first of all to the 'beneficiaries'/people we work for, and accountability to donors and others will follow
• we are in the "credibility business" and need to take accountability seriously - which may involve paying a bit more to get good auditors for example
• we should be moving away from too much focus on output figures (e.g. number of children reached) and moving towards focusing on impacts - which are longer term
• some feel that rights are not automatic yet need to be earned - therefore we need to build trust among donors by sharing financial information openly (online)

During a panel session on how corporates and non-profits can work together to improve accountability in the sector, it was suggested that we should think of ISR (Individual Social Responsibility) rather than CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). This in an Indian context includes paying your home help better wages rather than exploiting them, or involving your maids and drivers in training programmes so they can learn new skills.

Praveen Kumar G from VSO India chaired the panel session on how volunteering can enhance the accountability framework in India, which included a presentation by Vimlendu Jha, Swechha founder. and director There was a consensus regarding the idea that volunteering should take place more in the political sphere rather than just in the social sphere, and that 'beneficiaries' or the poor should be involved as volunteers themselves and able to take on more responsibilities within NGO activities.