Discussion – Nonprofit Conversation

Discussion – Nonprofit Conversation

The Identified Individual and their Relationship with the Public Sector

The individual identified in this study is Claudine Mensah, the Vice President for Operations and International Programs at the American Care Foundation (CARE). The American Care Foundation is a nonprofit corporation established to identify and help with issues that negatively impact children (American Care Foundation, 2022). Its mission is to address the economic and social needs of children living in underprivileged communities. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. Claudine Mensah has served in the organization in various senior positions in countries like Mali, Togo, Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria for more than 20 years. She is passionate about women’s empowerment and gender equality and has demonstrated these across CARE’s humanitarian and development work (CARE, 2020). Her role is to lead and process innovative ways, partnerships, and models of presence to increase the organization’s influence globally and enhance the “Southern voice.” Claudine strives to find ways of improving the equality of genders since CARE believes that social injustice and poverty will continue to exist for as long as inequality is present. Discrimination against women is said to have detrimental impacts on global development and security, economic performance, climate adaptation, stability and governance, and food security (CARE, 2022).

Requirements for a Successful Public-Private Relationship

The rule of law is considered the most significant difference between private and public organizations (Kettl, 2018). Private officials have the freedom to do what they like for as long as it is within the law. For CARE, one thing that has made it successful in over 100 countries globally is its ability to collaborate well with governments. For instance, in Ghana, CARE partnered with the government (with the help of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) to design and implement a data quality framework that helps assess the country’s progress based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, CARE partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to increase its base of citizen advocates; effectively advocating for the preservation of critical foreign assistance spending regardless of the proposed radical cuts and running online ads that support a bipartisan slate of incumbent congressional candidates who have clear commitments to US leadership on affairs of humanitarian and foreign assistance. These candidates are said to have won re-election during the midterm elections in 2018 (CARE, 2019). In doing so, CARE can help public administrators and officials become more accountable in their use of funds, particularly when it comes to humanitarian affairs. This accountability has helped the organization to have a successful relationship with the public. This relationship also enables both to be accountable and admit any budget misuse or quality problems from either side.

Further, through its relationships with the public sector, CARE has received various funding from different government organizations, which helps it accomplish its missions in different countries. CARE has enjoyed a successful public-private relationship by influencing the public to share its vision. As a result, this has enabled it to record various successes in lessening such problems as hunger and malnutrition, which are said to be among the world’s leading threats to public health (CARE, 2022). By sharing a similar vision with the public sector, CARE has also involved various government organizations in helping to address food insecurity problems. Furthermore, CARE has partnered with public organizations like Gap Inc. and Cisco to address issues of women empowerment and help innovate, respectively. By partnering with Gap Inc., CARE continues to work and train over 230,000 women in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Haiti, and Bangladesh on decision-making, problem-solving, effective communication, stress, and time management (CARE, 2019). This has helped the women to deal with conflicts better at home, improve their advocacy at work and home, and unite to negotiate with the local leaders for enhanced infrastructure and services for their families and communities.

Overcoming the Challenges

One of the challenges that CARE has to overcome in addressing the social issues related to its mission is limited government funding. CARE is dependent on assistance from various governments to address issues related to food and water, gender and social inequality, education and work, and health and crises. With budget cuts from various governments, the organization has faced challenges in funding various projects, which tends to hold back some of its operations. Furthermore, the limited funding and budget cuts make it difficult to sustain a stable income, and budgeting becomes quite difficult. Also, given its global presence in various countries, CARE is required to show results and come up with strategic solutions that will help address social issues in accordance with its mission. Whereas the organization has recorded great success so far, there is great pressure to demonstrate that the social impact objectives have been accomplished. Lastly, retaining the right talent can be difficult. Having the right talent is important in enabling the organization to meet its objectives. Having “top talent” can be difficult when there are budget cuts. However, the organization has been able to hire and retain individuals with relevant work experience and passion for the organization’s mission.

References

American Care Foundation. (2022). About us. https://www.americancarefoundation.org/

CARE. (2019). CARE Annual Report 2019. https://www.care.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/FY2019_CARE_Annual_Report_spreads.pdf

CARE. (2022). Claudine Awute. https://www.care.org/about-us/leadership/claudine-mensah-awute/

CARE. (2022). Our Work. https://www.care.org/our-work/

Kettl, D.F. (2018). Politics of the Administrative Process 7e. CQ Press.

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For this assignment, you will need to have a brief conversation with an individual associated with a nonprofit organization. In 500-750 words, do the following:
1. Identify the individual within the organization and their role and responsibilities.
2. Define their relationship with the public sector (local, state, or federal governments) and describe what is required to have a successful public-private partnership work.
3. Describe challenges they must overcome in addressing social issues relating to the mission of the organization.
Use two to four scholarly resources to support your explanations.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center