IRC and SNV rank in top 10 of most outstanding WASH-organisations worldwide
Dutch-based non-profits IRC and SNV rank on the 3rd and 8th place of the world's most outstanding organisations operating international on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
The ranking was done by Philanthropedia, an independent US-based research institute that harnesses expert opinions to identify top nonprofits in different sectors.
Philianthropedia complied a top 16 of organisations 'beneficial influence on the entire WASH sector'. The selection is based on recommendations from 81 WASH-experts, including nonprofit leaders, academics, funders, grant makers, policy makers, and consultants.
High-impact work
Philanthropedia surveyed experts that worked in water, sanitation, and hygiene with an average of 16 years of experience in the field and used their input to identify those organizations that were the highest performing on an international level.
Experts were asked to recommend up to three nonprofits doing high-impact work across multiple countries/regions, and up to three nonprofits doing high-impact work in a specific country/region.
The nonprofits could be working in direct service, advocacy, litigation, research, education, and were asked to consider a range of nonprofits working in the sector.
Inspection and maintenance are important elements of long-running services.
Long-running services
In the case of IRC, the expert reviewers praise the organisation's project policy for sustainability and long-running services. This goes beyond arriving, building infrastructure, then leaving. IRC's research has led to changes in industry wide thinking, especially regarding lifecycle costs, as well as to the emergence of new useful terminologies.
IRC is noted for forging effective alliances with governments and other NGOs, which is a tool that other nonprofits often ignore. An example to showcase IRC’s work comes from Mozambique, where IRC and the Directorate of Water (DNA) are creating a roadmap together for re-envisioning how rural water services are delivered.
IRC is as of recent attempting to apply its knowledge, but this process could be faster. IRC can improve its communications further by writing in an easier style, the experts recommended.
Community involvement is important for raising awareness, especially for long term health improvements from better hygiene.
Strong leadership
In the case of SNV the experts appreciate the organisation's emphasis on capacity building in the WASH sector. SNV builds strongly on the capacity of their local partners and works close with the communities and governments.
It is noted that SNV identified the importance of water quality and water point functionality, not just access to "improved water sources", as a key component to solving some of the issues faced in developing countries with respect to water.
According to the experts SNV shows strong leadership, has an enthusiastic staff and a good financial clearance.
SNV is warned that it's services can be expensive, and suggest that they hire more local operators to reduce costs.
Top 16
The following 16 outstanding nonprofits were recommended by the 81 top WASH-experts:
1 WaterAid
2 Water for People
3 IRC
4 UNICEF
5 Water.org
6 Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)
7 Rural Water Supply Network
8 SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
9 Millennium Water Alliance
10 World Vision International (WVI)
11 Plan
12 Care (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere)
13 Oxfam
14 Rotary International
15 PATH
16 iDE (International Development Enterprises)
About Philanthropedia
Philanthropedia is an online resource for donors who want to make a bigger difference with their charitable giving. Philanthropedia was founded on the belief that experts working in the field, such as foundation professionals, researchers, and practitioners, are best suited to evaluate nonprofits in a more holistic way.
In April 2011, Philanthropedia was acquired by GuideStar, the largest source of nonprofit information, connecting people and organizations with information on more than 2.4 million IRS-recognized nonprofits.
This news item is basded on releases on the websites of IRC and Philanthropedia.
Full report on ranking of top 16 non-profits on WASH.
More information
Philanthropedia
San Francisco, USA
+1 650-200-3705
www.myphilanthropedia.org