That they may not quite appreciate this fact, does not make it any less real. It is true that in recent years, an increasing amount of money has been channeled to NGOs., sometimes giving the impression there is too much money chasing too few takers. Much of the surge in funds for NGOs in recent years has also to do with growing donor frustration over the inability of governments to deliver the goods in terms of effectively tackling poverty. While this may have given the impression that there is no shortage of funds for NGOs the reality is quite different. The rapid growth in the number of NGOs coupled with changing donor priorities has meant that NGOs do compete for funds.
Every donor receives many more requests for funds than what the donor is able to satisfy.
Knowledge of who has money to give for what and how to access that money is not as developed in the NGO community as it should be. Competiton also surfaces in the area of staffing. As NGOs evolve from being small outfits led by a charismatic founder to large multi-sectoral groups that are professionally run, their staff requirements also change. In an increasing number of cases, NGOs find themselves competing with business to draw the best in areas like finance, marketing, human resources, communications. But the biggest competition for NGOs may yet be coming.