Marcus Coetzee

Here is my letter that was published in the Cape Times in October 2008 in response to an article on the potential closure of Rape Crisis. The letter discusses how this is part of a larger phenomenon. It proposes how non-profit organizations need to learn to think and operate differently.

Have you ever wondered why some organizations fail to succeed, despite hundreds of hours of strategic planning sessions and a multitude of ambitious MBA minds behind the steering wheel? We already know that these organizations need capable leadership. New research also suggests that organizations need leaders with strategic acumen, and that strategic acumen is much more like an innate ability, than something one learns at college.

This article from August 2008 dispels various myths about strategy and emphasizes the need to choose talent carefully.

This passionate letter was published in the Cape Times in early 2008 about the xenophobic violence that has gripped the country.

It discusses how, as a proud South African, I am dismayed by how our Rainbow Nation has descended into a state of xenophobic violence. It has certainly put a black mark against our name. I also discuss how this sad turn of events is symptomatic of poor government performance in a number of areas, and the role of some of our leaders in promoting racial and cultural categorization.

This letter was published in the Cape Times in May 2008 in response to a letter by Sheilagh Gastrow. It acknowledges that it is difficult for non-profit organizations to find the funding they need to fulfil their purpose, and to sustain their operations while complying with their donors’ requirements.

However, emphasizes that the business model embraced by traditional non-profit organizations has some fundamental flaws. It discusses these flaws and what non-profit organizations can do to overcome them.

This letter of mine was published in the Cape Times in May 2008. It reflects on the sad irony of the closure of the Non-Profit Consortium – that an organization that worked so hard to create an environment where non-profit organizations can thrive and find the income they need, has itself not been able to find sufficient funds to enable it to continue to fulfil its own purpose. It discusses the lesson and opportunity for other non-profit organizations.

We need to see more social enterprises in South Africa, particularly since they can help to strengthen our economy and fight poverty at the same time.

However, this is only likely to happen if businesses continue their involvement in social issues and work with non-profit organizations to establish social enterprises. This will also benefit the businesses themselves (as we will show), and provide an alternative approach to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Corporate Social Investment (CSI).

This article from May 2008 discusses how businesses can increase their involvement in society and use social enterprises to further their social agendas.

Read my letter to Business Day in April 2008 in response to the interesting and seemingly counterintuitive business deal was recently concluded between Ikamva Labantu, a Cape Town-based non-profit organization (NPO) that builds crèches and shelters and supports foster mothers, and ITEC Holdings, a supplier of office automation.

It discusses the important precedent of this deal, and reflects on the various parties will be able to derive a strategic benefit. I expect we will see many more such deals in the future as the B-BBEE codes become more embedded in the way we do business.

Here is my letter to People’s Post in April 2008 in response to the disbanding of the Fairest Cape Association due to lack of funding. It once again highlights how the plight of many non-profit organizations (NPOs) that rely on the mercy of their funders for survival.

It suggests that this is clearly not the way to sustain a non-profit organization, especially since there are over one hundred thousand non-profit organizations competing for the same pool of funders. The closure of the Fairest Cape is clearly part of a larger trend that will shake the foundation of the non-profit sector in South Africa.

This letter was published in the Business Day in April 2008 in response to Grant Thornton’s International Business Survey. It discusses how South African businesses are amongst the most philanthropic in the world. It also highlights how many are failing to derive any strategic value from their Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Programmes.

The global economy is on the brink of a downturn, possibly a recession. Turbulence and opportunity lie ahead; our currency is under pressure and may continue to devalue. What does this mean for South African non-profit organizations? How should they respond?

This article from March 2008 provides several recommendations for non-profit organizations to consider.