Marcus Coetzee

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.

Corporate social investment is entering a new era in South Africa as companies comply with legislation and respond to the expectations of society. The central question for many companies is whether their corporate social investments are simply a mandatory expense or a strategic opportunity.

I believe that companies can gain a strategic advantage through their social investments, provided they integrate their social-investment strategies with their business strategies. In other words, it is possible for companies to adapt to trends, comply with laws and win at the same time.

This article from February 2008 examines the different types of corporate social investment and discuss what companies need to do to get the most out of their social investments.

Nonprofit organizations readily embrace the value of financial accounting. They understand the need to keep careful financial records, have them audited independently and send copies to their investors. Because these financial statements are prepared and audited according to accepted standards, they are in turn accepted as an accurate reflection of an organization’s finances – and can indicate opportunities for improvement. The question that non-profit organizations should be asking themselves is: “Do we account for our social impact?”

In this article from February 2008, Dr Roger Stewart and I examine why organizations need to start accounting for their social impact. We introduce the concept of social accounting and its value to non-profit organizations. We also examine the different steps in the social-accounting procedure.

This is the era of social enterprises – organizations that think of themselves as businesses with a social purpose. Social enterprises are happy to make a profit and do so with a smile on their face and conscience in hand. They also tread in the traditional turf of both businesses and non-profit organizations. They see themselves as organizations from a new paradigm, and the organizations of the future.

This article from November 2007 advocates for social enterprise and discusses eight reasons why we will be seeing more of them in the future.

It is time for traditional non-profit organizations to wake up and rethink their paradigm. Those that don’t are likely to become either obsolete or irrelevant. Those non-profit organizations that are able to adapt accordingly are likely to remain or become successful.

This article from November 2007 discusses seven main reasons why non-profit organizations need to put some time aside to rethink their paradigm. I believe that it is time for the traditional mind-set of the non-profit organization to expire.

Company support for community-based organisations (CBOs) has yielded mixed results and is a hotly debated development approach. I believe that CBOs play a crucial role on the development landscape and point to several strategies that will help ensure an appropriate social return on the investment.

This article was published in the Corporate Social Investment Handbook (2006) by Trialogue Publications.

Read my letter that was published in the Cape Times, Cape Argus and Business Day in April 2003 in response to the war in Iraq.

It discusses how many of the published letters I’ve read in recent weeks have been about the war in Iraq. Most of the writers have either tended to blame George Bush or Saddam Hussein for the war.

However, this war is clearly a manifestation of the way in which these two leaders and their countries have interacted over the last few decades. It is a results of the short-term solutions that have been employed on the problems in Iraq.

The leaders of both these countries have sought win-lose as opposed to win-win solutions. But in reality everyone loses. War destroys people and breeds hatred.