Translations

ARGE campaigns for a better management of NGO’s by engaging its employees

7. Community involvement

Skills and technology transfer

Sector Services

Year 2007

Country Turkey

Transmitter

Context

ARGE, a Turkish company which is highly sensitive to issues of development and education, conducts activities focused on NGO’s. In fact, its President is the initiator and leader of the National Movement for Quality founded in 1998. The company is committed to demonstrating the applicability of the EGQM excellence model to NGO’s.

Objectives

ARGE intends to contribute to the improvement of community life quality on local, national and world scales. Behind this overall objective lies a highly concrete objective - that of raising the quality and efficiency level in the management of civil society organisations.

APPROACH

In order to attain its objectives, ARGE encourages its employees to dedicate a day’s work to NGO-focused actions each week. These days are remunerated by the company.

The company goes even further by working in cooperation with the Turkish association for quality. This was how ARGE initiated an employee secondment scheme. The purpose is to encourage people with management experience to work on a part-time or full-time basis in a NGO. ARGE also promotes cross-sectorial partnerships between various organisations. The contribution of the business to the project is materialised through voluntary work in terms of planning, managing and advertising efforts as well through the development of the content and mode of dissemination.

ARGE also works in cooperation with various civil society organisations to include good governance principles to NGO management. This was how a “NGO management” course was developed. It leads to a diploma awarded by the University of Bosphorus. The Open Society Foundation also awards grants to NGO employees who want to attend this course.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

The promotion of voluntary service has reinforced staff engagement and loyalty. This is all the more important for the organisation as their staff is highly qualified.

Benefits

ARGE’s actions have enabled to increase the number of experts drawn to voluntary work. This contributed to building more efficient NGO’s.
Participative democracy examples have multiplied.