Non-Profit Organization Analysis: World Vision

World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950 by a young pastor Robert Pierce, is one of the largest relief and development organizations in the world whose total revenue coming grants, product and foreign donations is about $2. 6 billion. The first area that World Vision focused on was orphans and other children in need, beginning in South Korea, and then expanding throughout Asia. Today, they operate in more than 90 countries, such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Afghanistan, India, Romania, Austria, Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Jerusalem, and Papua New Guinea. They are now focusing on larger issues of community development and advocacy for the poor towards the end of helping poor children and their families build a sustainable future. * Matching Values World Vision has established values that appeal to the morality of the society’s majority. As a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization, its mission is to dedicate themselves to work with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Through its public commitment to serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender, World Vision operates under its â€Å"Core Values† that are inspiring, admirable and agreeable to most people: It states clearly that they find their call to ministry from the abundance of God’s love and are committed to the poor and are called to relieve their suffering and to promote the transformation of their condition of life. They value people and regard all people as created and loved by God, therefore give priority to people before money, structure, and systems. They perceive themselves as stewards and are faithful to the purpose for which resources are given and manage them in a manner that brings maximum benefit to the poor. The international World Vision Partnership transcends legal, structural, and cultural boundaries and is responsive to the life-threatening emergencies where their involvement is needed and appropriate. * Informed Leadership  World Vision has a large organizational structure with its headquarters office complex in Washington and World Vision International offices all over the world, working on six continents. World Vision International operates as a federation of interdependent national offices, each overseen by their own boards or advisory councils. Each office and its members have created a common mission statement. Through an ongoing system of peer review, each national partner is held accountable and abides by common policies and standards. The partnership offices coordinate operations of the organization and represent World Vision in the international arena. For making large scale decisions, the international organization considers opinions from each national office, whether in the developed or developing world. An international board of directors oversees the World Vision partnership. The full board meets twice a year to appoint senior officers, approve strategic plans and budgets, and determine international policy. Meet Community Needs One of the factors that make World Vision successful is it partners with communities, local governments and other offices around the world in order to carry out its mission. It accomplishes this in several ways, depending on the needs of the community, and creates programs where it works with the community to facilitate a range of interventions, including programs in health, water and sanitation, education, and so on. Throughout the programs, people in communities have witnessed how World Vision’s work are supported by highly skilled staff and how the organization is able to develop technical expertise in many areas, which results in innovative, quality programs that contribute to measurable impact on the well-being of the communities themselves. It is the best way to establish good will and great reputation among communities and gain more and more trust and financial support from communities. * Market Position  World Vision's approach to aid is to first help people and their communities recognize the resources that lie within them. The approach agrees with the modern opinion on how to effectively eliminate poverty. It is believed by many researchers and the society in many developed countries that with support from charity such as World Vision, communities transform themselves by carrying out their own development projects in health care, agriculture production, water projects, education, micro-enterprise development, advocacy and other community programs. World Vision helps families by trengthening their existing strategies and providing them with new opportunities, especially through microfinance and reliable access to food. Also it addresses to serious health issues that concerns the societies and governments in developed countries, where the organization’s major financial supports come from. For example, on the common concern about HIV and AIDS epidemic, World Vision plays a key role through prevention, care and advocacy programs around the world, attending individuals who are among the most vulnerable and at risk of HIV and AIDS, exploitation and neglect. The organization also develops programs that address the efficiency of its work to its donors (investors). It has programs like disaster response and management, striving to reduce the impact of emergencies on people’s lives. The efforts are geared toward addressing human needs and vulnerabilities in both natural and human-made crises so that human transformation is possible and, ultimately, sustainable. World Vision encourages public awareness about the needs of others, the causes of poverty, and the nature of compassionate response. These efforts include collaboration with media and community participation in fundraising. In all its communications, World Vision often present commercials filled with negative images showing the horrible conditions of impoverished countries and their children. In efforts to persuade the donating communities, it explains the causes and consequences of poverty, war, neglect, and abuse. The marketing strategy addresses this straight up, leaving audiences in shock and awe. They employ a tactic that makes it almost impossible for people not feeling compassion and sympathy, and then it packages a product that can reduce people’s guilt through donating. The organization has excellent skills in attracting, motivating, and managing those who are in a position to make a difference. As a Christian organization, World Vision participates in many wonderful strategic initiatives. It communicates and involves Christians through conferences, consultations, training programs and various educational opportunities, as well as partnering with Christian churches while being respectful of other faiths. * Investment and Return Approximately half of World Vision's programs are funded through child sponsorship. Individuals, families, churches, schools, and other groups sponsor specific children or specific community projects in their own country or abroad. Funds are raised from sponsors each month to provide support for the sponsored children or projects. According to World Vision's recent Consolidated Financial Statements, around 40% of their revenue comes from private sources, including individuals, World Vision clubs in schools, corporations and foundations. 27% comes from governments and multilateral aid agencies. 30% comes from other World Vision programs and nonprofit organizations. World Vision organizes various events in efforts to increase awareness, such as the Famine events for world hunger. The organization has successfully raised money from many groups and individuals with this kind of fundraising activities.