2002 Southeast Asia Regional Conference on CSROs
Keynote Speech: the State of Play of Southeast Asian CSROs

Paiboon Wattanasiritham
Chair, The Thai Fund Foundation & Community Organizations Development Institute

	This paper is from a session at the Regional Conference on CSRO Accountability & Sustainability -- Critical Lessons from Best Practices, February 18-20, 2002.   Text of this paper was prepared by the Philippine Business for Social Progress.   Download printable PDF copy (325K) of the entire conference proceedings.

As host country, I would like to welcome you to Thailand -- the land of smiles. [We smile more when we're away from work.]

We come from basically three countries -- Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines, in addition to those who fund the conference. Regrettably, we're in the midst of economic trouble. Yet, we all have inner strength -- the very reason we still survive these days and why we could all come here without much difficulty. Economic troubles represent the weaknesses that exist in our society, in our political system. Needless to say, we have weaknesses in our social system. But together with the weaknesses, we also have strengths. In the course of discussion, you'll see the strengths in each of the countries that are represented here.

As a positive thinker, I also think of what is possible rather than the problems. All three countries have common challenges: how to strengthen our societies, or what is termed as societal strengthening. The whole society is composed of three components: state, civil society and the market. Civil society, of course, is our basic focal area. We are all involved in attempts to strengthen civil society. Prof. Putmans in working on Italian society realized that: for development to be sustainable a country needs a strong civil society or strong civic tradition. Civil society has tradition that emphasized trust and mutual relationship. For civil society to work well, civil society has to be organized as civil society organization (CSO). To operate well, CSOs need resources, hence, they are what Synergos calls CSROs. Whatever we are called, we need resources to finance, facilitate activities including operations of NPOs and community organizations.

Where do resources come from? Resources, could come from both financial and non-financial, such as:

• from self-generation. Organizations may generate their resources from work they do; from activities they carry out; from the values they have.
• from endowment. The funds could later be accumulated to increase the amount of endowment and generate more funds.
• from government resources. There are various forms by which government can enable flow of resources from public sector to civil society or people sector. This will be discussed in the course of the conference.
• from general public. Every person has inner desire to give as well as to receive. Individual is a potential source of fund. Surprisingly, individuals constitute a good part of fund source for social development purposes.
• from business sector. The sector can promise to be a major source of resources.
• from international sector, which is equally important fund source.

How to mobilize resources in the most efficient and effective manner, is one question the CSROs is concerned about. Resource mobilization is synonymous to resource distribution, resource management and management of organization that carry out the resource mobilization. Below are key factors proposed to effectively and efficiently do resource mobilization:

• Capacity building. In order to do more, the organization must be a capable doer, with sufficient capacity and back by resourceful humans.
• To have sufficient capacity, organization must have knowledge management. Knowledge management is more than creating knowledge, planning, searching, analyzing and synthesizing knowledge. It is utilizing, storing, transmitting and exchanging knowledge. But it is important to be selective and to know what is needed as there is an array of knowledge available.
  • Humans are all very resourceful given the opportunity, right environment and impetus. How then can we be encouraged to bring out all the resources that exist within ourselves, is part of the challenge. The resources within include ideas, innovations, creativity and never-ending search for new ways of doing things that would help bring about success in resource mobilization.
  • Management capability is common but is difficulty to achieve. However, these are not common among CEOs because most are idealistic, dedicated, and energetic and want to move ahead. They neglect the most important -- management.
  • Organization has to be credible and accountable. Accountability has to be apparent, proven and transmitted to potential givers or supporters. How to bring about, sustain and spread it among CSROs are things that will be discussed in this conference.
  • Be a learning organization. The organization needs to learn to improve, operate and sustain. Based on Dr. Peter M. Senge's 5th Discipline, the organization has to develop:
    • systems thinking. It is best manifested in understanding relationship of various components of all things in the universe. All systems are interrelated and move in dynamic manner. Systems thinking help widen our horizon and help dig deep into the workings of the very complex environment in which we operate.
    • positive mental models, which could enable us to accept challenges without negative reactions. It is to see opportunities in problems and being able to do what needs to be done.
    • shared vision, values and goals
    • a habit of learning as team or learning together. This will develop the synergy among persons who composed the team.
    • personal mastery, which is essentially the skills and capability of the person in the learning process. Each and every member of the organization is a life-long learning person.
  • Enabling environment. Whatever we do, we will do better when there is an enabling, supportive environment. This may consist of:
  • government policies. In a country with restrictive government, CSO/CSROs will find it hard to operate. If government makes explicit policies to support NGOs like the Philippines, you could see the blooming of CSOs/NGOs.
  • legal and regulatory structures. These are equally important but most countries are lacking this.
  • tax and budgetary provisions which came from positive government policy measures. In all 3 countries, there have been significant flows of resources coming from government through tax and budgetary provisions.
  • Culture and social process occurring in each country could be enabling or restricting.
  • Networks and movements of NGOs/CSROs and relationship between NGOS/CSROs and other sectors. The networks or movement can create mutual empowerment as well as them becoming an enabling environment.

Networks could be equated to a minute part of the brain. There are over 100,000 million brain cells connected to other brain cells through dendrites. It may have 700,000 networks connected to each other. This forms the most complex networks but most efficient machine on earth. The working of the brain can apply to what CSOs/CSROs are trying to do and will be doing. This conference is like the operation of the brain cell. In coming together, information, and ideas come out and network formed that would allow the future connections, not only amongst you present, but also to the society you represent. Be assured that we will all gain a great deal. There is so much to be shared basing on the agenda, and learned as well. May you enjoy and benefit from this conference.

Thank you.

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