Zhongshan University's Institute for Civil Society

Southern China has proven to be fertile ground for small, grassroots nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) eager to work on environmental, health, education, and other social issues.  The goal of the Institute for Civil Society (ICS), based at Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, is to match the passionate with the practical, and provide NGO leaders in the region with the skills and resources needed to thrive.

"The grassroots model is still the mainstream in China," says Zhu Jiangang, director of ICS and associate professor of anthropology at Zhongshan University. "NGOs are neither too big, nor too strong."  Grassroots NGO leaders come from a range of backgrounds: they may have been teachers, reporters, community leaders, or even farmers before becoming motivated to pursue some particular aspect of public welfare.  They tend to be innovative, forward-looking, cooperative, and patient.  Yet they often lack formal management training and, equally importantly, opportunities to learn from their peers. 

Zhu and his ICS colleagues are helping to meet these needs for practical skills through a range of programs they offer to strengthen capacity, develop leadership, and promote development of professional networks.  They also are striving to build bridges of cooperation among NGOs, government agencies, and businesses, so that these sectors can work together on pressing social issues.

ICS' year-long branding program is just one example. Participants meet collectively four times a year for several days of intensive training on staff development, governance, strategic planning, and other topics.  They also may be placed in short-term internships at more established NGOs.  In the short run, Zhu concedes, this can divert valuable human resources from budding NGOs, which may be staffed by only two or three people.  But the internships give participants time to absorb the experiences of other organizations and to start their own network of professional contacts, which they can turn to over the years for advice and guidance.

The ICS incubator program is another means to reduce the sense of isolation that the smallest NGOs often experience.  Selected grassroots leaders are given space in ICS' office to use for up to two years.  Working side by side with their peers, they enjoy a sense of camaraderie and can informally learn from each other.  The workplace becomes a forum for exchanging ideas and gaining new contacts, as well as for building trust among the NGO, government, and business sectors.

ICS takes pride in being a grassroots support organization.  Support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has helped ICS to build a strong organization, recruit a dynamic team, and introduce creative new programs—lessons it can share with the waves of NGOs now emerging in southern China.