With an estimated 3.3 million NGOs working towards the betterment of less-privileged communities in India, a large demand exists from civil society organizations for support services to aid their expansion processes. By and large there is a lack of agencies which provide such support, and even where they do exist, there is a dearth of accessibility of CSOs to such organizations. Additionally, the need for specialized knowledge and guidance in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing national and global environment has been recognized. Thus, the inception of the NGO Advisory Panel was in accordance with this understanding.

Objectives of the NGO Advisory Panel:

• Primary objective of bolstering the effectiveness of NGOs through sustained engagement with professional experts
• Provide NGOs access to senior specialists from diverse backgrounds
• Sensitization of panel members and provision of a platform to deeply engage with and contribute to NGO effectiveness
• Creation of citizen support groups across cities in India

Anchoring Host Organization:

The NGO Advisory Panel will have one Anchoring Host Organization in each city, which will adopt the role of facilitating the effective functioning of the panel. Since it will operate as the focal point - working towards a mutually beneficial relationship for the panel members, themselves and the NGOs - it is crucial for the Anchoring Host Organization to be one with a neutral and informed standpoint.

Current Status:

• NGO Advisory Panels are in varying stages of development in the cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar.
• CSO Partners has established a partnership with the Loyola Center for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance which will play the role of Anchoring Host Organization for the Chennai panel.