Chapter 6: Maximizing Motivation: Talent Development in Nongovernmental Organizations

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operate along a spectrum, from local, grassroots efforts to billion-dollar international organizations, but as a whole are responsible for much of the service and social justice work in developing or underserved regions. Many exist to fill a gap in services left by government and for-profit organizations. As service providers with income streams dependent on charitable donations or grant funding, many NGOs and their employees operate without the resources of comparably sized for-profit organizations (Anheier & Salamon, 2006; Lewis, 2003; Schepers et al., 2005).

The purpose of this chapter is to explore NGO talent development strategies with an emphasis on the specific circumstances and challenges faced by NGOs. While strategies of talent development have been previously applied to human resource development (HRD) and business contexts, what remains is an analysis of those strategies for the specific needs and constraints of NGOs. We have drawn from existing conceptions of talent development and motivational theory to envision how those conceptions should evolve to support NGOs’ needs. We hope our recommendations will add to NGO management and HRD philosophies and encourage future research from a perspective uniquely different from existing management and HRD practices.