Shifting power in humanitarian nonprofits: A review of 15 NGO governing boards

Humanitarian aid recipients have limited scope to affect the decisions made by the nonprofit organizations that they rely on for basic needs and often bear the cost of organizational failures. In a survey of 15 governing boards of prominent international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in humanitarian response we found that • fewer than 2 percent of board members had experience as a refugee or had been otherwise impacted by a humanitarian crisis; • fewer than 20 percent of board members were from countries that are eligible to receive aid; • governing boards prioritized financial management and administration and fundraising competencies over subject matter expertise; and • improving representation of aid recipients on NGO governing boards could increase their accountability and effectiveness.