What is the Future for Nonprofit Organizations? Voices from JNPOC

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Posted on November 16, 2015
by Yoshifumi Tajiri

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(This essay was originally written for “Shiten-Ronten” (Our Perspective, Our Point) on the JNPOC Japanese website on October 20, 2012)

It is 2013, and a new year has begun.

New Public Commons, a government program launched in Fall 2010 with the goal of strengthening the institutional bases of nonprofit organizations in Japan, ended in 2012, and its significance and impact are now being evaluated.

The Democratic Party of Japan, which pushed for this measure, has positively evaluated it and is looking into future assistance for nonprofits. The current administration, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, has also established a Special Research Committee on NPOs etc., under whose recommendation preparations to launch a new NPO Policy Liaison Committee are currently underway. There will be many discussions about nonprofits in various policy-making forums in the future. Although this future set of developments is worth noting, it is time for nonprofits to consider what they must do to build their capacities on their own in order to further influence society through their activities, and not rely on government measures.

The driving force behind the launch of a nonprofit is a desire to “do something” and the ability to act upon this desire. Nonprofits are supported by people and organizations that sympathize with such need for action. Activities are then launched to achieve the mission, and support for the organization takes shape. In other words, the starting point for strengthening the capacity of a nonprofit can be found in this cycle: Desire for Change → Action (Activity) → Sympathy → Support → Development of Activities → More Desire for Change.

Fifteen years have passed since the NPO Law was first enforced. The social presence of nonprofits is now recognized, with priority being placed on securing the financial and human resources necessary to develop stable and sustained activities, and the management capacity required to do this has long been a topic of discussion. It is in this context that more and more nonprofits, as they seek to accomplish their missions, are collaborating with the government and businesses in their activities, or searching for strategies such as social businesses that will help them become self-financing so that they may operate independently. Although this has great potential for contributing to future community-based activities, in some situations, it may be steering the organization away from the original nature of a nonprofit, towards prioritizing the organization’s survival and finances over its mission.

It has been two years since the earthquake and tsunami disaster. I think the time is approaching for us to stop and reflect on what we want in the future for the many nonprofits that came together in the direct aftermath of the disaster, without any thought of their own gain, because of a desire to “do something” and participate in the relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts. As each organization continues to honor its desire for change and mission, they need opportunities to reflect on what they need to become to accomplish their goals. Whether they are nonprofits working closely and directly with people on the ground, or organizations whose mission is to support the activities of nonprofits, it is essential for them to keep reflecting, in this particular order, on what makes a society where people can live in peace and security, the role that nonprofits can play to help achieve this, and how they can keep up their work in the future. This is also a task for JNPOC.

by Yoshifumi Tajiri, Executive Director, Japan NPO Center

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