A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AT KCA UNIVERSITY
In the wake paradigm shift in donor interests, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have increasingly embraced partnership as a key strategy in development work. Performance effect attributable to partnership is sketchy given the numerous unique forms of partnerships. Consequent to the gap left by research concerning how partnering affects performance among non-government organizations in Kenya this study has the objective of establish the effect of partnering on the performance of local NGOs in Kenya. The specific objectives were: (a) to establish the effect of exchange of funds on performance in local NGOs in PELUM Kenya network ;(b) to establish the effect of exchange of competencies on the performance in local NGOs in and (c) to determine the effect of long term interaction on the performance of local NGOs in PELUM Kenya network. This study was an exploratory and descriptive survey on all the 40 NGOs registered and operating within the PELUM Network in Kenya. This study was census of all the 40 NGOs in the network. Data was collected by use of a self-administered questionnaire and interviews with the managers of the NGOs or officers involved in their daily activities. The analysis of the data was done using mean and standard deviation. The relationship between the dependent and the independent variables was assessed using linear regression. The findings indicate that Performance was most strongly affected by the relevance of resources received from donors to objectives, the increasing value of resources shared, partner NGOs providing assistance in management, leadership, advocacy and campaigning; implementation of activities defined in work plans; trust between partners, and appreciation of diversity that brings forth comparative advantages and response of partnerships to NGO’s strategic objectives. Best performance was realized in few errors reported by outside auditors; high percent of output delivered on schedule and the reviews done before approval. It is recommended that NGOs should set out clear policies concerning why and how they wish to partner with other NGOs, be they local or international.