Non-profit organisations (NPOs) operating in South Africa are financially weak and the sustainability of their organisations is often at risk. Post-2008, large numbers have ceased to operate, in part, because of the weak state of the South African economy. This study sought to determine the financial conditions NPOs operate under, to establish why they are so vulnerable and present recommendations as to how they can become more financially resilient. In-depth interviews with 10 senior managers in the sector, representing organisations working in education, health and social welfare, were conducted. The results indicate that the legislative environment-governing NPOs are restrictive and may be inhibiting their ability to raise funds. The results of the interviews showed that the NPOs under study rely heavily on a few large donors; placing them at great risk, should they lose this revenue stream. Donor dependence is such that some even tailor their mandates to suit donors, whilst others dedicate a significant proportion of their resources to fundraising. Consequently, donor relations management and finding new or additional donors preoccupy the minds of NPO leadership. This is notably different to NPOs in the Global North where many have embraced social enterprise and commercialisation.

中文翻译：

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南非非营利部门面临的财务可持续性挑战

在南非开展业务的非营利组织（NPO）财务薄弱，其组织的可持续性常常受到威胁。2008年后，由于南非经济的疲软，大量数字停止营业。这项研究试图确定非营利组织所处的财务状况，确定它们为何如此脆弱，并就如何提高财务弹性提出建议。与代表教育，卫生和社会福利组织工作的该部门的10位高级管理人员进行了深入访谈。结果表明，立法环境非营利组织是限制性的，可能会抑制其筹集资金的能力。访谈的结果表明，所研究的非营利组织在很大程度上依赖于一些大的捐助者。如果他们失去了这种收入来源，则使他们处于极大的风险中。对捐助者的依赖使得有些人甚至可以调整其任务以适合捐助者，而另一些人则将其大部分资源用于筹款。因此，捐助者关系管理以及寻找新的或额外的捐助者是非营利组织领导层的主意。这与全球北部的NPO明显不同，那里的许多NPO都接受了社会企业和商业化。