TechnoServe Reviews

Pros

Mission - TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in poor rural areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their countries. echnoServe founded by Connecticut businessman Ed Bullard. After volunteering at a hospital in Ghana, Bullard was inspired to start an organization helping hardworking rural people harness the power of private enterprise to lift themselves out of poverty. Climbing out of poverty in the developing world takes more than hard work; it takes economic opportunities. Entrepreneurs create these opportunities by identifying and capitalizing on good business ideas. TechnoServe helps them turn their visions into reality.

Cons

Tough to move up in organization without advanced degree from top 10 school.

Advice to Senior Management

NA

Pros

TechnoServe has a creative vision- While many non profit organization are bloated and have a pity orientation to the beneficiaries that in many cases disempowers the beneficiaries, convincing them that they must depend on external assistance to change their situations, rather than being agents of change themselves. As a result, TechnoServe is not a traditional assistance/donation oriented organization, by assisting businesses they allow beneficiaries to play active role in reducing rural poverty. Some TechnoServe employees are very talented, bright and passionate about work and provide effective assistance to the businesses. TechnoServe offers opportunity to invent and implement innovative economic assistance programs particularly in partnership with private sector. The volunteer consultant program is top notch in providing high class business assistance to rural businesses in the developing world.

Cons

The organization would do well to apply some its business acumen to its own operations. The organization is not implementing best practice in many areas such as: information management, training/evaluation of staff, client satisfaction surveys. The HQ staff often give too much reins and doesn't have adequate supervision of the day to day operations in the country offices, resulting in poor brand management-- inconsistent levels of service and unfortunate situations involving big egos, racism, sexism, and slacking off in some of the country offices. There are few opportunities for career advancement in the organization, and there is a lot of reinventing of the wheel that takes place.

Advice to Senior Management

Greater control of and consistency of assistance, communication, and organizational culture between country offices, make sure in practice they are really providing business assistance