Donor Driven Innovation: Using cultural analysis to stimulate strategic change in a Canadian NGO

Abstract: This thesis is a study of development and international aid institutions and practices undertaken to give form and substance to international development as a cultural product. In a climate of changing policy priorities and the prospective loss of government backing for international development NGOs, this thesis uses applied cultural analysis to develop knowledge of the support network of NGO A, a British Columbian NGO. It will analyze how the world views, values, norms, and narratives that the organization believes to be important to fulfilling its mission are received and used by its donors. By looking at how an organization like NGO A tries to handle problems many NGO’s are facing today in an organizational context, it may be possible to make meaningful contributions to the field of best practices that other organizations can use in their own struggle for resiliency and continuity in establishing the scope of what development work should be as well as making progress toward their end goals of alleviating poverty, facilitating positive social change, and building strong governance.