Assessment of financial resource mobilization effectiveness at Medical Access Uganda Limited

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of financial resource mobilization at Medical Access Uganda Limited (MAUL). The study was mainly based on three objectives: to examine the key sources of funds at MAUL, to investigate the challenges faced by MAUL in mobilizing financial resources and to find out the strategies of improving financial resource mobilization at MAUL. The study adopted a cross-sectional design and quantitative approach. Data was collected using the primary means by presenting questionnaires to 86 respondents and 63 were returned giving a response rate of 73%. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 23). The study findings revealed that Medical Access Uganda Limited endeavors to source funds through Income-generating activities (sales or services like offering medicines, medical consultations, medical insurance and laboratory services), grants from government, fundraising events and donor support. These efforts are reflected in the responses received from the survey findings which are also sufficiently supported by past studies on the concept of key sources of funds for MAUL. However, MAUL face several challenges in mobilizing financial resources like external conditional ties by donors, lack of networking skills, unawareness of the available NGO opportunities, lack of strategic and operational plans, poor budget techniques and donor downsizing. Several strategies like relating project funding needs to the funders expressed priorities, entering into joint contractual fee-based partnerships with public sector, diversifying the profit-making strategies that truly lead to both long term future financial growths, internal capacity enhancement and understand the fundraising cycle were suggested and strongly adopted by the respondents. This study recommends that MAUL should put more emphasis on the income generating activities; this would increase area of their business operations and advantages of large scale would set in leading to reduced costs of doing business and increased profit levels. Regular training regarding financial resource mobilization in NGOs should also be emphasized to enhance basic internal capacity knowledge. Further studies may also be carried out on financial resource mobilization in other context like government entities, service-based institutions or manufacturing firms.