A small non-profit overseas project in a developing country that costs less than $250,000 a year is not easy to ensure accountability and effectiveness. Basing an expatriate overseas would be prohibitively expensive and  if the location is remote and far away from the capital, it would be hard to recruit suitable staff who are accustomed to the comforts of a modern city.

An easy approach would be to work through a local NGO and assume they have the expertise and knowledge. However, local NGOs lacked the experience and knowledge to manage a project that meets our expectations.

A bigger problem lies in the fact that we are trained to based our audits on invoices and receipts. Due to prevalence of faked receipts, a more practical street smart approach is needed. An auditor would not be able to audit a set of accounts if he is told the receipts and invoices are not to be trusted.

Besides cost, are we buying the right materials that meets our needs? Small projects means we cannot afford to engage professionals  and have to depend on ourselves to decide. How then do we make the right decisions  and ensure we are not cheated  or given the wrong advice by the vendor or contractors?

1. CEOs and executives of NGOs/charities/Foundations who are concerned about operational cost and efficiencies especially in overseas projects.
2. Auditors, Finance Controllers who need to audit overseas operations for charities/NGOs.
3. Field Managers who are in charge of running overseas operations.
4. Church leaders, mission chairpersons who are concerned about cost and fraud in their overseas projects.
5. Philanthropists who intend to support or start overseas operations.
6. Family Offices who have to provide guidance for overseas charity projects.
7. Private bankers who are helping clients to identify projects to support