'Tell It Better': Online Survey Report on "Communication for Development and NGO Films"

This document details an online survey carried out by the Foundation for Responsible Media (Formedia), India, in an effort to understand the use of communication tools, especially films, in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector of India. It was carried out as part of a project called Tell It Better, which revolved around a March 2008 workshop designed to build NGO capacity to generate film content that can intensify outreach activity and enable public debate towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Funded by VIKES Media Foundation, Finland, Tell It Better is an initiative to inspire innovative storytelling in NGO films. Formedia designed the initiative based on a perceived need for high-quality content in NGO films that can be telecast or widely used for outreach and dissemination.

In order to collect statistics that could be the start-up for a wider, exhaustive field study of communication methodologies in the NGO sector of India, Tell It Better organisers chose a webmaster to begin work on the survey in June 2008. Online work, via the company Survey Console, started on August 8 2008.

Difficulty in generating healthy participation in the survey itself led researchers to the conclusion that the information and communication technology (ICT) capacity and internet responsiveness level of the NGO sector seems to be very low in India. They bemoan this circumstance because "thousands of good initiatives across the country are like islands, whose experience / knowledge is not being shared at all / enough for replicability in other regions....In the absence of shared knowledge / information, funds maybe hugely and unnecessarily wasted / duplicated for similar / near similar actions in different areas and sectors. This could be particularly so in terms of research, technical / scientific findings, community responses to new initiatives, logistical / grassroot hurdles in implementation of national-level MDG programmes, etc."

Those who did respond were found to be engaged in a diverse range of work within the development sector - with the largest percentage working in the area of education, closely followed by gender/women's issues, the environment, and children.

Analysis of their responses revealed that, on the whole, India's NGO sector needs further professional support to truly achieve maximum impact in contributing to social change through the audio-visual medium. The majority are funding their own media/communication projects, and had built communication funds into their overall development project budget. The majority had used an audiovisual communication tool in the past year, and had produced a documentary film. Most found that budgets limit the scope of the film; for example, most do not have in-house production facilities and, instead, outsource the production. The majority have not approached television stations for telecast. Most respondents would be agreeable to be linked to an internet video platform for development stakeholders, would be willing to pay a minor cost for uploading their videos. However, they would like viewers to pay a minor cost for viewing the video.

In spite of a low response to the survey, organisers contend that "the information and statistics are informative and will be extremely helpful to draw up a firm action plan if the 'Tell it Better' initiative continues." Amongst the questions that the survey raised which might help shape follow-up Tell It Better (or related) efforts: "What is generally understood as a documentary film? Do NGOs and film-makers working for NGOs understand the demands of a documentary as perceived by mainstream television networks and documentary experts? Can NGO films become innovative enough that they are accepted in the world of mainstream documentary, both broadcast and non-broadcast? Would mainstreaming of NGO-related films create greater global awareness of the MDGs and generate engaged citizen participation? How can public service broadcasters become stakeholders in NGO objectives? Can NGOs become stakeholders in public service broadcasting? How can NGOs and mainstream television create a synergy that serves the interest of both these stakeholders as well as capture the attention of the general public?"

This document is not online at present. To request a copy, please contact Neelima Mathur at the address listed below.