Determinants of Non-Governmental Organizations’ Project Performance in Debre Berhan City, Ethiopia

Berhanu Mengesha
Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia

Dr. Solomon Melese
Assistant Professor of Management, Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia

Dr. Sisay Mulate
Assistant Professor of Finance, Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Business and Economics, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine factors that influence project performance in some selected Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Debre Berhan City. Both explanatory and descriptive research methods were used in the study. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information from 76 workers, or 79.2% of the 96 workers from seven distinct NGOs engaged in different projects. Project performance acted as the dependent variable, while the independent variables were project management practices, stakeholder engagement, human factors, communication strategies, and external factors. Descriptive statistics, including percentages and frequencies, summarized the data, and regression analysis assessed the significance of the independent variables. The findings indicated that all five hypothesized relationships were statistically supported: project management practices (β = 0.208, p = 0.002), stakeholder engagement (β = 0.315, p < 0.001), human factors (β = 0.281, p < 0.001), communication strategies (β = 0.178, p = 0.019), and external factors (β = 0.178, p = 0.006) each positively and significantly influenced project performance. These findings reinforce the need to incorporate good management practices, stakeholder involvement, the use of effective human resource engagement, communication, and consideration of external factors to improve the success of NGO projects.

Keywords: Communication Strategies, External Factors, Human Factors, Project Management Practices, Project Performance, Stakeholder Engagement.