A Review of Objectives, Activities, and Future Plans AWCCI, Organizational Document (V6) | Page 18

ORGANIZATIONAL
SUSTAINABILITY
O
rganizational sustainability is a topic of
considerable importance for the leadership
of the AWCCI. When the concept for a women’s
chamber was first presented to donor organizations
and Afghan Government officials, it was stressed that
this organization would not simply be a temporary
product of the donor-driven war economy, but rather
function as a self-sufficient entity able to sustain itself
financially through membership fees and other types
of revenue-generating activities.
The optimism of the AWCCI’s founders is being
tested now, as the 3-year grant from the US State
Department that has underwritten the Chamber’s
operations has come to an end. In order to cover its
operational expenses, the Chamber has developed a
number of means by which it can generate income.
The income-generating activities are detailed in the
next sub-sections:
Membership Fees
Membership fees are a core component of the
AWCCI’s long-term sustainability strategy. With that
said, as of the drafting this document these fees only
represented 7.3% of AWCCI’s operational budget
for 2019. The more success that the AWCCI has in
encouraging women to register a company and enter
the formal economy, the more potential fee-paying
members the Chamber will be able to attract. The
Chamber’s survival, is, in effect, directly tied to its
ability to accomplish its organizational mission.
Sponsorship by Corporations and
Donor Organizations
of commissions that have already been approved by
the Board of Directors are commissions from travel
grants for members to participate in international
exhibitions, as well as commissions for members who
secure government contracts as a result of the scoring
allowance won by the AWCCI from the National
Procurement Authority.
For-Profit Ventures
The AWCCI is exploring several options to operate for-
profit ventures that generate revenue for the AWCCI
while also supporting Afghan businesswomen.
Services that AWCCI could potentially provide in the
future (for a reasonable fee) include operating a degree
program in business-related subjects, facilitating
online sales to international buyers of women-made
products, and operating a packaging facility.
Implementing projects for donor
organizations, with added margin
As part of its Executive Body, the AWCCI employs a
Business Development Services Director dedicated to
the mission of generating revenue for the Chamber.
This includes regularly reviewing active Requests
for Proposal/Requests for Quotation (RFPs/RFQs)
directed at the Afghan market. If the RFP/RFQ relates
to business-related training or research related to
Afghan businesswomen, the AWCCI will prepare a
proposal in response. To date, this the AWCCI has
not been particularly successful in this area, but as the
Chamber’s capacity and experience grows, so will its
ability to compete against for-profit consultancies to
prepare winning bids.
CONCLUSION
C
ompared to other chambers of commerce in
Afghanistan, the AWCCI operates at a significant
disadvantage. The AWCCI’s constituency consists of a
relatively small number of women-owned businesses
operating in Afghanistan’s formal economy. The
women-owned businesses that are licensed (and thus
eligible for AWCCI membership) tend to be small-
scale, and often find it difficult to pay a membership
fee to support activities that may seem abstract.
Despite the challenges, the AWCCI has aggressively
fought for the interests of its constituents, thereby
earning a seat at the table – in many cases, literally
– for Afghan businesswomen. While the AWCCI has
had significant achievements over the last several
years, the leadership of the Chamber must always
keep in mind three primary considerations:
• Sustainability: the Chamber must always work
to keep operating expenses to a minimum and
seek out revenue in various forms to cover
operating expenses
• Value for members: the Chamber must always
be in the process of developing new programs
and improving existing programs that create
value for its members
• Institutionalization: the programs and
operating ethos of the Chamber must become
institutionalized, so that changes to the
Executive Body and Board of Directors do not
negatively impact the positive momentum of the
organization
In the yars to come, the AWCCI hopes to move
closer and closer towards the ultimate goal of having
Afghan businesswomen become equal partners in
Afghanistan’s economic development. We hope to
continue working with our existing partners – and
join with new partners along the way – to see this
vision realized.
A master-embroiderer adds the final
touches to a scarf at the women-
owned Kandahar Treasures
workshop in Kandahar City
The AWCCI has had success in 2019 in attracting
corporate sponsors who support the work that the
Chamber is doing on behalf of Afghan businesswomen.
Two prominent companies, Afghanistan International
Bank and Roshan Telecommunications, agreed to
make significant contributions to the AWCCI which
covered 36.3% of the Chamber’s operational budget
for 2019. In the future, the AWCCI must continue
to approach both corporate entities as well as major
donor organizations to attract funding to cover basic
costs of operation.
Commissions from Members
In 2019, the AWCCI began developing several types
of commissions to solicit from its members who
directly benefit from the Chamber’s work. Two types
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