The community model illustrated in Box 8.11(d) aims to strengthen the position of the NGO by reinforcing this connection through a contractual arrangement between the community and the NGO. Perhaps the most ideal of the five models, this creates an arrangement where civil society is seen as a single entity (comprising communities, NGOs and other civil society organisations). The key issues to be addressed include how the NGO is mobilised, and how the NGO is compensated for its inputs. Being paid by the private firm compromises and recreates the sub-contractor role; being funded by a donor is helpful and workable but may not be a replicable or sustainable model. Perhaps the only workable solution is that the municipality mobilises the funds and channels these through the community organisation. The CBO then contracts the NGO and acts as the NGO's client.
For the NGO this has the advantage that it can represent the community without external pressure. Its values are not compromised and there are no conflicts of interest. In practice, the weak capacity of community organisations is one of the key reasons for engaging the NGO, and the CBO may not have the capacity to perform this contracting role. In practice, municipalities do not have these funds, and in many cases will be reticent to ascribe this role to a CBO. The arrangement may also create a confrontational, adversarial relationship between the NGO and the private operator, rather than one in which they both striving for a common objective.