How to work the strategic vision in civil society
Previously, we discussed the relevance of conducting a strategic reflection process. Now, we share with you what it takes to have efficient strategic reflection planning. This time, we look at how a strategic vision process helps an organization know itself and achieve its desired outcomes. What is required for an efficient strategic vision process? First, […]
Strategic resource management for civil society organizations
Civil society organizations know the need for resources to conduct our activities. But do we know what they are and how we can use them? In this article we will talk about strategic resource management. Keep reading and find out the relevance of an institutional budget to represent the organization’s strategic priorities instead of the […]
The sociopolitical context in Mexico and Central America: strategic reflections for civil society organizations
An essential practice for designing support programs that add value to organizations is analyzing the contexts in the countries in which we work. This analysis allows us to be informed about the social, political, and economic aspects that impact the work of the organizations we work with and, therefore, better adapt our support. Between 2023 […]
Capacity building of facilitators on strategic thinking in the Global South
In October 2023, COMETA started the capacity building of facilitators on strategic thinking (FOFA in Spanish acronym). We implemented the Theory of Change (TOC) methodology with civil society organizations in Central America, a region where the closure of civic space is increasing, complicating the provision of support processes. COMETA is commited to capacity building of […]
Results-based evaluation in civil society organizations
When should we worry about conducting a results-based evaluation? For COMETA, the best moment is when civil society organizations (CSOs) want to understand their achievements in detail or want to give the stakeholders and donors evidence of their results. Also, when we want to share our progress with the stakeholders and the public. If we […]
What do we mean by high-level strategic facilitation?
Have you ever heard of “high-level strategic facilitation”? In this article, we will discuss this concept and its relevance. High-level strategic facilitation is a process where an external consulting firm designs and applies a methodology that stimulates strategic dialogues and discussions for organization networks that need to: They are called high-level discussions because the participants […]
What should you consider for a good advocacy strategy?
When we talk about “advocacy strategy,” several questions arise, the first and most important of which is usually: What do we mean by “advocacy”? Advocacy is the ability to influence someone to change their behavior. Advocacy is often the main reason civil society organizations (CSOs) work. Since some government’s actions do not directly impact us, […]
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Evaluation was born on the seventh day of creation, when God saw everything that He had made and stated, “It is good”. With that single phrase, God became the world’s first evaluator. However, the evaluation born in the heavens proved insufficient and too subjective for some. Therefore, upon hearing God’s evaluation (self-evaluation, by the way), the Devil objected and insisted: “How does he know it’s good, how did he measure it? By what indicator did he judge the goodness of his creation, by what did he compare it?” And so, evaluation as we know it today was born: in the fires of hell!
(Karen Marie Mokate, Turning the “monster” into an ally: Evaluation as a tool for social management, Inter-American Development Bank, 2003).
A strategic budget is crucial to the goals of civil society organizations
When we discuss civil society organizations’ (CSOs) missions, we rarely consider the financial resources needed to achieve them. Therefore, CSOs need a strategic budget to fully accomplish their Theory of Change and cover their operating expenses. What is a strategic budget? The strategic budget clearly reflects the organization’s financial needs and provides a compass that […]
Key questions about the participatory approach
Are you familiar with the participatory approach? Do you know how it can help your organization? We will guide you on implementing this approach in organizational processes, particularly in hierarchical organizations. This approach is particularly beneficial for civil society organizations with traditional structures or clear commitments to their donors. What is the participatory approach? The […]