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 […]
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).
Horizontal Learning: what should we take into consideration for exchange of experiences?
When we think of horizontal learning, remembering our college years, or conjuring up an academic program is expected. However, a more valuable and ideal tool to promote learning in civil society organizations. Horizontal learning is also known as the exchange of experiences because it is done between peers and not from a hierarchy with a […]
Consulting for civil society organizations: How we can help you?
consulting for civil society organizations and the actions necessary to help them meet their goals.
Why is financial health relevant for civil society organizations?
For some people, talking about the financial health of civil society organizations is a complex or even a secondary issue. However, the monetary aspect is just as important as our substantive work if we want our organization to be properly managed and be able to fulfill its objectives. In this sense, a thriving civil society […]
Why do we build trust?
Why is it relevant to build trust in accompanying processes with external consultants? Because it enables processes to be successful. Devoting time and thought for trust building creates an atmosphere where people in our organization feel comfortable to: · Become involved in the process. · Share their opinions assertively and openly. How do we build […]
Redesign of roles and responsibilities in civil society organizations (institutional redesign)
Clarity in roles and responsibilities (functions) is essential in healthy organizations. The establishment of every organization is usually done naturally. Therefore, roles are created and assigned based on needs. However, there comes a time when this arrangement does not work correctly, whether we have more projects or because the way we work causes communication and […]