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 […]
Horizontal learning for civil society organizations
Why are horizontal learning processes relevant for civil society organizations (CSOs)? The problems we face in the world are more complex, and no single actor can tackle them alone. In the last two decades, we have seen that multistakeholder initiatives (involving public and private stakeholders, civil society organizations, and academia) can bring positive outcomes. Therefore, […]
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 […]
10 financial health risks for civil society organizations
Financial health for civil society organizations (CSOs) is often an easily overlooked topic because organizations usually focus on setting and meeting their goals. However, long-term success and stable growth are more associated with adequately managing economic resources. Below you will find a discussion about ten financial health risks faced by CSOs. 1. One person in […]
How do you design SMART goals?
Setting goals is critical to our success journey as a civil society organization. However, not every goal is created the same way or with the same success. We need to establish goals smartly and strategically to maximize our success rate. An excellent way to do this is the SMART methodology, a powerful tool that will […]
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 […]