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CSO

“You can’t be what you can’t see” (Aurélie Salvaire)

2022-03-11T13:45:16+00:00June 30th, 2020|

For two decades, I have been committed to the civil society sector, first as a humanitarian worker, and then as an organisational development practitioner. My daily work is to support civil society organisations in reaching their full potential, in becoming strategic and resilient. Working alongside civil society organisations has helped me develop a global view of factors that hinder the effectiveness and development of these organisations. «Be the change you want to see in this world» (Ghandi) It is unanimous: shoemakers’ children are the worst shod. Civil society actors are no different. We must surely all recognise that development actions have [...]

What is the real meaning of partnership?

2022-03-11T13:45:16+00:00April 24th, 2020|

Do relationships between donors and organisations have to involve some form of tension? Does there have to be a power dynamic at play between international non-governmental organisations (INGO) and civil society organisations (CSO)? Some may argue that this is not always the case, but we can’t deny that often it is. Partnerships are fundamental to our work and our sector. Without partnerships it is difficult to resource our work and there is also often a richness in collaboration that allows for more to be achieved together than what can be done alone. Being in partnership acknowledges a mutually beneficial relationship that [...]

Useful free resources for CSOs: tested and approved tools

2022-03-11T13:45:09+00:00February 1st, 2018|

Working in a small organisation is not easy. Financial and human resources are scarce, and although civil society organisations (CSOs) are aware that there are countless free resources and tools out there that could make their life easier, they are often so overloaded that they can’t invest the time needed to find out where they are and which ones would correspond to their needs. Here are a few resources we find useful, on issues that small CSOs often request support for; we hope they will allow you to free up time for what’s important: your programmes and the people you work [...]

Leadership Development: The Mustard Seed of Efficient Organisations

2022-03-11T13:45:09+00:00January 12th, 2018|

Leadership is an essential element that contributes to the success or failure of civil society organisations (CSOs). If properly nurtured within an organisation, it can be the panacea that can contribute towards ensuring a stable health in CSOs and boost their growth. Yet, it constitutes the weak link in many CSOs working in the Congo Basin. From Well Grounded’s experience in this region, leadership “affects all aspects of an organisation and can therefore have either a strong positive or negative influence on the ability of an organisation to achieve its desired impact” (Well Grounded Discussion Series 2016, Issue 1- unpublished). Through [...]

Collaboration in a fracturing world

2022-03-11T13:45:01+00:00June 24th, 2016|

A great organisation development practitioner, Davine Thaw, often summarises what organisations are in three words: people, purpose and process. Today, a bleak day for all of us who believe in collective action, as more than half my fellow citizens have chosen to take the UK out of the European Union, I have been thinking a great deal about the “people” part of that. One of the issues Well Grounded and a lot of other organisations have been thinking and talking about is how organisations work together between countries. And in a recent conversation, a friend working for another UK-based NGO pointed [...]

Raising funds for small NGOs: meeting the challenge

2022-03-11T13:45:01+00:00June 8th, 2016|

By Camaleo Let's face it: competition for funds is high, and fundraising has converted into an uphill battle for all non profits. The situation is even more dire for smaller organisations, especially when they are based in the countries where they implement their programmes. Small organisations and their specificities The vast majority of charitable organisations in the world are rather small, and most are based in the global South. Much of the good work worldwide is done by these small non-profits. It is true that for these organisations, fundraising is difficult. But they know the local situation well, and new technologies, [...]

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