bond.org.uk

Supporting NGO effectivenessSarah Mistry

June 2014

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Supporting NGO Effectiveness and fostering social accountability

Introduction

1. A quick introduction to Bond

2. Why do NGOs need to be more effective?

3. What are the levers of change to improve NGO effectiveness?

4. Case study: Evidence Principles

5. What does the future hold?

6. Transferable lessons

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About Bond

The membership body for UK international development organizations: • Founded 1993 by 61 NGOs• 400+ members

Our strategy is to: • Connect• Influence• Strengthen

Image by Jerry Wang

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What do we do?

Effectiveness &Learning

Policy & Advocacy

Membership & Communications

Connect Influence Strengthen

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Why effectiveness focus?

• More impact (quality, reach, influence)

• Better value for money

• Performance improvement• Adaptive learning• Accountability, communication

of value• Sustainability (of outcomes not

organization)

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Theory of ChangeWhy is Bond well placed to help NGOs improve their effectiveness? Accountability

Learning Funding

• Planning• Measuring and communicating

results• Learning and adaptation• Value for money• Transparency and accountability• Funding practices

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Levels of changeIn order to bring about change Bond is working at multiple levels:

• Individuals – to seed good practice• Organizations – to enable and embed good practice• Sector – to share and establish good practice• Donors – to enable, incentivize and reward good practice

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Effectiveness activities

Effectivenessservices

Funding policy Transparency & accountability

Evidence &learning

Sector effectiveness

This translates into effectiveness activities centered on five areas:

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Case study: The Evidence Principles

Principles and checklist are for assessing and improving the quality of evidence.

• Practical tool used when commissioning, designing and reviewing evidence-based work.

• Being used in 6 ways; 85% of organisations report positive change.

• Also a ‘line in the sand’ – a locus for conversation with donors on evidence.

Download: http://www.bond.org.uk/principles

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Case study: The Evidence Principles

1 ... 4Weak evidence Strong evidence

1.      Voice and

Inclusion

Are the perspectives of beneficiaries included in the evidence?

No beneficiary perspectives presented

... ...Beneficiary perspectives presented and integrated into analysis, and beneficiaries have validated the findings; the evidence is strongly grounded in the voices of the poor

Are the perspectives of the most excluded and marginalised groups included in the evidence?

Perspectives from most excluded groups not presented clearly

... ...

Perspectives from most excluded groups presented clearly and integrated into analysis, and excluded groups have validated the findings; the evidence is strongly grounded in the voices of the most excluded

Are the findings disaggregated according to sex, disability and other relevant social differences?

No disaggregation of findings by social differences

... ...Findings are disaggregated according to all social differences relevant to the intervention, and why these have been chosen has been clearly explained

Did beneficiaries play an active role in the assessment process?

Beneficiaries had no involvement in the assessment process

... ...Beneficiaries had involvement in all of the following: (1) designing the process (2) analysing the data (3) formulating the conclusions

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Case study: The Evidence Principles

Enables NGOs to communicate the value of their work

Practical tool that can be applied byindividuals

Shared understandingin sector of good

practice

A mechanism to influence donor

practice

How the Evidence Principles utilize the levers and levels for change.

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What does the future hold?But it’s not business as usual. Bond is initiating a Futures Program to help our members adapt:

• Changing global environment- different locations of poverty• Shifting power dynamics – southern leadership, civil society• New actors eg private sector• New funding models• Conflict, climate change• Public support, democracy, disintermediation…

This calls for radical adaptation and transformative thinking

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Transferable lessons

• Understand your theory of change, levers for change• The value of networks, collective action• The urgency of adapting to a changing environment• Strategic leadership combined with practical approaches• Peer to peer knowledge sharing• Learning, failing, learning again• People, cultures, relationships - real world / real lives

What can we learn from each other?

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www.bond.org.uk

Regent’s Wharf • 8 All Saints Street • London • N1 9RL • United Kingdom+44 (0)20 7837 8344 • bond@bond.org.uk • bond.org.uk