Selection Processes: An Opportunity to Enhance Ownership and Build Trust

To improve trust, ensure transparency and to enhance its accountability, Iraqi Al-Amal Association (IAA) has put in place a public selection process for both individuals and NGOS for capacity building or receiving funds.

In the capacity building trainings for individuals, youth-led NGOs, or youth platforms, the selection process starts by an online public application, shortlisting, and interviewing the shortlisted candidates to select. Usually, IAA receives from few hundreds to 1,700 applications from which they select only 25 or 50 to participate.

Evaluation is based on concrete criteria and a scoring system. The selected list is usually published publicly after taking consent. Moreover, the scoring system is presented to the selected applicants during the activity. This has improved their trust in the process and IAA’s selection procedure. It makes applicants feel they are selected based on their qualifications. In a country which has high level of corruption this is an extremely important message to send.

The micro grants provided in the fields of culture of peace, entrepreneurship, and advocacy to individuals, youth platforms, and NGOs follow a similar structured selection process based on a concrete scoring system. The selection committee usually brings in external consultant to advice the team. For those selected, IAA provides space to develop their own ideas, and supports them if requested to fine-tune their proposals. Implementation stage is the sole responsibility of the applicant. This has improved the level of ownership and creativity significantly.

While this practice is very organisation specific, it can easily be adapted to other organisations.

NGO Good Governance and Professional Practices in Cambodia

The NGO Good Governance and Professional Practices (NGO-GPP), under the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC), is a certification system to measure institutional governance and management for associations and NGOs in Cambodia. These standards have been developed since 2005 through widely consultations with CSOs, development partners, and government.

To view the 3rd edition of the Code of Voluntary Certification System, please view here (English) o here (Khmer).

Adaptive Management Brings Flexibility to Responding to Sierra Leone’s Ebola Crisis

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) demonstrates how adaptive management allows projects to achieve outcomes in the face of a changing context (i.e. Ebola crisis).

Click here

Using the Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Framework & Key Concepts from USAID – click here to learn more:

Areas within the Program Cycle:

  1. Collaborating
  2. Learning
  3. Staff
  4. Adapting

Enabling Conditions:

  1. Culture
  2. Process
  3. Resources