MatchMaker Solution Pack | Internal Management Systems for Local Humanitarian NGO Networks

Written By ADMIN

This resource package was developed as part of the Oxfam HST-LHL programme. Click on the button below to download the full report.

We welcome external contributions. Please feel free to use the “comment” function to share your thoughts with us or suggest additional solutions you would like us to feature.

LOCATION: Global

SECTOR: NGO Management, System Strengthening

DEMOGRAPHIC

  • Primary target group: Executives, Operations and HR managers of local NGO networks and their members

  • Other possible target groups: Partners of local NGOs and networks, localisation programme specialists

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  • This MatchMaker Resource Pack provides an overview of potential solutions to improve internal management systems in networks of local humanitarian NGOs. It has been commissioned by the Humanitarian System Transformation through Local Humanitarian Leadership (HST-LHL) programme facilitated by Oxfam in partnership with more than 30 local and national actors, and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. While this resource is primarily addressed to networks of local NGOs operating in humanitarian contexts, its contents should also be relevant to networks of civil society actors operating in the development space as well as large Clusters, NGO working groups, consortia, alliances and the like.

    This resource package contains a review of top solutions to a challenge that was identified and refined by key informant interviews and a desk research exercise undertaken by Response Innovation Lab (RIL), and selected as a priority by HST-LHL programme teams and partners operating in the seven program countries: Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, South Sudan and Yemen. This Pack is meant to be an iterative resource, with solutions added and refined with the support of HST-LHL programme partners in an open-source manner, with curation from RIL. You can see the full synthesis of the research process that led to this challenge being selected here.

    It is important to note that this research specifically focused on internal operational risks and capacity gaps that local networks of humanitarian NGOs experienced and not on the broader challenges of humanitarian response systems (e.g., power dynamics between global and local actors).  Instead, this document focuses on suggesting solutions that can be directly investigated, assessed, trialled and adopted by local NGO networks and their members.  Partnership with international organisations in a risk sharing framework, however, is highly encouraged and may lead to more transformational results. A section dedicated to risk sharing suggestion is included in the document.

    Response Innovation Lab is a global collaboration between leading humanitarian non- governmental organisations (World Vision, Oxfam, Danish Refugee Council and Save the Children), and Civic (an international community social impact accelerator). RIL manages the largest network of response-based social innovation hubs, with a focus on strengthening the innovation ecosystem and scaling solutions through collaborative partnerships.

  • The MatchMaker Solutions Pack is meant to be a guide that helps an organisation or network kickstart the process of identifying one or more solutions that can effectively address a particular type of challenge.  This process is meant to be internally driven, with or without external support and should include the following key steps:

    ·       An analysis of the specific gaps that the organisation or network faces in regard to the challenge highlighted in the specific MatchMaker Solutions Pack;

    ·       An assessment of the types of solutions presented in the document and their applicability to the specific needs of the organisation or network;

    ·       A decision to further explore one or more of the solution types and to identify providers available in, and adapted to, the organisation’s specific context;

    ·       Collecting information about the providers’ offerings and selecting the most suitable one(s) to pilot;

    ·       Testing this solution via a pilot project and using the evidence to make further decisions about further adapting and/or adopting the innovation.

    Throughout this process, outreach to peer organisations, networks and relevant knowledge hubs is highly encouraged to gather more specific insights into what solutions have succeeded and failed in the specific operational context.

    As you go through the contents of this MatchMaker Solutions Pack, please keep in mind the following:

    ·       The types of innovation provided are broad categories that include ideas that range from the simple to the highly disruptive, depending on the ambitions of the user. The same basic idea (for instance, enhanced professional training) can be applied in limited ways (assigning a one-off training course) or in a more transformative manner (developing a comprehensive digital staff training curriculum).

    ·       There may be barriers to some of the solutions presented and the user will need to assess whether these prohibit the use of an innovation type or whether they can be overcome through introducing an additional solution. For example, if poor connectivity prevents an organisation from accessing certain digital tools, it may be possible to introduce a new connectivity solution (such as an internet satellite subscription) that can be added to the pilot project.

    ·       This MatchMaker Solutions Pack was specifically designed for the Humanitarian System Transformation through Local Humanitarian Leadership programme and targets networks of local humanitarian organisations active in a wide range of operational settings (from highly fragile, low-income contexts to more stable, middle-income countries). It is possible that some solutions presented will not be considered innovative in some more economically advanced contexts. Conversely, some innovations suggested may not be as feasible in some of the more difficult operating environments.

    We hope that you enjoy reading this document and, more importantly, that you find enough inspiration in these pages to start a meaningful conversation about creating change in your organisation or network.  We wish you an exciting and fruitful innovation journey!

  • PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

    All organisations depend on a distinct set of internal systems to carry out their work. These can be paper-based, digital or even informal but each serves a function for the structure whether it is operational or programmatic in nature.  For instance, all organisations and networks, no matter how large or small, are expected to have in place mechanisms for managing funds, human resources[1], and procurement of products and services.  In the humanitarian space, further systems exist to ensure that organisations manage safety and security concerns, plan and track their activities, report back to their donors in a timely and accurate manner, and safeguard the welfare of the communities they serve, among other key responsibilities. As per the research that Response Innovation Lab has conducted, the strength and efficacy of these systems can be lacking, leading to significant risks.

    For the purpose of this exercise, RIL focused on operational (as opposed to programme-specific systems) and defined the challenge as:

    Inadequate and/or inefficient internal management, operational and administrative systems that make administering projects overly complex and time consuming, generate errors and compliance risks, and hinder organisational sustainability.

    Interviews and desk research identified several components to address, including:

    • Highly personalised, informal and/or poorly structured systems developed by individual staff members;

    • Multiple separate, overlapping and/or concurrent project-based systems in place;

    • Poorly documented procurement processes;

    • Over-reliance on paper-based systems;

    • Difficulty in producing timely financial reports;

    • Donor and partner compliance challenges

    In the survey administered to HST-LHL programme partners, the issue of internal systems management was voted #4 out of ten internal risks and capacity gap.

    OBJECTIVES OF THE SOLUTION

    This MatchMaker Solutions Pack will focus on identifying innovations addressing the following key components of the above-described challenge:

    ·        Lack of coherent, consistent and scalable systems;

    ·        Absence of clear manuals/policies and documented procedures;

    ·        Gaps between compliance expectations and abilities and functionalities of systems in place;

    ·        Overall integration of systems within organisation.

    Solutions are meant to provide options which local humanitarian NGO networks and their members can adapt, test and adopt, either through an internal process or in partnership with one or more external organisations. They are proposed separately but can be mixed and matched to fit the specific needs and contexts of the adopter.

    Scope

    This MatchMaker Solution Pack is meant to provide ideas for local humanitarian NGO networks and their members operating anywhere in the world. As per the focus of the HST-LHL programme, special care has been taken to highlight solutions available to NGO networks operating in contexts ranging from low-resource settings (e.g. Yemen, South Sudan et al.)  to Middle Income Countries (e.g. Indonesia, Colombia, et al.). Additional solutions may be applicable to NGO networks operating in high resource settings.

    CRITERIA FOR DESIRED SOLUTIONS

    The research focused on solutions that respond to the following criteria:

    ·        Feasibility: Solutions must be compatible with the operating context of the adopters, the current capacities of its personnel and the structure of the network or organisation. Furthermore, digital systems must be able to operate with limited or no connectivity;

    ·        Affordability: Solutions should not increase operational costs in the long run but rather generate long-term savings, even if some upfront investments might be necessary;

    ·        Scalability and Sustainability: Solutions should be able to expand and evolve from the pilot phase to become fully integrated parts of organisational systems. They should be replicable across organisations in the same network and can scale to cover new programming or operational functions as they emerge.

    ·        Sustainability: The solutions must be robust in nature and resilient to internal and external risks such as staff turnover, decreased budgets or contextual instability.

    ·        Effectiveness: Solutions must generate improved results and performance for the organisation/network.

    CONTEXTUAL CONSIDERATIONS

    Adopters of solutions will need to account for the specific opportunities and limitations defined by their operating contexts. The description of solutions below will mention specific requirements and whether these might be a challenge in certain contexts.

    BUDGET AND TIME

    ·        It should be possible to adapt and pilot the solutions listed below at budgets ranging from US$10,000 to $25,000 and for a duration of 9-12 months.

    ·        Long-term costs of applying the solution at scale will vary.

    [1] For specific guidance on addressing Human Resources issues, please refer to the MatchMaker Solutions Pack dedicated to that specific challenge

  • The ability of an organisation or network to select and run the internal management systems that best fit their operational needs is a critical component of institutional independence. All too often, external partners force local non-profits to develop project-specific systems built around the particular compliance needs of the back donor(s) and/or an INGO/UN internal tools and processes. Low-quality or unsuitable solutions will create a number of risks for the organisation and network, such as:

    ·        Limiting operational capacity and effectiveness through malfunctions, errors, wasted time and staff frustration;

    ·        Inhibiting financial management and accounting capacity;

    ·        Creating reputational risk through unprofessional outputs;

    ·        Compliance issues when unable to accurately track and report on project spending and activities;

    ·        Preventing the use of quality information and data in decision-making.

    Applying a risk sharing approach should create an opportunity to build reporting processes around the local partner’s existing systems or, in cases where the local organisation has identified gaps, to support the LNGO or network to strengthen these management systems in a way that benefits their overall programming and not just the project at hand.

    Supportive, risk sharing actions from the external partner could include:

    ·        Using the project kick-off workshop to collaboratively review reporting and management systems, looking for ways to minimise the introduction of external tools;

    ·        Providing time and resources for the local partner to conduct an internal review of their management systems;

    ·        Making funds available to the local partner to upgrade their management systems in a durable (not project-bound) way;

    ·        Helping broker potential partnerships between global enterprise management systems providers and local NGOs.

Overview

The effectiveness of critical internal management systems and staff’s ability to properly use them will have significant impact on the ability of an organisation to deliver its programming, comply with donor requirements, and engage in quality assurance / quality improvement processes. This MatchMaker Solutions Pack provides a range of solutions for organisations currently struggling with suboptimal systems. These options should be weighed after an internal self-assessment that would pinpoint specific gaps and needs.

·        Learning & Training Programs:  Ways to effectively and inexpensively train staff on global management systems standards and best practices;

·        Enterprise Software: Digital tools specifically designed to help organisations effectively manage internal systems;

·        Outsourcing and partnerships: Solutions that externalise systems that were previously internally managed by the organisation

·        External certification: Obtaining national and/or international recognition for the quality of internal systems by a trusted third party.

The above solutions can be combined to generate hybrid innovations that leverage multiple benefits of each.

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MatchMaker Solution Pack | Human Resource Management for Local Humanitarian NGO Networks