Good Practice Library

Through our accountability reporting process, our Independent Review Panel identifies good practices from the reports sent by our members. Browse our library and get inspired by innovative CSO accountability practices!

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CIVICUS’ comprehensive approach to diversity and inclusion goes beyond gender issues

CIVICUS sees diversity and inclusion as a journey that civil society must embark on together, and is committed to tackling institutional structures from all perspectives. A Social Inclusion Toolkit helps CIVICUS members assess their work on inclusion beyond gender and age, and includes definitions, reflective questions, and activities.

ChildFund New Zealand plants trees to ensure sustainable income and carbon offsetting

ChildFund New Zealand is committed to the principle of doing no harm as well as ensuring that their work is sustainable, appropriate, feasible, and empowering (SAFE), which includes protecting the environment as well as enhancing the natural environment of our places of work. For this reason, CFNZ tracks their carbon emissions, which includes travel to and from work, our work place energy, and travel for work both nationally and internationally. They then aim to plant trees in dedicated partner communities to offset these emissions.

ChildFund New Zealand’s Road Map approach to sustainable outcomes

ChildFund New Zealand’s Road Map approach is their preferred approach to building partnerships within communities. Their aim is to ensure that development work does not create long-term dependencies and so this Road Map approach focuses on strengthening localisation and self-reliance.

World YWCA’s Approach to Feedback from Internal Stakeholders

A helpful illustrative example is provided, outlining how MAs, staff, and partner organisations provided input on the development of World YWCA’s Goal 2035. The Panel notes positively the efforts to obtain input from a diverse membership base and to gather feedback in several rounds of consultations over several years.

Terre des Hommes is strengthening common ways of working throughout the federation through its responsive and participatory Strategic Review process

In 2018 Terre des Hommes undertook a strategic review process to align programme goals, policies, and approaches across the federation. The overall aim is to increase cooperation and cohesion and lead to better impact.

Terre Des Homme’s approach to stakeholder engagement

The response explains how consultation with stakeholders led to TDH shifting its campaign on “trafficked children” to “children on the move”. The Destination Unknown campaign involves youth activists, engages a youth group in decision making processes, and shares this key stakeholder group’s perspective in a “Youth Call” outlining demands and proposals raised by youth.

Sightsavers’ Approach to Staff Development and Working Environment

Sightsavers’ performance review process was updated in 2017, with a new Valuing Individual Performance system introduced. This was developed in a consultative process, and will see staff undergo formal development reviews every 12 months, with reviews conducted on a rolling basis. Sightsavers’ 2018 employee survey includes questions relating to performance management, which are hoped to provide insight into how staff engage with the new process compared to the old system.

Sightsavers’ approach to capacity-building

Several examples are provided of projects that have resulted in increased capacities and new skills for both direct beneficiaries as well as healthcare, educational and social work professionals in the communities  Sightsavers works in. A wide range of training aimed at building capacity of individuals is being provided, including daily living skills, mobility and orienteering, rights and entitlements, living skills, vocational training and economic empowerment.

Restless Development engages young people, communities, staff, and partners across their agency and programmes

Restless Development’s strategic model is built around long-term community engagement led by volunteers. Stakeholder engagement is built into programme design, delivery and monitoring, evaluation and learning systems – young people are part of programme design teams, and work with peers and other community members on all aspects of the programme.

Plan International creates meaningful learning processes for its staff directly applicable to their work

Plan International offers several learning and development programmes, which can offer a formal certification process through Plan Academy. The process includes individual self-assessment and line manager review of progress after 4 weeks, to confirm that the learner has been able to transfer the knowledge to the workplace.

Greenpeace’s advocacy is built on scientific research as well as stakeholder opinions

The Greenpeace International Science Unit at the University of Exeter identifies and communicates scientific information on the key issues Greenpeace is working on. Greenpeace also gathers input from experts in the field, and conducts situation and power analyses and audience assessments.

Child participation is key to Educo’s work, from inception to evaluation

Educo’s approach is thorough, with participation worked into all stages of projects, and meaningful, adapted to context and individual needs, and with a commitment to learning and improving participatory practices. Children participate in all stages of Educo’s projects, from conception and planning through a participatory Child Rights Situational Analysis process, to implementation and evaluations. Approaches are tested and learnings are shared throughout the organization.

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