Articles

Stakeholder analysis (also called stakeholder mapping) is an important step in designing a new program. Stakeholders include individuals, community leaders, groups and other organisations who will be impacted by the program, or who could influence the outcome. They can be internal or external. This template can be used to identify the stakeholders for …

The answer to this question is almost certainly ‘yes’. Any organisation that comes into contact with children directly or indirectly should have a child protection policy, including most organisations working in international development / aid, not just organisations that focus on children’s activities. Direct contact with children includes activities where children are …

Got some time in the New Year and want to increase your knowledge and skills in a particular area? Here is a round-up of free online courses for international development / aid professionals that you can take anytime, anywhere. The courses, often called MOOCs (short for Massive Online Open Course), …

Many people in international development / aid work in multiple countries. Some people (like consultants and grant managers) may visit dozens of different countries each year. Other people changes countries every few years as projects they’re working on finish or they pursue new opportunities and move to different places. It …

A policy implementation matrix (also called an action plan matrix) shows how each item in a policy will be implemented in practice. This type of matrix can be used for the implementation of national or organisational policies. Download the Policy Implementation Matrix template This template is appropriate when: You want to show …

I work at the bottom of the development food chain, on the ground where people benefit from the money that donors give. Some days I feel sorry for the donors because I see their money being wasted, stolen or misused. On other days I am frustrated by donor policies which make it very difficult to run …

Ever since the Paris Declaration in 2005 “aligning with the national strategy” has become an important focus of international development / aid. There are many benefits to supporting the national strategy – it means that everyone is working towards the same goal (endorsed by the government), using similar activities, and avoiding duplication …

Consultants are often used for short term projects in international development / aid. Typical projects include needs assessments, evaluations, and report writing. A good consultant can be extremely valuable to your program. However, if a consultant is not hired and managed well the results can be equally disappointing (and very expensive!). …