impactcoalition: transparency, accountability and ... transparency, accountability and demonstrating...

ASSOCIATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

ImpACT Coalition: Transparency, Accountability and Demonstrating

Impact

Budapest, 25th November 2010, 09.00-12.30

09.00 - 09.15 Introductions and basics of the ImpACT Coalition

09.15 – 10.00 Section 1: Stakeholders and accountability

10.00 – 10.55 Section 2: Understanding information needs

10.55 – 11.10 BREAK

11.10 – 11.50 Section 3: Perception and reputation

11.50 – 12.30 Section 4: Demonstrating Impact: Where to begin

Workshop schedule


Introductions

• What’s your name

• Who do you work for and what’s your role

Improving accountability and transparency

Increase public understanding of NGOs

Coalition of over 400 UK NGOs

We do this by:

Support and advice for NGOs - e.g. ImpACT Toolkit and

Transparency Manifesto

Responding to negative and inaccurate reporting of NGOs

in the media

About the ImpACT Coalition

Public Fundraising Reglatory Body (PFRA)

Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB)

Charity Finance Directors’ Group (CFDG)

New Philanthropy Capital (NPC)

ImpACT Coalition – Steering group

Build reputation

Demonstrate effectiveness

Build support

Build trust

Build confidence

Why does your organisation need to be accountable and to demonstrate its impact (change it creates)?

Win funding

Reasons to trust a charity less*

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

I don't

know how

they spend

their money

I have

heard bad

stories

about them

I don't like

their

fundraising

techniques

Money

doesn't go

to the cause

I haven't

heard of

them

Mistrust

their

motives

They don't

work for the

public good

*Ipsos MORI research for Charity Commission’s 2008 Public Trust and Confidence in Charities Report

%


Section 1: Stakeholder mapping and accountability

What is a stakeholder?

It is:

A stakeholder is a person, group,

organisation, or system who affects or can be

affected by an organisation's actions.

It’s about a relationship of cause and effect

What is accountability?

It is:

Accountability is about demonstrating that

you are responsible for your actions.

It’s about explaining what you have done,

why you’ve done it, and what you have

achieved.

It’s about explaining the nature of the relationship


What does accountability mean to in practice?

Is it:

A) ‘A rush to produce this project report for my

funder!’

B) ‘Something I fully support…but don’t ask me

about our accountability’!

C) ‘I think it’s my colleague's responsibility.’

Stakeholder accountability map

External accountability

FundersDonors

Regulatory body

Police

Other homeless NGOs

Drug and alcohol abuse NGOs

Volunteers

Local Community

Homeless

Homeless people’s families Internal

accountability

Board

Staff

HOMELESS CHARITY

Exercise 1: Accountability mappingsdfgdfgdfg

Exercise instructions 1) With your colleagues, write the names of each your stakeholders on a single

post-it note. fgarergerg

2) Add your stakeholders to the accountability map provided. rgergerge

3) Answer the three questions and present your answers to the other groups.

Questions:

1. How often do you communicate with each group of stakeholders? Is it often

enough?

2. Why do you to communicate with each stakeholder group? What is the

purpose?

3. Which stakeholders groups do you need to communicate with more and

why?


What are the practical benefits of improving accountability and transparency?

Benefits

•Defend against criticism

•Create a culture of improvement

•Increase staff motivation

•Stronger governance

•Greater cooperation

•Service users

– Better understand their

needs

- Improve services


Accountability and transparency in practice

1. High profile – BBC Children in Need

2. Do unto others – Amnesty International

3. Value driven – Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam

1. Defend reputation

2. Value principles of openness and honesty

3. Instil positive values in organisation/staff


Barriers to improving accountability and transparency

1. Boring! – find your organisation’s nerd

2. I don’t have enough the time – Small changes

3. Not a priority – Funders like accountable orgs!

4. Psychological barrier – I’m scared!


The fear factor: Some tips to begin increasing transparency and accountability

• We’re an NGO, we don’t make

mistakes!

• Anecdotal evidence: Oxfam and Kiva

• Start small - Sample your stakeholders

• Most importantly, be brave!

The Transparency Manifesto principles

• Broad enough to cover all types and sizes of organisation, but

focused enough to provide a challenge

• Each principle covers one of the following areas:

1. Demonstrating

impact

2. Clarity of

communications

3. Leadership

4. Governance

5. Statutory reporting

6. Accessibility of information

7. Monitoring & evaluation

8. Stakeholder engagement

9. Suggestions and complaints

1. Our organisation demonstrates the change it is trying to bring about, how it works to

bring about that change, and the progress it has made so far;

2. Our communications are transparent, accurate and written so that they can be

understood by their intended audiences.

3. Our leadership champions a commitment to accountability and transparency;

4. Our organisational structure, including trustees, is easily accessible to the public, and we

list key responsibilities for senior staff members;

5. Our trustee report and annual accounts are prepared to statutory requirements and

submitted on time;

6. Relevant information (e.g. annual report, accounts, impact report) is easily accessible

ideally no more than 3 keystrokes from our website’s homepage;

7. Our organisation monitors and evaluates what it does, and shares its learning.

8. Our organisation provides mechanisms for stakeholders to help shape its what it

delivers;

9. Our organisation publishes an easily accessible suggestions and complaints procedure

for beneficiaries and supporters.

Transparency Manifesto


Section 2: Understanding information needs

Exercise 2: Understanding information needs

In pairs, follow the instructions given to you on the exercise

cards. Try not to let the other groups see what you are doing!

Exercise 3: Purpose of Exercise

Your communications should be a mix of what you want your

stakeholders want to know and what they want to know.

Best solution – just ask them!

Just because they don’t ask for the

information, it doesn’t mean they don’t want

it.


What the UK public want to know about NGOs

• How much goes to the cause

• The organisation makes a positive

difference

• Fundraisers are honest and ethical

• Organisation is well managed


What the UK public think about NGOs

61% think organisations spend more than 20% on running costs (overheads and administration). The average is 12.5%

They fear less money goes to the work of the organisation than actually does: 47% as against 65% in reality

Only 9% believe that direct mail (leaflets delivered to houses) is an effective form of fundraising

Only 9% of the public strongly agree that organisations are justified in investing a proportion of current donations to ensure a greater

future income

Source: YouGov poll and nfp synergy


Section 3: Perception and reputation


Understanding perception and reputation

Perception is the process of attaining awareness or

understanding from sensory information

‘Awareness’ and ‘understanding’ – confusing the two can

have dire consequences! We want people to understand

our organisations!

Reputation is…well, let’s find out!


Exercise 3: How is reputation created?

In pairs, write down whether you think the company/NGO has a

good or bad reputation, and write down how you know.


Exercise 3: Purpose of exercise

1. Do you know what your stakeholders think about

your organisation?

2. How do you know what they think about your

organisation?

3. Do you gather information often enough?

Reputation is the aggregate perceptions and

interpretations of an organisation’s past and

future prospects


The power of communications in creating a great reputation

Solid reputation vs. hollow reputation

Beware of marketing techniques!

Make sure your communications tell a story about the change your organisation creates, rather than saying ‘Hey, look at us! We’re great’


Stakeholder perception exercise

Stakeholder What do they think of your organisation?

Why do they think it?

How do you know?

How often do you gather info?

Homeless people

Very positive Direct experience

Service user satisfaction questionnaire

Once a year

Local authority

Quite negative Don’t know Don’t know Whenever they offer it

Local media Don’t know N/A N/A Never

Homeless people’s families

Not sure N/A N/A Never


Section 4: Demonstrating impact: Where to begin

Exercise 4: Answering NPC’s Five Key Questions

Working with your colleagues, create a presentation for your a

organisation by answering NPC’s Five Key Impact Questions.

You must explain:

1. What problem you are trying to address

2. What you are doing to address it

3. What you are achieving

4. How you know what you are achieving

5. What you have learned and how you can improve


The six principles of demonstrating impact - RNID

1.Performance against objectives

2.Measurement

3.Consultation with stakeholders

4.Delivering impact through focused planning

5.Keep it simple

6.Where the money goes


Performance against objectives

• Objectives from last year

• Impact achieved against objectives

• Aims for next year

Tell a story, create a narrative


Case studies


Case study: Oxfam GB – active not passive


Case study: WRVS


Case study: WRVS using primary source performance results to demonstrate impact


Case study: Sandwell Local Authority empower service-users…learn from the local authority!


Case study: Room to Read demonstrate its impact in every email a member of staff sends

John Wood

Founder and Executive Chairman

Room to Read

www.roomtoread.org

T: 0800 66 55 44

E: [email protected]

World Change Starts with Educated Children. Over 750 schools and 7,000 libraries with

5 million books. Nearly 7,000 girls on long-term scholarships. Please join us in the bold

quest for EVERY child to break the cycle of poverty through the power of education!


Case study: MSF transparency


Thank you! Please join the ImpACT Coalition!

You can join the ImpACT Coalition for free by visiting www.impactcoalition.org.uk

Liam Cranley Head of ImpACT Coalition

E: [email protected]: 00 44 + 20 7280 4938

impactcoalition: transparency, accountability and ... transparency, accountability and demonstrating...

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