Who counts as a stakeholder for our CSO, and how do we prioritise them?

Donors are important, but they are only one of many stakeholders. The Civil Society Accountability Toolkit defines a stakeholder as “any person, group or institution that is affected by the organisation’s activities and operations.”

Internal stakeholders: Board of Directors, Staff, Members, Volunteers
External stakeholders: Beneficiaries/communities served, Donors/funders, Government and regulatory agencies, Partner organisations, The general public

Prioritisation is critical — “a CSO cannot be equally accountable to all stakeholders, as this would pull the organisation in too many directions.” The NAF recommends a stakeholder mapping exercise considering: Who is most affected by your work? Who has most influence over your ability to achieve your mission? What are you accountable to each stakeholder for?