How do we manage and motivate volunteers effectively?
We go through cycles where we have loads of enthusiastic volunteers and then they gradually drop off. We had a big intake at the start of the year and we're already seeing numbers fall. I don't think it's the cause — people seem genuinely interested — but I wonder if we're not giving them a […]
How can our small CSO improve board governance without formal training?
lead a small, locally‑based CSO with a volunteer board that is passionate but has no formal experience in governance, by‑laws, or compliance. We struggle with clear roles, meeting procedures, and conflict‑avoidance, which sometimes slows decision‑making and weakens our accountability. What simple, practical steps can we take to improve our board governance—such as clearer terms of […]
How do we develop or revise our organisation’s mission statement?
Our mission statement is about fifteen years old and it really doesn't reflect what we do anymore. We started as a youth sports programme but now we do much broader community development work. The board has been trying to revise it but every time we try we end up in a long debate and can't […]
How do we set up a complaints and grievance procedure for our beneficiaries?
We've never had a formal complaints process. If someone has an issue they usually just tell whoever they know in the organisation and it gets handled informally. That's mostly worked but we recently had a situation where a beneficiary felt their complaint wasn't taken seriously and it escalated unnecessarily. We want to put something formal […]
Do volunteers have the same legal rights as employees in T&T?
We rely heavily on volunteers — probably 20 regular volunteers who give a serious amount of time. I've always assumed that because they're not paid we don't really have any legal obligations towards them. But someone recently mentioned that if a volunteer got injured at one of our activities we could be in serious trouble. […]
What core policies should every CSO in T&T have in place?
We're trying to do a policy audit and figure out what we have, what we're missing, and what we actually need. Right now we have our constitution and a basic financial policy and that's about it. I've seen lists of all the policies an organisation should have and it's completely overwhelming. For a small organisation […]
What safeguarding obligations do CSOs working with children have in T&T?
We run after-school programmes for children aged 8 to 16. We've never had an incident but I'm increasingly aware we don't have any formal safeguarding policy in place. We do some basic common sense things — no staff alone with a child, that kind of thing — but nothing is written down. I've been told […]
What strategies help CSOs achieve long-term financial sustainability?
We've been operating for seven years and we're still almost entirely dependent on one government grant that gets reviewed every year. Every year around renewal time we're holding our breath. I know this is a risky position to be in and we need to diversify but every time we try to develop new income sources […]
Why is having a complaints process important for a CSO?
Honestly I've always thought of complaints processes as something you put in place when things go wrong, and since we haven't had any serious incidents I've never prioritised it. But a donor recently included it in their due diligence checklist and it made me wonder if I've been thinking about this the wrong way. Can […]
What are the specific accountability challenges for umbrella CSO organisations?
Our organisation is an umbrella body for about 30 smaller community groups. Our accountability situation feels different from a typical service-delivery NGO because we're essentially accountable to our member organisations, not just donors. But we're not sure we're handling this well — some members feel disconnected and don't really know what we do with their […]
What are the key elements of a beneficiary feedback mechanism?
We do a survey at the end of each programme cycle and it gives us some useful data, but by the time we have the results the programme is over and we can't act on the feedback until the next round. I want something more real-time — a way for beneficiaries to give us feedback […]
What should be in a grant proposal to strengthen our chances of success?
We apply for grants fairly regularly and our success rate honestly isn't great — maybe one in five. I know our work is good but I feel like our proposals aren't doing it justice or we're missing something funders are looking for. Is there a structure or checklist for what a strong proposal should include? […]
What does FATF Recommendation 8 mean for our NGO?
I've been seeing a lot about FATF and the 2024 legislative changes in newsletters from sector bodies but I honestly don't understand what it means for us on the ground. We're a small community organisation — after-school programmes, community events, nothing that sounds remotely like money laundering. Does FATF Recommendation 8 actually affect small organisations […]
How do we involve our members in governance decisions?
We're a membership organisation with about 50 member organisations. Our AGM attendance is really low — maybe 20-30% — and the members who do show up seem disengaged, like they're just there out of obligation. Decisions tend to get rubber-stamped without much real discussion. We want members to feel like they genuinely have a say […]
How do we maintain accountability to our donors without drowning in reporting?
We currently have four active grants and the reporting requirements are honestly overwhelming. Between narrative reports, financial reports, mid-term reviews and site visits I feel like I spend half my time reporting and not enough time doing actual work. I know donor accountability matters and I'm not trying to avoid it — but there has […]
What is a strategic plan and how long should it cover?
We've never had a formal strategic plan. We have a general sense of direction and we respond to funding opportunities as they come up. A consultant we worked with recently told us we really need a strategic plan before we apply for some of the larger grants we're eyeing. I understand the concept but I'm […]
How do we set up a simple M&E system for a small CSO?
We collect loads of data — attendance registers, photos, feedback forms — but honestly none of it feeds into anything useful. When donor reports are due we kind of write up what we remember happening rather than drawing on solid data. I know we need a proper M&E system but everything I've read seems very […]
How should we approach performance management for our small staff team?
We have four staff members and I'm the ED. We do annual reviews but they always feel awkward and nothing really changes as a result. I write something up, we have a chat, everyone says things are fine, and we carry on exactly as before. I know this isn't good practice but I'm not sure […]
What should be included in a CSO’s annual report?
We've never done a formal annual report. We send grant reports to our donors and we post on social media but we've never pulled everything together into one document. A board member recently suggested we should start doing one and I agree in principle but I don't know where to start. What should actually go […]
What are the core principles of CSO accountability in Trinidad and Tobago?
I've been asked to run a session for our board on accountability and I want to make sure I'm covering the right things. When I think about accountability I mostly think about financial accountability but I have a feeling it's much broader than that. What are the core principles that CSOs in T&T are expected […]