Questions about mission and vision, strategic plans, the National Accountability Framework, self-assessment and organisational development.
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 […]
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 […]
What is the National Accountability Framework (NAF) and how do I use it?
I keep hearing about the NAF in sector meetings and I picked up a copy but it's quite a long document and I'm not sure how to actually use it practically for our organisation. Is it something we're supposed to formally adopt? Is there an assessment we're supposed to do first? I don't want to […]
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 […]
How do we conduct an accountability self-assessment for our organisation?
We've been talking about doing a governance review or self-assessment for a while but we're not sure where to start or what tool to use. Is there a specific self-assessment tool designed for T&T CSOs, or do we have to adapt something from overseas? And practically — who should complete it? Just the board, or […]