Omar M.
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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 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 […]
Who counts as a stakeholder for our CSO, and how do we prioritise them?
We're reviewing our stakeholder engagement and trying to figure out who we actually need to be engaging with and how. Right now we mostly focus on donors and beneficiaries. Does government count as a stakeholder even if we don't have a formal relationship with them? What about other NGOs doing similar work to us? And […]
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 […]
What are Annual Returns and are CSOs required to submit them?
I keep seeing 'Annual Returns' mentioned in things I read about NPO compliance but I honestly don't know what they are or whether we're supposed to be filing them. We've been registered for three years and nobody has ever contacted us about it. Are these the same as tax returns? Do we have to pay […]
How do we recruit new board members effectively?
We have two board members stepping down at our next AGM and we really need to bring in some fresh faces. Our usual approach is to ask people we know but that's resulted in a pretty homogeneous board and we're missing key skills — especially around finance and legal matters. Has anyone done a more […]