Capacity Building Activities

Delivery of Institutional Audits

The CPDC provided the audits to umbrella NGOs in the CARIFORUM region with the aim of assessing the key issues, challenges and appropriate strategies to help improve the operational capability of NGOs. The audits provided a detailed knowledge base to help guide NGO responses to the institutional capacity building in the short and long term. While twelve organisations were invited to participate, only ten completed the first phase of the audit, while seven organisations completed the entire process.

The findings of the audit indicated that a process of long-term strategic intervention might be needed in order for some change to be evidenced in the sector. In the face of the difficulties experienced in the sector, the organisations are committed to their work and to serving their beneficiaries, even in difficult circumstances. Additionally, the Institutional Audit report helped in the design of the call for proposals of small grants to umbrella NGOs aimed at improving the organisational effectiveness.

Provision of Sub-grants to Umbrella Organisations

A closed call for proposals was undertaken to invite qualified national and regional umbrella NGOs in the CARIFORUM region to apply for sub-grants. The objective of the sub-grant was to enhance the capacity of umbrella NGOs to effectively service their constituencies by providing financial support to actions that improve their operational responsiveness and performance with regard to members’ needs. In total, there were six grant awardees from five CARIFORUM countries.

Provision of Sub-grants to Vulnerable Groups

A number of vulnerable groups presently exist within the Caribbean and many of the organisations which represent them often lack the resources to effectively advocate and represent their rights and interests in the policy arena nationally, regionally and internationally. A call for proposals was undertaken to invite all qualified national and regional NGOs in the CARIFORUM region to apply for a sub-grant.

The objective of the sub-grant was to strengthen the voice of the marginalised social sectors and groups within Caribbean society by providing small-scale funding to actions that enable civil society organisations representing vulnerable groups to better advocate and lobby on their behalf. In total, there were eight grant awardees from four CARIFORUM countries. Learn more about the Grantees.

Non-Governmental Organisation Leadership Training Workshop

The NGO Leadership Training Workshop sought to support efforts at growth, sustainability and succession planning. The face-to-face leadership workshop underpinned other efforts aimed at institutional and human resource strengthening.

The first leadership training course was held in November 2016 in Trinidad. It was held November 21–25, 2016 with sixteen participants in attendance, from ten CARIFORUM countries. Originally, the CPDC targeted approximately twelve organisations for the first workshop. However, an additional four organisations participated. This was due to the high demand for the training, with fifty-four NGO leaders applying for scholarships to attend the training activity.

The leaders benefited from a range of topics, such as: Disruptive Thinking and Thought Leadership; Harnessing Research for Policy Advocacy; Recruiting Board Members; and Use of Social Media as a Development Tool. Overall, the evaluation feedback was positive, with a 100% approval rating: 60% of participants thought the workshop was “excellent” while the remaining 40% thought it was “good” for their leadership development.

Participating NGOs were from the countries outlined in the following table:

For the second workshop, the CPDC brought together twenty leaders from nine Caribbean countries. At the NGO Leadership Training Workshop: Leadership and Resource Mobilization, the leaders benefited from a range of topics, such as Aligning Organisational Mission and Vision with Fundraising Priorities, Project Development and Proposal Writing, and Core Principles of Resource Mobilization to Building a Collaborative Fundraising Plan.

The sessions were interactive, with the facilitators using discussions and group work to bring out the best in the group. Feedback provided by the participants included: “The sessions in this training are highly interactive and engaging. Ample time is allowed for the participants to raise concerns, comment and ask questions of other participants and facilitators”; “The workshop was well organised and supported by well-equipped and competent people”; “I think it is absolutely amazing! I learnt so much. I am extremely enlightened!”. Overall, 50% of the participants stated that it was an “excellent” training workshop with the other 50% saying it was a “good” training workshop.

For the third workshop, CPDC brought together sixteen leaders from eleven Caribbean countries. At the NGO Leadership Training Workshop: Advocacy, the leaders benefited from a number of topics, including Defining and Understanding Approaches to Advocacy; Understanding the Policy/Decision Making Process: Key Concepts; Advocacy Experiences, Lessons Learnt; and Engaging the Media for Advocacy and Engagement. The sessions were interactive, with the facilitators using panel discussions, guest speakers and group work to engage participants.

Non-Governmental Organisation Professional Management Certificate Course

The CPDC undertook this activity to provide the necessary training for the sector to improve its human resource capacity. In partnership with The University of the West Indies, Open Campus, the CPDC established an online NGO Management Course for civil society leaders and managers across the region. It is offered in three cycles.

The key areas around which the Course is administered include:

• Essentials of NGO Management
  • History and Role of the NGO Sector in the Caribbean
  • Understanding Development Issues
  • Advocacy and Lobby Interventions
  • Resource Mobilization
• Developing and Managing Projects
  • Project Cycle Management
  • Project Development and Grant Proposal Writing
  • Budgeting and Financial Management for Development Projects
  • Results Based Reporting and Evaluation

For the first cohort, the CPDC received 283 applications. From this, the CPDC provided thirty scholarships for NGO personnel across the region. At the end, twenty-two NGO personnel from six Caribbean countries successfully completed the course and were issued certificates. The successful participating NGOs were from the following countries:

For the second cohort, the CPDC received thirty-nine applications. From this, thirty scholarships were provided by the CPDC for NGO personnel across the region. At the end, twenty-one NGO personnel from nine Caribbean countries successfully completed the course and were issued certificates. The successful participating NGOs were from the following countries:

For the third cohort, the CPDC provided thirty-three scholarships for NGO personnel from across the region. In the end, thirty NGO personnel from twelve Caribbean countries successfully completed the course and were issued certificates. The successful participating NGOs were from the following countries:

Youth Volunteer Recruitment Guide and Campaign

The Youth Volunteer Recruitment Guide is envisioned to be a tool of reference and guidance to the leadership of NGOs and other civil society organisations within the CARIFORUM region and beyond. It provides information on how to best engage, motivate, and manage youth volunteers. Additionally, it offers information on the benefits of offering youth volunteers an enriching experience and how, in turn, the organisation benefits from the presence and input of these youth volunteers. This guide comes after a Market Assessment conducted by the CPDC which sought to understand the youth volunteerism environment in the CARIFORUM region from the perspective of young persons (18–25 age group). Read the Youth Volunteer Guide.

This action was supplemented by the provision of service contracts which sought to support the placement of volunteers within approved national or regional civil society organisations for a six-month period. The main objective of this undertaking was to foster, through the facilitation of the contracted organisation, a spirit of volunteerism in young people. The organisations were selected from an applicant pool of twenty-nine and the ranged from increasing environmental awareness of the youth to sensitizing the youth to disability issues. In addition, this contract facilitated the placement of volunteers within approved national or regional civil society organisations for a six-month period accompanied by a small stipend/honorarium. In total, there were five awardees from five CARIFORUM countries. Learn more about the service contracts.

Capability Building Hub: “Strengthening Caribbean Civil Society”

Through this initiative, the CPDC aimed to host the premier online data platform to deliver capacity building services and/or information in the civil society sector across the Caribbean region. It provided information to help civil society in its pursuit of operational sustainability. In the same token, the hub is a useful resource to support efforts of achieving sustainable human development.  

Under the Capacity Building Hub, in September 2017, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) officially launched its Caribbean NGO Trends Series. This research series sought to enhance the capacity of NGOs in the CARIFORUM region. The main goal of this undertaking was to research and report on trends and developments occurring in Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the CARIFORUM region. This w be done through the provision of relevant, up-to-date information on the Civil Society sector, in particular non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the region. The topics which this series covers is wide-ranging, with the sustainable development goals and the NGO funding environment in the Caribbean, already being researched and published respectively. Read Caribbean NGO Trends.