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Becoming professional: the practice of capacity development : All Articles
Request for tender: Aid advisory services standing offer
29 February 2012
Capacity Development is a critical factor in both aid
effectiveness and sustainable development. In order to ensure that AusAID remains a leader in both
theory and practice of Capacity Development, AusAID is establishing the Aid Advisory Services
Standing Offer, comprising multiple service categories, to support the effective delivery of the
Australian aid program. AusAID is seeking suitably qualified specialists to submit applications to
the Standing Offer panel, who are specialists with knowledge and experience in capacity development
theory and/or practice in international development, knowledge of international best practice, and
with experience in one or more of the following areas: organisational development and behaviour
change, human resource development, public policy and program management.
How to write Terms of Reference for an evaluation
23 January 2012
Developing
an accurate and well-specified terms of reference (ToR) is a critical step in managing a
high-quality evaluation. The evaluation ToR document serves as the basis for a contractual
arrangement with one or more evaluators and sets the parameters against which the success of the
assignment can be measured. This practical guide from the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group
sets out a few basic principles and guidelines to help in the development of an effective
evaluation.
Building nonprofit capacity
15 January 2012
This
book uses the organisational lifecycle framework to help the nonprofit sector and its leaders
figure out how to effectively shepherd a change process in their organization. The book is based on
research by the
TCC Group, a New York based consultancy, in the
area of organizational effectiveness studies. It also includesd results from the core capacity
assessment tool (CCAT) - a 146-question online survey
that measures a nonprofit organization's effectiveness in relation to four core capacities -
leadership, adaptability, management, and technical capacities - as well as organizational
culture.
Capacity building for local NGOs: A guidance manual for good practice
15 January 2012
In the early 1990s, as Somaliland emerged from civil war and conflict, indigenous
non-governmental and community-based organisations mushroomed. International organisations began
targeting reconstruction and development aid through local organisations and quickly came to
realise the need for institutional strengthening and capacity building. To coordinate these
efforts, a number of organisations came together to create an international NGO forum known as the
Capacity Building Caucus (CBC) in 1999. The aim of the CBC was to ensure learning from best
practice, coordinate, capacity-building activities, and eventually to promote sustainability
through a ‘training of trainers’ programme for Somali capacity- building officers.
This package of manuals was developed in part as a curriculum for the training of trainers programme, and in part for use by individual local organisations to assist them in the ongoing process of developing their own capacity.
MoreTraining opportunity: Facilitating value chains
10 November 2011
Enterprise Development through Value Chains and Business Service Markets: A Market Development approach to Pro-Poor Growth is an 8-month distance learning course offered by the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITC ILO) in Turin, Italy. The course will appeal to professionals involved in developing and implementing Value Chain and enterprise development projects. The course starts on 19th March 2012 and will comprise four modules of two months each.
MoreA practitioners guide to results-oriented capacity development
07 September 2011
Capacity development is usually marketed as a ‘process of change’. However, there is little point to change for the sake of change. Results-Oriented Capacity Development. A Practitioner's Guide for Leaders of Organizations and Development Managers, published in August 2010 by the Austral Foundation, offers a simple and practical approach to leaders, programme designers and managers, advisers and facilitators for implementing a results-based approach to capacity devleopment.
MoreFacilitating resourcefulness: Synthesis evaluation report of Dutch support for capacity development published
29 August 2011
A long-awaited evaluation report of Dutch support for capacity development carried out by the
Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been
published. The report synthesizes the findings of seven separate evaluations carried out since
2008, and covering 26 individual case studies. The evaluation is the result of collaboration
between IOB and six Dutch NGOs (Agriterra, Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment,
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, Partos, PSO, SNV) and the Ghana Ministry of
Health.
Changing minds: A guide to facilitated participatory planning
26 August 2011
This book draws on the work of thinkers and doers throughout the world who have grappled with
the challenge of planning complex institutions, especially health systems and development
projects. Their problem: Conventional planning methods often do not work. The solution:
Involve all the key stakeholders in making the plan. The challenge: Devise a planning system that
the principals and stakeholders can trust, and that is inclusive, balanced, and dynamic.
The Capacity Project: final report
18 August 2011
Human resources for health (HRH) first attracted global attention when it became evident that
the health workforce in the developing world was facing a crisis, and that this was affecting
health service delivery and health outcomes. The Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for
Health and Development (JLI), a consortium of more than 100 health leaders from around the world,
undertook an exploration of the HRH landscape during 2002-2004 and identified three major aspects
of an accelerating global HRH crisis: (i) the devastation of HIV/AID; (ii) an accelerated level of
out-migration of health professionals from developing countries; and (iii) chronic underinvestment
in human resources. The study concluded that “mobilization and strengthening of the health
workforce is central to combating health crises in some of the world’s poorest countries and for
building sustainable health systems.”
Creative capacity development
18 August 2011
The development community seems
constantly and restlessly in search of a singular approach that will “ solve” poverty, unveiling
new buzzwords every few years only to toss them aside. Reflecting on personal experience as
Director of a Cambodian capacity-building NGO, VBNK, Jenny Pearson argues that the
fundamental flaw with prevailing development approaches is that they remain embedded in a
technocratic and specialized paradigm that is ill-equipped to deal with the complexity of
real-world development contexts.
VACANCY: Policy Advisor, Capacity Development
10 August 2011
The UNDP Capacity Development Group (CDG) in New York is looking for a policy advisor to work
on the national implementation capacities portfolio. CDG is UNDP’s source of in-house expertise for
optimizing the impact of development interventions through capacity development. The incumbent will
be responsible for the following functions: policy development and advisory services; project team
management and results management; practice advocacy; and knowledge management.
NB: The application deadline has been extended to 24 October
MoreBare Foot Guide 2 now available
20 June 2011
Following the success of the original
Barefoot Guide to Working with Organisations and Social Change, a brand new
Barefoot Guide to Learning Practices in Organisations and Social Change (BFG 2) has been
launched. Like the first volume, it is meant to be a resource for leaders, facilitators and
practitioners wanting to improve and enrich their learning processes inside their organizations and
in the field. It is freely downloadable and includes a practical Companion Booklet for
facilitators.
Free e-learning package on knowledge sharing for development
20 May 2011
IMARK [an
e-learning initiative in agricultural information management developed by FAO and partner
organizations] has developed a new module on "Knowledge Sharing for Development". The resource kit
comprises 36 lessons designed to equip organizations and communities with the necessary tools
and methodologies required to develop their knowledge capacities, and enable them to work more
effectively.
Online discussion: Is capacity development on the brink of maturity?
21 March 2011
We are pleased to invite you to participate in an
online discussion on some of the issues tackled in "Capacity Development in Practice", the resource
volume for practitioners.
Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit
12 January 2011
Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's
Toolkit (Stanford University Press, 2010) is a welcome addition for practitioners'
understanding of how to work with complexity and systems-thinking concepts.
Written by Bob Williams and Richard Hummelbrunner, the book explores the application of systems ideas to investigate, evaluate, and intervene in complex and messy situations. The text serves as a field guide, with each chapter representing a method for describing and analyzing; learning about; or changing and managing a challenge or set of problems.
MoreWhat it takes
26 December 2010
Competencies needed to design and facilitate MSPs
Multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) are playing an increasingly important role in sustainable development. Designing and facilitating MSPs depends on a set of diverse competencies.
MoreIDS Bulletin 41.3 (April 2010) Reflecting collectively on capacities for change
18 December 2010
‘Capacity development’ implies a promise of growing
self-reliance, national ownership and sustainability, yet practice seems consistently to fall short
of this emancipatory promise. This publication argues for a reframing of capacity development for
emancipatory social change.
Paradox or synergy?
13 December 2010
Multi-stakeholder
partnerships as a donor strategy
The Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO) is a Dutch donor agency engaged in facilitating and funding multi-stakeholder partnerships. Its unique approach has been adopted by five other organisations in the ICCO Alliance.
MoreNo more consultants: we know more than we think
09 November 2010
We have all smiled at the apocryphal tale of the consultant who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then walks off with your watch! This book by Geoff Parcell and Chris Collison aims to equip readers with the tools to tap into the capabilities of the organization that already exist but are as yet, inaccessible.
MoreCapacity Building Framework: A values-based programming guide, published by INTRAC
08 November 2010
The International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC) has published the final handbook in its three-part Praxis series focusing on concepts, models and tools. Aimed primarily at practitioners, the series provides an overview of current thinking, with analyses of diverse practitioner experiences and commissioned case studies and research. This final volume introduces a new values-based model to enable decision makers to plan capacity-building interventions in a variety of contexts.
The other two titles in the series are: Sharpening the Development Process: A Practical Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation, and Capacity Building for NGOs: Making it Work.
MoreBehaviour of the boundary spanners
29 October 2010
The success of relationships between donors and recipients depends partly on the behaviour and the skills of those who work and negotiate with both sides – the ‘boundary spanners’.
MoreImpact Alliance
08 September 2010
Impact Alliance is a global network committed to strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations to generate deep impact within the communities they serve. It seeks to do this by accelerating the development of 'smarter' organizations through facilitating knowledge exchange and learning, open innovation and partnerships.
MoreBehaviour and facilitating change
29 June 2010
The discourse on the practice of facilitating capacity development (CD) is mainly about knowledge, skills, methods and tools. Yet, the outcomes of interventions depend to a large extent on the way the people involved relate to each other. Especially for CD practitioners as facilitators of change, the ability to relate to clients in an appropriate way is crucial for successful outcomes.
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