Working with Civil Society Organisations

Key Principles that Underpin Working with CSOs

The principles and approaches set out in this Guideline are applicable to all of NZAID’s engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), whether in New Zealand or in-country. They are consistent with the NZ Government Statement of Principles on relationships with the community and voluntary sector.

A Strategic Policy Framework for Relations between NZAID and New Zealand NGOs has been negotiated and agreed with NZ NGOs and sets out:

How we will work together
Agreed development and relationship principles
The respective undertakings of NZAID and NZ NGOs
Specific guidelines and approaches on good funding practice and engagement on policy matters.

The principles in the Strategic Policy Framework for Relations between NZAID and New Zealand NGOs underpin all NZAID’s relationships with CSOs, whether New Zealand, international or in-country.

The key relationship principles for NZAID’s engagement with all CSOs, consistent with and informed by the Strategic Framework, are:

Mutual respect for the distinctive and diverse but often complementary roles of NZAID and CSOs;
Recognition and support for the independence of the CSO sector irrespective of any funding relationship that might exist;
Recognition that the respective accountability requirements and processes of NZAID and CSOs differ but together they are accountable to members of the public in the relevant countries for reporting on initiatives in which they collaborate;
Recognition that participation of civil society is a key element in New Zealand’s international development initiatives;
Commitment to open transparent and ongoing dialogue on development policy and practice;
Commitment to the simplification of NZAID processes and the requirements on which decisions relating to the CSO sector are based, while still meeting accountability requirements;
A mutual commitment to ongoing learning (from our experiences in the field).

CSOs and Advocacy

NZAID recognises that many CSOs are involved in advocacy work, for example promoting representative voices on issues that are important to the delivery of services, decision-making processes, and the setting of public policy. Funding may be available to support some of this CSO advocacy work.

NZAID does not fund party political activities.

Definition

Advocacy is defined as “the act of speaking or of disseminating information intended to influence individual behaviour or opinion, corporate conduct, or public policy and law”.

Canada’s Voluntary Sector Initiative; A Code of Good Practice on Funding Oct 2002.

Working with Faith-Based Organisations and/or Programmes

Development, by its very nature, involves change which is a political, social, and economic process; and all overseas development assistance brings with it a set of beliefs and values. In a secular society there can be a tendency to regard religious beliefs as largely irrelevant to the development process, but for many people throughout the world these beliefs are interwoven with daily life and, therefore, with the process of development. In many countries poor people often have confidence in faith-based organisations as the central organisations in development.

Development programmes have a responsibility to respect the religious diversity and the cultural integrity of the communities in which they work. This responsibility includes recognising when people’s religious identities are more vulnerable or more powerful within the development process and safeguarding the religious freedom of the most vulnerable in that process.

All NZAID programmes should:

Aim to achieve good development outcomes for all people, irrespective of their religious and spiritual beliefs
Respect all beliefs and religious differences
Respect the religious freedom of all people within the community
Not take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities

Activities and programmes supported by NZAID should not:

Be designed to promote a particular religious belief
Seek to change the religious identity of participants
Require or influence participants to follow particular sets of beliefs or religious activities in order to participate in the project

The KOHA-PICD Handbook contains more detailed guidance, principles, and funding criteria on Religious Diversity and Development. These were agreed by NZAID and New Zealand NGOs in October 2008.

Funding Innovative Activities

Many CSOs are involved in innovative ways of supporting development interventions. NZAID funding may be provided to CSOs in support of innovative or pilot Activities whose outcomes may benefit the sector as a whole or be transferable to other civil society organisations and government programmes.

All development work has risk attached to it and innovative programmes and Activities are likely to have a greater chance of things happening that will impact on their implementation and the achievement of their objectives. Therefore an assessment of risks and a risk management plan are important components of proposals for innovative or pilot Activities. Professional judgement, and documenting the assessment of risks to/for NZAID, are important when considering funding for innovative Activities.

Interacting with CSOs

Regular interaction with CSOs is an important component of NZAID’s relationship with them. NZAID recognises that regular contact between NZAID staff and individual CSOs working in their area (whether based in New Zealand or in-country) is an important feature of a positive relationship. This places responsibility on both the CSOs and NZAID, and has resource and management costs for both.

It is important to be mindful of the time required for the CSO to engage with partners, particularly where the CSO has multiple donors supporting its work. NZAID should discuss with the CSO, and with the other donors if possible, ways to lessen the burden, such as donor consortiums. As long as NZAID has the information it needs for decision-making, as set out in the Guideline on Activity Reporting, every effort should be made to rely on partners’ existing reports or, if necessary, other donors’ reporting requirements, rather than adding new requirements.

Appendix III in the Strategic Policy Framework for Relationships between NZAID and NZ NGOs outlines the ‘processes for policy and strategic engagement between NZAID and International Development New Zealand NGOs.

The Council for International Development (CID) is the umbrella organisation for those NZ NGOs working in the development arena (http://www.cid.org.nz/). Under the Strategic Policy Framework, CID is the primary point of engagement between NZAID and the New Zealand NGO sector as a whole, especially on matters of interest to the wider sector.

Support for International CSOs and Networks

As NZAID strengthens its field presence in the Pacific and SE Asia, staff will come into more contact with international affiliates of international CSO networks.

A number of New Zealand-based CSOs are active members in these networks although few have offices overseas. International CSO networks have internal protocols as to how bilateral donors are to be approached, and responsibility for adhering to these protocols lies with the network partners. However, where the New Zealand affiliate of an international network is known to be actively engaged in-country, NZAID should inform the New Zealand affiliate of funding agreements with other members of the network.

Where there is no active New Zealand-based affiliate of a network it may be more appropriate for NZAID to fund the international CSO directly. CID can provide information on NZ NGO network membership or NZAID staff can use the CID membership list published on http://www.cid.org.nz/.

Most New Zealand CSOs work with in-country CSOs to implement programmes and Activities. The New Zealand CSO adds value through mentoring; building capacity; support for monitoring and evaluation; advocacy; providing wider links to international organisations. If NZAID is developing a programme or Activity with an in-country CSO that also has an New Zealand CSO partner, the New Zealand CSO should be informed.

There may be times where an international or New Zealand CSO seeks funding from NZAID to directly implement an Activity in-country. When seeking funding, the New Zealand or international CSO needs to show clearly the value added to NZAID’s programme. Working in-country may enable the international organisation to work more closely with, and build the capacity of, their in-country partners. NZAID needs to consider the possible impacts on local or emerging CSOs of international organisations setting up offices in-country, which may offer higher salaries than local CSOs can afford or employ expatriates in leadership roles. Strategies to ensure that local capacity is being developed and supported need to be made explicit.

Funding From more than one NZAID source

There are times when a CSO may receive funds from more than one NZAID source; for example from bilateral, regional, sectoral or thematic funding windows. Different programmes have different criteria, and certain CSO Activities may fit better with one funding window than another.

Multiple sources of funding are not, in themselves, an issue; and multiple funding does not necessarily lead to ‘double-dipping’. There is, however, a need for transparency in reporting by the CSOs when they are receiving funding from multiple sources. Full budgets and expenditure acquittals, rather than budgets and acquittals only for NZAID funding, may be a useful mechanism for this. If requested, NZAID’s Information and Statistical Analyst may be able to determine whether a specific CSO is receiving funds from more than one NZAID programme.

All funding applications or proposals should require applicants to state whether funding is being received from other NZAID sources.

There is a need for effective communication and information sharing across NZAID’s programmes:

Regional, sectoral and thematic programme teams should be proactive in communicating with bilateral programme teams about funding for Activities to be implemented in that programme country.
Bilateral programme teams should be proactive in communicating with the AIDGLO Civil Society Team about funding for NZ CSOs, and with the relevant NZAID programme team about funding for Activities of regional or multilateral agencies.

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