ECB PROJECT CASE STUDY

NGOs traditionally compete for funds; what happens when they join forces to raise money together?

Catherine Gould and Katy Love

September2011

ThebigNGOstraditionallycompeteforfunds;whathappenswhenthey joinforcestoraisemoneytogether?

1. SixNGOsbeganwith$5millioninthebank;and$7millionstilltofind
CAREInternational,CatholicReliefServices(CRS),MercyCorps,Oxfam,SavetheChildren,andWorld VisionInternationalhavecometogetherinauniquecollaborationtobuildfield,agency,andsector levelemergencypreparednessandresponsecapacity.TheEmergencyCapacityBuilding(ECB)Project aimstoimprovethespeed,quality,andeffectivenessofthehumanitariancommunityinsavinglives, improvingwelfare,andprotectingtherightsofpeopleinemergencysituations. In2008,followingafirstphaseoftheECBProject,theBillandMelindaGatesFoundationaccepteda proposalfromthesixNGOsworth$12.3millionforafurtherfiveyearjointprogramme.Stepping outsidetheirtraditionalgrantmakingstrategytosupportthisinnovativeproject,theGatesFoundation provided$5millionofcorefundingandtheagenciespledgedtofundraisetogethertheremaining$7.3 million.WhileCAREUSAmanagesthecontractwiththeGatesFoundation,theotherfiveagencies signedamemorandumofunderstanding(MOU)outliningtheprojectsmanagementstructureandways ofworkingforthefiveyearjointventure. Thiscasestudyrecountstheagenciesattemptstotogetherclosethe$7.3millionfundinggap,while launchingandsustaininga$12millionprogramme.Threeyearsin,theECBProjectisalmostfully funded,butithasnotalwaysbeenasmoothjourney

2. Prioritiesset,afundraisingteamestablished,butinachanginglandscape
WhereandhowdidtheNGOsstartinthe$7.3milliontask? AsoutlinedintheMOU,aninteragencyFundraisingCommitteewasestablishedinlate2008witha facetofacestartupmeeting.Thisgroupcomprisesoffundingand/orprogrammerepresentativesfrom eachofthesixNGOswiththeclearremittoraisetheremainingfundinggapbybuildingrelationships andawarenesswith,andultimatelygainingfinancialsupportfrom,donors.Followingalongdebateit wasdecidedtheNGOswouldnotcommittocertainfundingtargetsperagency(duetotheirdifferent sizesandfundraisingpotential),butrathertoraisetheshortfallasagroup. InthefiveECBcountrylevelconsortia,theNGOsandtheirpartnerscollaboratedtodevelopannualjoint capacitybuildingplans;whileatheadquarterslevelthesixNGOsestablishedtheirglobalcapacity buildingprioritiesandtargets.SeniorprogrammestafffromeachoftheNGOsthenmettodevelop theseintoaseriesofconceptnotesforjointprojectswhich,combined,wouldmeetkeyfield,agency andsectoralgapsinemergencycapacity.Theseprovidedamoreconcretebasisforfundraising, accordingtotheECBProjectmidtermevaluation(September2011). Itwasapromisingstart,withconceptnotes,plansandfundraisersinplace,butthefundinglandscape wasrapidlychangingastheglobalfinancialcrisishit.Andthoughthetrendofinstitutionaldonors increasinglygrantingtoconsortiacontinues,thepoweroftheECBmemberagenciestoraisesignificant sumsofmoneywasnotimmediatelyapparent.

3. Experimentingwithjointfundraisingmodels
WiththesupportofacentralECBcoordinationteam,thesixNGOshavebeentestinganumberof fundraisingmodelsfortheirjointconceptsandplans,withmixedsuccess.Whatfollowsisaseriesof minicasestudiesoffiveoftheapproachesbeingused,whyandwhathashappenedsofar.

A. FundraisingbyCommitteeatheadquarterslevel Atthegloballevel,theECBcoordinationteamconvenedtheFundraisingCommitteeofthesixagencies onamonthlybasis.Thegoalwastobegineffortstoclosethefundinggap.Earlyon,theCommitteehad hopedoneortwofoundationswouldprovidethebulkofthemoneyneeded.However,theFundraisers soonagreedthatthiswasastrategyunlikelytobesuccessful,especiallyastheglobaleconomycrashed in2009.AccordingtoaCRSfundraiser,theeconomicenvironmentandtimingcouldnthavebeen worsewhenECBPhaseIIkickedoff. Instead,theFundraisershavedevelopedamatrixoffundingoptionsthatrangefromprivate foundationstogovernmentdonorsandassignedwhichagencywouldbetheleadonthose conversations.Thedevelopmentofthissharedmatrixwasquiteexciting;asoneCAREfundraiserputit thematrixmaybethebestyou'llgetfromsixcompetingnonprofitorganizations,becauseattheendof thedayrevenuestreamsarecompetitive.Thereisasignificantleveloftransparencythough agenciesaresomewhatuncomfortablesharingtoomuch,aWorldVisionstaffmemberreflects.Itwas abigstepforwardforthegroup;agenciesthattraditionallycompetedforfundswerenowsharing intelligenceabouttheirdonorrelationships.TheybegantoapproachdonorsonbehalfoftheECB Project,thoughnotasagroupofsixastheyhaddonewiththeGatesFoundation. However,theFundraisingCommitteehassufferedfrominconsistentparticipationandalackof leadership;jointfundraisingrequiresalotofcoordinationsaysoneECBteammember.Additionally, theUSdonorsarenotparticularlyinterestedinemergencycapacitybuildingandithasbeentoughto gettractionsaysaSavetheChildrenfundraiser,aswedidnthavebuyinfromdonorsotherthanthe GatesFoundation.AccordingtoaCRSfundraiser,donorsaresimplymorelikelytorespondto emergenciesSometimes,intermsoffunding,projectsarebeforetheirtime.TheECBProjectwastoo expensiveforwhatthemarketwouldbear,makingthefundraiserstaskdifficultaddsaWorldVision programmestaffmember. And,giventhechallengingfundraisingclimate,theNGOswereinadifficultpositionandhadtochoose betweenprioritizingajointagencyprojectlikeECBovertheirownagencypriorities.ACAREfundraiser saidthatinitiallytherewasalotofgoodwill.Butthatonlygoessofarinkeepingpeopleontaskto achieveagoal.Inaddition,thedecentralizedstructureofNGOssuchasWorldVisionmakes fundraisingforaprojectlikeECBverychallenging,asitisntnecessarilyownedbyanyoftheindividual countryofficesandthereforedoesntalwaysgetonthefundraisingradar. TheNGOsbegantakingalternativeapproachestorelyingexclusivelyontheFundraisingCommittee

 B. FundraisingbyCommitteeatcountrylevel AllfiveECBcountrylevelconsortiawerereceivingGatesFoundationfundsfromthegloballevel annually,butinsteadofrelyingonthosefundsexclusively,theBoliviaconsortiumtookmattersintotheir ownhands.EachmemberNGOcommittedtohavingsomeoneonafundraisinggrouptoshare informationandcoordinatefundraisingattemptstomakeupfundinggapsforlocallyledactivities. WhenDiPECHOannouncedacallforproposalsinBolivia,thefundraisinggroupdecidedthatjoint proposalsledbyoneortwoagencieswouldprovidemoreimpactandbeanefficientwaytoensurethe countryiscovered.TheNGOsareabletosubmitjointlythankstoahighleveloftrust,accordingtoa fundraiserfromHelpAgeinBolivia.AfundraiserfromChristianAidinBoliviaagrees,commentingthat theopportunitytomeetotherfundraisers[fromotherNGOs]regularlyenablestheexchangeofideas and,withthepassingoftime,theseexchangesaremoreopen,thankstothetrustthatisgenerated.He continues:jointfundraisingisseenasanopportunitytohighlightthecapacitiesofeachagencyandbuild onthem.Infact,jointfundraisingprovidesanopportunitytoworktogetheronalargerscale,with agenciesbeyondtheoriginalECBmemberNGOscollaborating. Inspiteoftheirenthusiasm,however,aCAREBoliviastaffmembernotesthechallengesinprioritizing jointproposalsovertheirownagencyfundraisingefforts.Infact,thesedecisionsareoftenmadeatthe globallevel.Inaddition,consultationamongstagenciesiscumbersomeandtimeconsuming.Giventhe challengesofwidespreadconsultationrequiredinjointfundraising,aCRSBoliviastaffemphasizesthat theconsortiummustkeepaskingitselfwhenisitmoreeffectivetoworktogetherandwhenisitnot? AnOxfamBoliviastaffmemberbelievesthatjointfundraisingisthewayofthefuture;consortium fundraisingispreferredbymanydonorsasawaytocutdownongrantadministration.Hesays,donors havesignaledthatconsortiumproposalswillbepreferred,evenifadministrativecostsforagenciesare higher,becauseimpactwillbehigher.Whilecontinuingtobeopportunistic,theBoliviafundraising groupis,atthetimeofpublication,developingajointfundraisingstrategytoenablejointprogramming betweenmorethannineNGOs.

C. TechnicalAdvisersfromdifferentNGOsgatheringaroundajointpriority Initially,someoftheECBgloballeveltechnicalworkinggroupsexpectedthattheglobalFundraising Committeewouldraisethefundsfortheirjointconceptsandplans.Whenfundswerentforthcoming (seeCaseA),oneworkinggroup,comprisedofDisasterRiskReduction(DRR)AdvisersfromeachNGO, begantofundraisedirectlythemselvesforajointprojecttocreateaPractitionersGuidetoDRR. CRStechnicalandprojectstaffapproachedtheOfficeofUSForeignDisasterAssistance(OFDA)onbehalf oftheDRRAdvisersgroupanddevelopedaproposalattheendof2010.WhenfundingfromOFDA wasntforthcoming,theDRRAdvisersmobilizedtheirownagencyfunds(CRSandSavetheChildren)to allowworkontheGuidetostart,whileafundraiserfromMercyCorpssecuredadditionalfunds.CRS continueddiscussionswithOFDA,andsubsequentlylearnedthattheywouldprovidetheremaining fundstoclosethe(nowsmaller)fundinggapfortheGuide.ECHOarealsocontributing(seeCaseE). Thedirect,projectfocusedfundraisingapproachseemstowork

 D. Singleagenciestakingtheleadonfundingajointconceptnoteatthegloballevel OneofthesixNGOs,Oxfam,haveapproachedtheirmaininstitutionaldonorsDFID(UKGovernment)and ECHO(EuropeanCommissionHumanitarianOffice)tofundfourofthejointconceptsandplansacrossthe spectrumofECBactivities: AproposalthatbuiltonandfurtheredthereachofthewellknownGoodEnoughGuideto AccountabilityfromPhaseIoftheECBProjectreceivedfundingfromECHOin2009;whilst anotherproposaltoECHOin2010forcommunityriskanalysisstaffdevelopmentwasrejected duetotheECBagenciesbeingpredominantlyUSbased. TwolargegrantsfromDFIDweresecuredduring2010($1millionand$0.5million)fora humanitarianstaffdevelopmentprogram(aspartofawidersubmissionbytheConsortiumof BritishHumanitarianAgencies)andforthedevelopmentofimpactmeasurementof humanitarianresponseguidelines(aspartofawidersubmissionbyOxfamfortheircore humanitarianfunding). ThesearegoodexamplesofanECBmemberagencymaximizingtheirdonorrelationshipstohelpclose the$7.3millionfundinggap.ACRSfundraisernotesthatEuropeandonorshavebeenmoreforward thinkingandmorewillingtotakebets.However,thesingleagencymodelhasitsdrawbacks,suchas involvementin,andownershipof,theproposalandresultingimplementationactivitiesfromotherECB agenciesbeingmorelimited.Nevertheless,aSavetheChildrenfundraiserissupportiveofthesingle agencyfundraisingapproachandfeelsthatwe[theNGOs]shouldhavegonetoourrespectivedonors earlierwhoknowusandhaveconfidence.

E. 23agenciesdevelopingandoptimizingadonorleadatthegloballevel FollowingapplicationstotheECHOGrantFacilityin2009and2010,afurtherproposalwassubmitted withmuchmoreofanECBinteragencyflavorin2011.Followingseveralmonthsofintensive relationshipbuildingwithECHObyseniormanagement,theECBProjectwasinvitedtosubmita proposalandaCAREOxfamECBproposalwritingteamsettowork. Injustafewweeks,aprogrammewasdesignedwhichbroughttogetherunderoneumbrellafiveofthe unfundedjointconceptsandplans,plusfournewlydevelopedprojects.Giventhebreadthofthe programme,almostallECBProjectstakeholderswereimplicatedinsomeway,bothNGOstaffat countryandgloballevelsaswellasexternalpartners.Allwereconsultedintheshorttimeframe, includingECHOsheadofficeandtheircountryrepresentativesinthefiveECBfocalcountries. Ithasbeendifficulttostriketherightbalancebetweenglobalandcountrylevelownership.Staffinthe Boliviaconsortiumdidnotfindtheprocessconsultativeenoughandfeelitwasverytopdown. Thehardworkhaspaidoffthough,with$1.6millionawardedbyECHO,bringingmuchneededfunding totheECBProjectandactingasatippingpointtomakingthe$12millionambitionviable.

 We have moved from a chuck what you can into the pot approach into specific responsibilities and commitments. CARE USA Fundraiser Survivalofaminicrisisthroughafundingrestructure Duringitssecondyear,theECBProjectranintoaminicrisis;arelianceoncorefundsfromtheGates Foundationintheabsenceofsufficientalternativefundingwasthreateningitsfinancialviability.Senior representativesofthesixNGOsandtheECBcoordinationteamagreedasignificantfundingrestructure toreducetherequirementforcorefundsatgloballevel,andwithconsiderablyincreasedfinancial commitmentfromeachNGO.ThiswasapainfulbutnecessarystepfortheECBProjecttocontinueand achievewhatitsetouttoachievein2008.Thesenseofurgencycreatedbythefundingshortfall,and subsequentreprioritizationofECBwithintheNGOswere,accordingtoanECBcoordinationteam member,aprimarydriverforsuccessfulfundraising. Morethanamillionstilltoraise ThreeyearsintothefiveyearECBProject,thefundingsituationis,atafirstglance,fairlypositive,with $1.4millionlefttoraise.ThismeansthesixNGOsandtheirpartnersatbothglobalandcountrylevel havetheresourcesneededfortheirjointcapacitybuildingwork.However,withthemajorityoffunds arrivingmuchlaterthanoriginallyexpected,thereisalsomuchpressuretoimplementmultipleprojects inparallel.WhileagenciescontinuetosuccessfullyraisefundsfortheECBProject,thesixhavenot madeequalcontributionstothepot,accordingtoaCAREfundraiser. AgrowingdiversityoffundingbutNGOunrestrictedfundsstillreliedupon Atthetimeofpublication,theECBProjecthastwocorefundinggrants(GatesFoundation,2008and ECHO,2011)andanumberofotherrestricteddonorgrants.Butaretheytherightkindoffunding? DespitethewiderangeofpotentialdonorstheNGOsareconnectedwith,theECBProjecthasfound mostsuccesswithtraditionalgovernmentdonors.Thatsaid,asanOxfamfundraiserreflects,wider fundingisstartingtocomeinfromthegroup,forexampletheprivatefundsraisedbyMercyCorps. Still,thereismuchrelianceonNGOunrestrictedfundsandNGOstaffgivingtheirtimeforfreetomake thecollaborationviableand,despitecontinuedbuyinfromseniorrepresentatives,anOxfamstaff memberfindsthatthisisbecomingharderandhardertojustifyinternally. Muchlearningonhowtofundraiseinaconsortium JointfundraisingwasneverintendedtobeafocusoftheECBProjectmoreameanstoanendto enablejointhumanitarianprogramming.However,forpragmaticreasonsitbecameasignificantfocus forthefirstthreeyears.Withfundraisingprogressnotmeetingoriginalexpectations,theNGOs programmeandfundingstaffhavebeenmuchmoreexperimentalandopportunisticwithfundraising thanperhapstheymighthaveotherwisebeen.Thishasledtoextremelycollaborativeworkinganda wealthoflearning,includingfundraiserslearninghowotheragenciesfundraise,accordingtoCRS.

Theresultssofar

4. LearninginProgress

There have been steep learning curves. Weve definitely stuttered at times.
CARE USA Fundraiser

HerearesomeofthemorepertinentlessonsbeinglearnedintheNGOsjourneyofjointfundraising Knowwhentofundraisetogether,andwhentosayno Opportunitiestofundraisejointlyshouldbecarefullyconsideredanddecidedbasedonclearcriteria. ThesedecisionsshouldbecommunicatedupanddownthemanagementlinebetweenNGOsglobaland countryoffices.Whencoordinationcostsaresimplytoohighordonorrequirementsdonotmatch priorities,andbeneficiaryneedscanbemetmoreeffectivelyanotherway,passuptheopportunity.As anECBcoordinationteammemberreflects,fundraisinginconsortiumisdifficultbecausethereare conflictingfundingpriorities.Jointfundraisingforemergencycapacitybuildinginitiativesshouldbe basedonsolidpriorinterestfromdonors,advisesaSavetheChildrenfundraiser. Understandthedifferingfundingpoliciesofagencies OneofthebigstumblingblocksfortheNGOswasoncefundswereavailabletosupport,itbecame apparentthatsomeagenciescouldnotacceptfundsfromcertaindonors.Thissituationoccurred midstreamwithonedonor,andcausedconsiderabletension.Thesediscussionsneedtotakeplaceearly onandinvolvetherightseniormanagersanddonorcompliancestafffromeachagencyfromthefirst notificationofintent.Inaddition,itshouldbemadeclearfromtheoutsetif/howtheconsortiumgroup willapplyforglobalfundingcalls.UsuallytheseneedanamedleadagencyandoftenNGOshavean internalprioritizationprocesstoselectproposalswherenumbersofbidsperagencyarelimited.Itis thereforeusefultoestablishif/howconsortiumbidswillbeconsideredwithineachagency. Oneortwoagenciescanfundraiseonbehalfofthegroupaslongasplansareagreedandrefreshed TheNGOshavelearnedthatitcanbemoreeffectivetohaveoneorafewfundraiseonbehalfofthe group,butfundraisingshouldbebasedonagreedjointconceptsandplans.ECBhadjointconceptsin placethatwereagreedbyallsixNGOsin2008,butasthelandscapeshiftedandthetechnicalworking groupsgotunderway,otherprioritiesemerged.Inaddition,someofthoseinitialstakeholdersmoved on,andnewstakeholdersdidnotprioritizethesameareasofwork.Iftheseconceptswererevisitedon aregularbasis,consultationforbigproposalswouldnotneedtohavebeensoextensive.AWorldVision FundraisingCommitteememberrecommendsprojectizingjointactivitiesandthatallactivitiesshould befullyfundedbeforetheycommenceduetoalongtimespanbetweenprojectconceptionand ongoingimplementationcreatingproblems. Developaglobalbudgetandcontinuallyupdateittoenablestrategicandtargetedfundraising ASavetheChildrenfundraisersuggestsgettingpartnersinvolvedearlyon,intheplanningphase, includingdonors;sherecommendsthatNGOsplanincountrytogether,developastrategyandagreea jointplan,andthenseparatethatoutintoindividualagencyproposals.AnOxfamfundraiser recommendsthataconsortiumsuchastheECBProjectbeclearonwhereitisgoingasawholesothat thereisasolidoverviewofwhatneedstobefunded;wherethegapsare;andwheretoputour emphasis.Acontinuallyupdatedglobalbudgetisvitalforthis.Fundraisersfromindividualagencies canthenbemoreopportunisticandstrategicinincorporatingconsortiumelementsintocoreNGO

 fundingandworkingasateamtomaximizeeachagencysstrengths.Thevalueofanintegratedteamis thatdifferentagenciesbringadifferentskillsettothetableastheyhavedifferentdonorbackgrounds. Startwithastrongjointfundraisingstrategyandplanthatoutlineseachagencyscommitments Havingtrustinplaceandstrongrelationshipsissimplynotenough.AgreementsbetweenNGOpartners mustoutlinewhichagenciesareresponsibleforwhichcommitmentsi.e.firmandmonitoredfunding targetsperagency.Progressmustbetracked,andaplanshouldbeinplacetoaddressshortfalls.A lightstrategycanguidethisprocessandoutlinewaysofworking.Differingfundraisingstructures/ locationsofpartnerswithinaconsortiumshouldbeaddressedandmaximized,forexampleina decentralizedNGO,suchasWorldVisionthereisgoodpotentialatthecountrylevelforfundraisingif officeswanttocollaborate. Measuresofaccountabilityarecriticaltoensureconsortiummembersallpulltheirweight GiventhechallengesNGOsfaceinprioritizingjointworkoveragencyspecificwork,measuresof accountabilitymustbeputinplaceandsignedoffbythoseatmanagementlevelswithineach organisation.Fundraisersatalllevelsmustunderstandtheimportanceofthisjointworkandcoordinate closelywithprogrammestaffwhodevelopthejointconceptsandplanstobestsellthesetodonors. Addressconcernsaboutcoveringsupportcostsearlyoninaconsortium Ithasbeenmucheasierforagenciestoraisemoneyforprograms,butlesssofortheoperational structureoftheconsortiumandheadofficecosts.Ithasbeenwellacknowledged(includingintheECB Projectmidtermevaluation,September2011)thatsuchamassiveprojectrequirescoordination.These costs,whethertheyareforthesalariesofaconsortiumcoordinationteam,regularconferencecallsfor workinggroups,ortravelforfacetofacemeetings,mustbeincludedinallbudgets.AsoneCARE fundraisersays,itsworthit:youaccomplishmoreasagroup,withbiggerresultsforlessmoney.Thisis agoodwayofdoingbusiness.AnOxfamfundraisersuggeststhat,withaholisticviewofwhatdonors willandwontfund,youcanmapyourfundinginamorestrategicwayandbemorestrategicwith resources,forexampleunrestrictedfunds. Proposalconsultationisvital,butincrediblydifficult IttakestremendoustimeandefforttohaveallstakeholdersinajointventureaslargeastheECBProject reviewaproposalandprovidefeedbackinatimelymanner.Particularlyasunlessthereisasurepotof money,peopledontreadtheiremails,accordingtoaCAREprogrammestaffmember.Addtothatthe challengeoflanguages(ECBworksinEnglish,FrenchandSpanish).Itisquitedifficultforcolleaguesin BoliviaandNigertomeaningfullyinputintoplansandproposalsinEnglish,butrestrictionsintimeand resourcesoftenpreventtranslation.Regardless,countryteamsmusthaveownershipofproposalsand activitiesthattrulyfitintotheirplans.Involvedonorsatthecountryandregionalleveltoensure coherenceanddemonstratejoinedupworkingandavoidproposalscomingfromheadofficeswithout sufficientconsultation. Proactiveadvocacyandcommunicationwithdonorsmustbedonefromthestart TheECBProjecthasproducedaconsiderablevolumeofoutputsbutlittleofthishasbeen communicatedwithprospectivedonors.Giventhatdonorsaretraditionallynoteagertosupport capacitybuildingefforts,aCRSfundraiserrecommendsacommunicationstrategytotrytowhetthe interestofdonorspriortosubmittingproposals.Furthermore,herecommendsdonoradvocacyto ensurethatcapacitybuildingeffortscanbefunded,weknowitsbettertoinvestinpreventionand

 mitigation.ASavetheChildrenfundraiseradds:Weneedtodoabetterjobondonoradvocacy. Communicationdoeswork:ECHOgrantofficerscommentedonhowusefultheECBwebsiteande newsletterwereinkeepingthemupdatedduringthe2011ECBproposalprocess. DonorsareattractedtothereachandsustainabilitythatconsortiasuchastheECBProjectprovide AccordingtooneofOxfamsfundraisers,donorsarelookingforincreasedimpact(clearresultsand tangiblebenefits),globalreachandreplicability,innovationandsustainabilitywithlinkstowidergroups ofstakeholders.Theyaremorelikelytorewardfundingproposalsthatbuildonachievementstodate, andthosethatpackageelementsintowiderjointorsingleagencyhumanitarian/DRRprogrammes.

5. TheRoadAhead
Fromfundraisingtofundspending Withjustunder$6millionofthe$7.3millionraised,thejointfundraisingstoryoftheECBProjectis nearlycomplete.Thenextchapterwillfocusonfundspendingandtheimplementationofactivities simultaneouslyunderanumberofrestricteddonorgrants.Thiswillbenoeasytaskandwillrequire evenmorecoordinatedworkandsimpletrackingandreportingprocessesforeffectiveworkingandrisk management. Afocusoncountrylevelfundraisingwithlightglobalcoordination ThemainfundinggapnowfortheECBProjectisforthefinalyearofjointprogrammingineachofthe fivefocuscountries.Followingthreeyearsofjointimplementationandbuildingoftrust,thecountry levelNGOteamsarenaturallybecomingmoreandmoreactiveinjointfundraisingforlocallyidentified jointinitiatives.ThereisnodoubtthatthisshouldbechampionedandsupportedbyeachNGOandthis couldbethenewfocusofthegloballevelFundraisingCommittee.Jointdonoreducationwouldalsobe ausefulnextstep;worthdoingtogether(SavetheChildren). ExperiencetodatehasrevealedthevalueingloballevelcoordinationbetweentheNGOstohelpensure thatglobalfundingopportunitiesareunderstoodandoptimizedbytheircountrylevelteamsaspartof localECBconsortia,whilstavoidingduplicationinapplicationsfromthedifferentcountriesandwithin theNGOsthemselves. TheroadbeyondtheECBProject Whatwillhappenwhenthe$12millionisspentandtheECBProjectstructurehasformallydissolvedin 2013?WilltheNGOscontinuetojointlyfundraiseforcapacitybuildingorotherinitiativesatbothglobal andcountrylevels?Theirlearningtodateonhowtoworktogetherasaconsortiumandhowtogainthe supportofdonorsmustsurelyputtheminagoodpositiontocontinuecollaborating.Perhapsthough, theemphasisshouldbeatcountrylevelwhereinteragencyteamscanidentifyrelevantjoint interventionsonanongoingbasiswithinanagreedscopeofwhattheyaretogetherworkingtowards. Ultimately,theprojectsgoverningbody,theInteragencyWorkingGroup(IWG),madeupofthe emergencydirectorsofthememberNGOs,willdeterminethecommitmentofeachagencytofuture collaborations.Itwillbeinterestingtoseewhatbearing,ifany,eachNGOsfundraisingperformance hasontheleveloftrustandappetiteforfurthercollaborationwithinthatgroup.


ManythankstoallthoseECBProjectstakeholderswhograciouslyprovidedtheirreflectionsforthiscasestudy:the globalFundraisingCommittee,MesadeFundinginBolivia,andECBProjectstaff: LeonardoSanabria,ChristianAidBolivia ClaudiaRoca,SavetheChildrenBolivia SusanRomanski,CRSBolivia JavierCastro,HelpAgeBolivia MariaLara,CRSBolivia FrancescoGatta,CAREBolivia IngridTerrazas,ECBProjectBolivia RogerQuiroga,OxfamBolivia NitaHassan,ECBProject ChuckPaquette,CRS SusieRidley,OxfamGB WynnFlaten,WorldVision ChrisToews,CAREUSA RichardJacquot,MercyCorps AngelaRouse,CAREUK AndreaStewart,ECBProject NancyArnotTaussig,SavetheChildren

Abouttheauthors:CatherineGouldistheProjectManagerrepresentingOxfamsinvolvementinECB,whileKaty LoveleadstheknowledgemanagementandlearningstrategyfortheECBProject.

www.ecbproject.org
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