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.

Theresultssofar

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.

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
JavierCastro,HelpAgeBolivia SusanRomanski,CRSBolivia
FrancescoGatta,CAREBolivia MariaLara,CRSBolivia
RogerQuiroga,OxfamBolivia IngridTerrazas,ECBProjectBolivia
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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