Knowledge Management and Futures Thinking: Using Insights to Plan for the Future
We often use Knowledge Management (KM) insights to help adapt and adjust projects and programmes to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. But a hidden power of those insights is that they can serve as the basis for and inform long-term plans and strategies, and spark…
Read moreWhy Adopting a Gender Transformative Approach in Impact Evaluation Makes Sense
The constantly evolving concept of gender equality and integrating a gender transformative approach (GTA) into impact evaluation does not just bolster programme effectiveness, it is also a critical step toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals. This approach goes beyond addressing symptoms of gender inequality; it seeks…
Read moreWhy Knowledge Management is at the Heart of Learning
Knowledge and learning are inextricable. It is through learning that individuals and organisations acquire knowledge. Knowledge is an organisation’s most important intangible asset. An organisation must be willing to invest in Knowledge Management (KM) to harness the power of collective knowledge and learning. KM focuses…
Read moreIn Order to Learn, Pause to Reflect Regularly
How do we learn in a work environment? From conversations with colleagues, partners, beneficiaries, documents, and multiple other sources. However, most of what we learn at work is through experience, our own and that of others. Through regular Pause to Reflect sessions, we can nurture…
Read moreReporting Best Practices: Fact-Checking
Fact-checking is far from a new phenomenon. In the international development sector, it is an integral part of Quality Assurance used to verify information and avoid spreading misinformation. It is also used to educate and empower communities. Fact-checking deserves to be adopted as a standard…
Read moreFour Key Reasons Your Organisation Needs Knowledge Management
Knowledge in any organisation, including in the international development and non–profit sectors, is a highly valuable but often under-utilised asset. It flows in and out through various mediums, from reports, policies and procedures, to databases, stories, and most importantly, the people. In the era of…
Read moreWhere Does KM Sit (or Should Sit) within an Organisation?
Knowledge Management (KM) experts are often asked where KM is best placed within an organisation, with no definitive answer. Experience shows that KM does not have a clear place of its own and is often placed in very different units. The key point is that…
Read moreKnowledge Management in a Remote or Hybrid Workplace – Which Tool to Use?
There is no denying that remote and hybrid work is changing the way we work. For many organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid evolution of technologies enabling communication and collaboration. For the most part, the technologies existed already, but they were slowly gaining ground…
Read moreReporting Best Practices: Treat Reporting as a Continuous Cyclical Process
Reports usually come in at the end of an activity or a project, and the job of a report writer isn’t easy. Digging up tons of information from the very beginning is rather burdensome, especially if the project ran during a number of years and…
Read moreEmbracing Failure
In project reports and other publications, the focus is usually on the successes – how many people reached, overall impact, changes achieved. Failures, mistakes, or underachievement are often seen and presented as difficulties, challenges, or unforeseen negative effects. They are also often understated or covered…
Read moreFive Steps to Creating a Lasting Impact through Storytelling
Storytelling in the development world is a powerful communication technique used to inspire and connect the audience with an organisation’s mission, vision and values. It may be used to illustrate the impact of a project or programme, provide evidence of project achievements to donors and…
Read moreMeasuring Impact Through Participatory Action Research: Benefits and Challenges
Impact evaluation plays a crucial role in assessing the effectiveness and outcomes of different interventions, as well as the implementation of programmes and policies aiming to address socio-economic or environmental issues. It answers cause-and-effect questions, guiding decision-makers in effective resource allocation and maximising positive outcomes.…
Read moreUpping your Game: Lessons from the International Olympic Committee’s KM Programme
The eyes of the world have been on Paris this summer as it hosted the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ever wonder how a local Olympic Organising Committee grapples with the gargantuan task of planning for and hosting these massive international events? Where do you…
Read moreGender Mainstreaming in Development Programming
The fourth UN world conference held in Beijing in 1995 established that gender mainstreaming in development programmes and policies is a critical component towards achieving gender equality and improving the lives of women and girls across the globe. At this juncture, it is important to…
Read moreCommunicating Effectively: Evidence-Based, Inclusive and Logical Writing
Good written communication matters in international development. To capture people’s interest, engage them in your messaging and achieve your objective, your communication should be meaningful, truthful, well organised, concise, readable and carefully worded. This blog, the second of two, considers the importance of evidence and…
Read moreCommunicating Effectively: Reaching and Engaging Your Audience
Good written communication matters in international development. To capture people’s interest, engage them in your messaging and achieve your objective, your communication should be meaningful, truthful, well organised, concise, readable and carefully worded. This blog, the first of two, considers the importance of identifying and targeting…
Read moreFunding with Integrity: Mastering Ethical Grant Writing Practices
Grant writing is a critical component of securing funding for a wide range of development projects and philanthropic initiatives, for project implementation and research. While it is fundamentally about persuading funders to invest in a project or cause, it comes with its own set of…
Read moreUnlocking Success: The Dynamic Duo of Knowledge Management and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning in Development Programs
In the dynamic landscape of the development sector, the effective management of knowledge and the meticulous evaluation of programs are pivotal for success, both influencing every part of the project lifecycle. Knowledge Management (KM) and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) stand as pillars, each playing a distinctive yet interconnected…
Read moreIs Your Organisation KM-Ready?
You may have heard about Knowledge Management (KM), but you are not an expert in the field. Or you may have worked at an organisation that had a KM framework and you would like to build something similar at your new organisation. It can feel…
Read moreThe Power of Openness and Transparency in Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management (KM) has emerged as an important function for organizations seeking to harness and exploit their internal knowledge and expertise. However, traditional approaches to KM often fall short, hampered by siloed information, duplicated tasks, lack of trust and a culture of knowledge hoarding. Openness…
Read moreLittle Helper: Proposal Writing Checklist
This list does not aspire to be comprehensive; every funder and funding opportunity will have different requirements. It may also vary depending on whether you are responding to a solicitation or are invited to apply. Instead, these are some general questions and considerations which we…
Read moreWriting a Successful Project Proposal: Key Principles and Tips
Proposal writing is an exercise to create the documentation for the programme or project you wish to carry out. It should be distinguished from proposal development, a broader term which covers all components of a proposal package. As you will see below, our focus is…
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