One of the main objectives of the Strengthening Decentralized Governance (DG) Project is to support the capacity of its civil society organization networks by having a stronger management, networking, advocacy, and alliance building capacities with increased youth involvement. In achieving this, a Civil Society Organization (CSO) National Organizational Diagnosis Workshop was conducted last May 23-25, 2016 at the Partnership Center, in Quezon City. This was attended by regional and provincial CSO leaders and project staff from Bicol, Central Visayas, and Southern Mindanao, all of which are the project areas of Strengthening DG.

The two and a half day workshop intended to (1) recognize and appreciate the principles and framework of the Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) for strengthening the capacities of the CSOs; evaluate the organization’s current status in the seven capacity building areas, identify their organization’s capacity building needs; and develop the organization’s capacity building and action plan to validate and finalize the assessment results.

The participants assessed their organizations by rating themselves on the following capacity building indicators: Governance; Leadership Development; Strategic Planning and Management; Resource Mobilization & Development. Program Design Implementation & Management, Monitoring & Evaluation; Financial Management; Administrative & Financial Management; Advocacy Effectiveness; and Member Relations & Networking. The sessions were mainly facilitated by Vicki Alcoselba, Former Capacity Building Officer of the Strengthening the Capacity of the CSOs in the Philippines Project. These were co-facilitated by different mentors such as Rhandy Rowan, Rowel Candelaria, CODE-NGO’s Executive Director Sixto Donato Macasaet, Deputy ED Roselle Rasay, and Membership Program Officer Tanya Zaldarriaga.

During the workshop sessions, the participants  gauged their organizations based on the rating scale set by the tool, with the help of the assigned facilitator for the session and their respective regional coordinators. Towards the end of the second day, houses representing the organizations were put up, with an illustration of the seven pillars of the CAT. The provincial network leaders translated their scores into colored dots to have a visual representation of the current status of their organizations.

Results of the assessment identified their capacity gaps and determined the kinds of capacity building interventions organizations should undertake. The baselines set were also used in coming up with their respective action plans and initial capacity building plans for further validation and strategizing techniques.

In hopes of sustaining these efforts, validation workshops were also scheduled to serve as an avenue for the CSO leaders to present and validate the results of the organizational diagnosis to their respective Board members and staff. Mentors’ training in various island clusters will also be conducted to create a pool of mentors, which would help out the provincial networks in further improving and achieving their desired organizational capacities.

The CAT used in the workshop was adapted from the tool developed under the Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in the Philippines Project, a USAID supported project implemented by Ayala Foundation and other consortium members, namely Association of Foundations (AF), Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) and UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG).

Clarence Faye Salvador is the Project Officer of the Strengthening Decentralized Project.