Course Overview

Effective management of an organization determines whether the organization will succeed or fail. Organizations need tool kits or bolts and nuts  for planning and managing its action plans without which their  objectives  may not be achieved. Some of the important skills include resource mobilization, budgeting, having a clear financial sustainability strategy, financial control systems, writing effectively and powerfully, human resource management, organizational and performance management, effective communications among others

Course Content

Module 1. Monitoring & Evaluation

This toolkit deals with the “nuts and bolts” (the basics) of setting up and using a monitoring and evaluation system for a project or an organization.

Module 2. Budgeting

This toolkit provides guidelines on how to go about developing and monitoring a budget. It will help in managing an  organizational budget as well as with a budget for a specific project. It includes tools for estimating costs as well as tips for ensuring that your budgets meet the needs of your project or organization

Module 3. Developing a Financing Sustainability Strategy

This toolkit will help you to develop a process for ensuring the financial sustainability of your organization. We believe that thinking through a financing strategy for your organization in systematic way, and writing that strategy up as a basic reference document for the organization will help you towards gaining financial sustainability.

Module 4. Financial Control and Accountability

This toolkit provides an introduction for the non-financial manager or leader on controlling the finances of the organization in such a way that the organization can be held financially accountable. It looks at the basics of a good bookkeeping system, at the importance of having financial policies and how to develop them. It also spells out the role of key structures in financial control and accountability, making a distinction between the Board and the CEO of the organization. There is a section dealing with the annual external audit, and several examples to illustrate the financial control tools dealt with in the toolkit. The whole toolkit is geared towards enabling a non-financial manager or leader to manage the finances in an informed and competent way.

Module 5. Writing Effectively and Powerfully

This toolkit offers valuable tips and tools for both inexperienced and experienced writers. Anyone who is interested in strengthening the effectiveness and power of their writing should find this toolkit useful. Our focus is on writing in and for civil society organizations so that people working for such organizations will hopefully benefit, and their organizational work will be strengthened through using the tools on offer.

Module 6. Writing within You Organization

This toolkit offers valuable tips and tools for both inexperienced and experienced writers. This toolkit will be particularly useful for people who write internal documents for their organization. This toolkit is rich in tips, tools and examples for strengthening the writings within your organization. Some Subjects: Notice Boards; Memos; Letters, Faxes and E-mails; Minutes; Reports.

Module 7. Handling the Media

This toolkit offers pointers to understanding how newsrooms work in the mass media. It looks at issues of power and control, and moves on to offering practical guidelines when doing interviews with newspapers, radio or television journalists. We also look at issuing press statements.

Module 8. Producing You Own Media

This toolkit makes the connection between producing your media and organizational planning and budgeting, skills development, and using service providers. Because of this broad approach, people in organizations who already produce media may find new things to think about. And those who are starting out should find it invaluable.

Module 9. Internal Communication

This toolkit will be useful for all organizations that want to improve their internal communication. In particular, it will be useful for those organizations that want to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their organization by creating increased cohesion among staff, management and volunteers. In addition, the toolkit also offers food for thought and some tips for organizations that may already feel that they have an effective internal communication process but want to ensure that these are maintained and utilized consistently.

Module 10. Promoting Your Organization

This toolkit will be useful for all organizations that want to promote themselves. It will be especially useful for organizations that are new to promotion work. It will also offer food for thought and some tips for organizations that already have experience in promotional work.

Module 11. Organizational Development

This module aims to help current board members and those managing development organizations to consider their different roles and how they can work together to fulfill the organization’s mission.

It looks at key governance principles and issues so that organizations can improve their governance structure or set up a governing body if they do not already have one.

There is guidance about recruiting and welcoming new board members so that they can fully understand their role before they start service.

This module is designed specifically for development organizations.

Training Format:

• All materials are made available through our Online Learning Platform
• Students should commit approximately 5-6 hours of their time per week

Materials Provided:

Online delivery of curriculum materials, exercises and templates.

Assignments:

In order to demonstrate their understanding of the course content, students will be required to submit assignments at the end of each month.

COURSE DURATION: 6 months

Learning Plan

• Access to course materials on E-Learning Platform
• Online interaction with Course Moderators
• Monthly assignments
• 15-20 Page Project Paper
• End of Course Examination
• Certification

Cost: Amount €1000 per Person