Has COVID-19 surfaced opportunities for the development sector to embrace a localisation approach?

How can we best understand what the realities of COVID-19 are for constituents (those we work with and for), in order to better support them through this time? We must ask them directly. For an organisation to sustain trusting relationships with its partners, having further insight into the localised impact of COVID-19 and understanding how[…]

Combatting the passivity of the ‘new normal’ – Keystone’s COVID-19 Survey

Source: Wired.com (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic has developed a culture of language and habits of its own that the whole world has come to know. In five months, we now find ourselves checking our country R rates, grabbing wallet, keys, phone, mask, and rather passively resigning to levels of lockdown or threat of resurgence as[…]

Responding to the sound of (mostly) silence

Out of the blue, we sent you, our clients, partners and friends, a short survey that asked what you think about us. Here’s what you told us. Firstly, you told us that an out of the blue survey is not the right way to do this. Ninety-two of you responded, for an overall response rate[…]

Surveys: You’re doing it wrong

I have a confession to make. Despite two years of surveying thousands of respondents for our clients I still fire up Google in the hopes that it will one day tell me how to conduct surveys the right way. Now, this is mainly due to being overly ambitious: I would one day love to see[…]

Peace Direct introduces two way reporting to partners

International non-governmental organizations often ask a lot of partners in terms of reporting requirements – but how many provide reports in return? This simple innovation, introduced after receiving feedback from partners has changed the dynamic for INGO Peace Direct. Peace Direct, which supports local peace-building organizations, engaged Keystone to survey their partners about the state[…]

In partnering, rules don’t work but principles might

Localization makes partnerships in development all the more important. In this guest blog Ros Tennyson, Director of Strategy at The Partnership Brokers Association discusses the challenges of multi-stakeholder partnerships in development. Multi-stakeholder partnerships for humanitarian relief and sustainable development are much promoted (especially by donors) as the way to tackle the complicated and complex challenges we face. As[…]

Taking the survey is the first step – it is what happens next that counts

Oxfam is serious about partnerships and so joined 76 other international non-governmental organisations in taking Keystone’s Partnership survey, which solicits views from partners. “The results were not particularly shocking to those of us working in programs although we hadn’t expected we would do so poorly,” said Makarand Sahasrabuddhe Program Quality Lead for Oxfam International. “The[…]