Let’s make some PROGRES! Achieving Sustainability and Resilience through Organizational Assessment

In this time of local ownership and scaled-back resources, it is imperative that organizational performance be linked with organizational sustainability.

The PROGRES_SBCC assessment team at Yayasan Cipta Cara Padu, Indonesia.

Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) partner Management Sciences for Health (MSH) has been conducting a series of assessments to understand the specific areas in which social and behavior change communication (SBCC)-centered organizations exhibit strengths and weaknesses. The assessment instrument, PROGRES_SBCC, is designed to:

• Gauge an organization’s development and performance across a spectrum of 12 domains
• Assess an organization’s transition toward institutional, programmatic and financial sustainability
• Draft and implement capacity and institutional development plans that can help an organization elevate its performance and progress along the development continuum

The PROGRES assessment tool draws from and builds upon existing institutional strengthening tools developed and used by MSH while implementing USAID-funded projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa and Nigeria.

Focus on Sustainability

PROGRESS_SBCC assessment with Nigerian Inter-faith Action Association.

PROGRES_SBCC provides a general overview of organizational capacity through a participatory process and facilitates the identification by civil society organizations (CSOs) and government institutions of areas within their organizations requiring support to foster sustainability and resilience. The program can also be adapted for use by organizations working in areas outside of health.

Sustainability is separated into three distinct areas: institutional, financial and programmatic. PROGRES_SBCC allows organizations to see how specific organizational capacity domains contribute to each area of sustainability. The program illuminates where organizational stunting occurs, so that capacity-building efforts can focus not only on under-performing domains but also on those domains that are impeding an organization’s sustainability.

Assessment Approach

The tool gathers data on an organization’s capacity along a broad range of performance parameters. PROGRES_SBCC breaks these down into 12 organizational capacity domains divided into seven core domains and four optional domains; assessment of the latter will depend on the mandate of the organization being assessed. These domains include:

PROGRES_SBCC assessment in progress at the Uganda Health Marketing Group.

Core domains

1. Governance and Leadership
2. Finance, Operations and Administration
3. Resource Mobilization
4. Human Resources Management
5. Program Management
6. Social and Behavior Change Communication
7. Communication
8. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Knowledge Management

Optional domains

9. Advocacy, Networking and Alliance Building
10. Service Delivery and Quality Assurance
11. Coordination and Collaboration
12. Grants and Sub-grants Management

Each domain has sub-domains with three to six ideal practices within each sub-domain. The domains and sub-domains in the tool are also created to be adaptable according to the organization’s context.

Join the discussion

Join MSH and HC3 from April 11-13, 2017 to learn about the PROGRES_SBCC tool, see examples of its applications and explore solutions to some of the most pressing performance challenges that surface: mobilizing resources, management of SBCC programs and monitoring and evaluation of results.

All PROGRES_SBCC tools are available on the HealthCOMpass, including an instructional video, worksheets, and the User’s Guide. Take a look at the tools and join the discussion to talk about how PROGRES_SBCC can benefit you!

You must be a registered Springboard member to participate. To register:

• Fill out the online registration form on Springboard.
• Activate your registration via the email you receive after filling out the registration form.
• Navigate to the conversation here.

You may post questions in advance.  More about the facilitators:

Eliana Monteforte, Senior Technical Advisor for Institutional Development and Knowledge Exchange, MSH

Judy Seltzer, Senior Principal Technical Adviser, Institutional Development, MSH