Take a look at the results of the Hivos Partner Survey 2009
In September 2009 Hivos conducted a Partner Survey. The survey was based on issues around ‘’good donorship’’. Next to asking for a general impression, the survey focused on four themes: quality of Hivos communication in a broad sense, Hivos added value in the relationship, quality of Hivos Capacity Development support and Hivos policy choices. 664 partners have been approached (1) to participate in the survey; the response rate was 33%. The last comparable Partner Survey was held in 2003.
We would like to share with you the outcomes of the survey. We would like to thank all who participated for the efforts made to give us the valuable feedback.
Main results
The main results were as follows:
Overall conclusion on general impression:
- Hivos partners in 2009 are as positive as the partners in 2003 about the overall quality of Hivos as a donor organisation.
- Questioned about how applicable 10 specific images are to Hivos, partners in general are not as positive as we would like to see. This especially accounts for: support to Organisational Development/Institutional Development, knowledgeable and helpful staff, sensitive to local needs, innovative. Commitment/solidarity/long-term support and respectful of partner’s autonomy scored best.
- Some sectors are much more critical than other sectors. Overall Human Rights partners were most positive, ICT and Media and Financial Services partners were less positive.
Overall conclusion on quality of Hivos communication:
- Like in 2003, funding criteria and guidelines for proposals and reports were clear to almost all partners.
- Timeliness and quality of feedback on proposals and reports have improved strongly. This was one of the major critical points in the partner survey of 2003.
- Hivos visits are very much appreciated, it is important to keep them up.
Overall conclusion on quality of the relationship:
- Some sectors scored significantly better than others on the quality of the relationship, especially with regard to understanding of the organisation and its local context and thematic expertise, the possibilities of extending the partners network, the sharing of good practices and ability to attract extra funding with other donors. The average results were good, so the variance in scores is not a problem in itself; it even creates opportunities for internal learning and further improvement.
Overall conclusion on quality of Hivos Capacity Development support:
- Most important finding to take into account was that what Hivos means with Capacity Development support is not so clear to our partners.
- Furthermore, Northern and Southern consultants do deliver equal quality according to our partners.
Overall conclusion on Hivos policy choices:
- Partners in Latin America have been more involved in Hivos overall policy development than partners in Asia and Africa, especially African partners feel they have been less involved.
Follow up
The following scores have focus for improvement and are currently analysed in more detail:
- knowledgeable and helpful staff
- innovativeness of Hivos
- support to OD/ID
- quality of the relationship
- communication towards partners about the Hivos approach towards Capacity Development
In 2010, points for improvement will be considered and concrete action points will become clear. This can result for instance in adjusted work instructions, procedures or policy papers, extra communication, training or personal coaching.
Hivos Evaluation and Audit team, May 2010
(1) Not included were: partner organisations of BER, HTF partners, partners from the Cuba portfolio, partners whose contract period ended before 29/11/08, partners with a first contract starting in 2009, partners with an invalid e-mail address in the administration system.
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