Organisational Strategy

Organisational Strengthening and Effectiveness Strategy

• Organisational strengthening helps partners thrive and deliver on their missions.
• It provides partners with the tools and support necessary to excel.

Vision and OSE Purpose

• The vision is to make the world safer, fairer, and more sustainable.
• This is achieved by supporting grantee partners on their journeys.
• The organisational strengthening and effectiveness team aims to improve grant outcomes by enhancing the organisational capacities of partners and supporting organisational sustainability measures.
• Oak views organisational strengthening and effectiveness as a way to improve grant-making.

History

• In 2011, the first Grantee Perception Survey was conducted, revealing that partners needed more non-monetary support, such as capacity strengthening.
• In 2013, the first Organisational Strengthening and Effectiveness Adviser joined Oak.
• Since then, the budget has grown from USD 23 million to around USD 75 million a year to support partners.

Levels of Support

• Support is categorized into four levels: foundational, direct response, organisational development, and field building.
• Foundational support helps organisations comply with legal and financial requirements, registration, taxation, security, and wellbeing.
• Direct response addresses specific challenges organisations face, such as fundraising, leadership, or programme design.
• Organisational development funds organisational transformation for those undergoing change processes, such as changing focus or expanding to new geographies.
• Field building supports grantee partners to become leaders by providing organisational strengthening and effectiveness support or showcasing best practices.

Principles

• The work is guided by several principles: co-creation, trust, localisation, ownership, collaboration, integration and strategy, and equity.
• Co-creation fosters healthy and equitable relationships, ensuring partners feel empowered and respected, co-creating solutions and building trust.
• Trust builds relationships based on humility, curiosity, and admiration and trusts partners to build a vision of success and use an asset-based approach.
• Localisation tailors support to each programme and partner, building on existing efforts and best practices.
• Ownership recognises that partner ownership of the change process is crucial and ensures organisational strengthening actions are partner-owned.
• Collaboration works in an integrated way with grantee partners and other foundations, fostering collaboration and partnership.
• Integration and strategy supports organisations to be integrated and strategic, focusing on developing systems, structures, skills, resources, and power needed to serve their missions.
• Equity strives to ensure fairness and equity, reaching all types of organisations, including grassroots initiatives.

Areas of Support

• Areas supported include strategic leadership, fund development, board development, human resources, wellbeing, safeguarding, and programme management.