International NGO Management
IIPS 60802 (3 credit hours) - preliminary syllabus for Spring 2012
Class time:
Room:
Instructor:
1:30 - 2:45, Monday and Wednesday
TBA
Hal Culbertson (1-8832; culbertson.1@nd.edu)
This course will provide an introduction to concepts and skills needed to effectively manage
projects in international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Through simulations, case
studies, and discussion, the class will explore several organizational management challenges
facing international NGOs. The class will then critically examine the logframe approach to
project planning, which is widely used by NGOs and often required by donor agencies. As a
primary assignment in the class, students will design a project using the logframe approach, and
then develop a grant proposal and budget for the project. The class will also explore several
issues related to project evaluation, including developing performance indicators, approaches to
“scaling up” project impact, stakeholder perspectives on evaluation, and the unique challenges
which arise in evaluating peacebuilding projects.
Learning Goals
1) Students will assess strategies for addressing management challenges faced by international
NGOs in several areas of organizational life, including governance, staffing, fundraising,
evaluation, and community relations.
2) Students will deepen their understanding of how NGOs and other civil society actors relate to
government and the business community, and the implications of these relationships for
international NGO management.
3) Students will thoughtfully employ a logframe matrix, a tool commonly used by international
NGOs, to design an NGO project.
4) Students will evaluate prospective donors for their NGO project and prepare a grant proposal
appropriate for submission to the best prospective donor.
Reading Materials
The following materials are required for the course and are available for purchase at the Hammes
Notre Dame Bookstore:
The Management of Non-Governmental Development Organizations: An Introduction
(2nd edition - 2007) by David Lewis (paperback).
The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing (5th Edition) (Foundation Center).
Additional required readings for this course are available on e-reserve. These can be accessed
through the library’s e-reserve page at <http://lib.nd.edu/services/> or through WebCT.
Policies
Office Hours
I welcome the opportunity to meet with students individually to discuss issues arising in the
class. Given that my schedule frequently changes, my office hours are by appointment. If you
would like to meet, it is best to contact me by email, and we can find a suitable time to meet.
Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Code of Honor described in the Graduate
School’s Bulletin of Information (online at http://graduateschool.nd.edu/policies-and-forms).
For this course, discussion of assignments with other students is encouraged, unless specifically
prohibited by the instructor. However, all work submitted individually should be the student’s
own. When materials are used, quoted or paraphrased from other sources, you must give full
credit using accurate and complete citations. All assignments must be prepared for this course
alone, and cannot be used for other courses. Suspected instances of academic misconduct will
be addressed through appropriate University procedures.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Students who need to miss a class should
obtain advanced approval from the instructor. The class participation grade will be lowered by
one partial unit (i.e. from a B+ to a B) for each unexcused absence. More than 3 unexcused
absences will lead to a failure of the course.
Assignments
1) Synthesis Paper (20%)
Students will prepare a 7-10 page synthesis paper which integrates NGO management with
peacebuilding. The goal of this assignment is to consider the main insights and learning from
this course and reflect on their implications for the practice of peacebuilding. (Students from
other programs at the University, such as the Center for Civil and Human Rights, may focus on a
different areas of practice, such as “human rights” instead of peacebuilding, with the professor’s
permission.) Students should consider the potential of NGOs as agents of peacebuilding,
identify the key organizational management challenges that arise when NGOs seek to be
peacebuilding agents, and recommend strategies for addressing these challenges. Students
wishing to focus their paper more narrowly on a specific management challenge or issue and its
implications for peacebuilding may do so, with permission of the professor. Students should
make appropriate reference to relevant readings and cases assigned for the class, as well as other
materials consulted for this assignment.
2) Grant Proposal Project
Several assignments in the class are designed to take students through a typical grantwriting
process in the NGO context. These assignments serve to both develop student skills in grant
writing, a key NGO management component, and illustrate key concepts discussed in the course.
These assignments (with the exception of the concept note) will be completed by small groups of
students, who will work together to create a project plan and grant proposal. It is recommended
that groups develop a project which expands or augments the work of an actual NGO with which
someone in the group is familiar. The project might build on an identified need that the student
or former colleagues of the organization have identified, or augment an existing project.
Project concept note (0%) - Each student should submit a brief (1 page) project concept note
that outlines a project which could be developed into a grant proposal. The concept note should
indicate the goal of the project, likely project activities, the organization that will implement it,
the location where it will be implemented, and any potential funders which have already been
identified. The note should also describe the student’s specific connection to the organization or
project (i.e. former employee of organization, brother or friend works there, etc.). Groups will
then be formed to develop plans and a proposal for selected concepts.
Project Plan (25%) - To design their project, groups will prepare a Logframe Matrix for the
project, using tools discussed and demonstrated in class. In addition to the Matrix, groups will
also prepare a Theory of Change to submit with the Matrix. Groups will also prepare and submit
a Donor Prospect Report (minimum 2 pages, double spaced) which identifies at least 2
prospective institutional donors for their project, analyzes the donor’s guidelines, and evaluates
the likelihood of being awarded a grant by each of these. In the report, groups will identify the
donor they plan to approach with their grant proposal and attach copies (or a web address) of any
guidelines from that donor for preparing the proposal.
Grant Proposal (25%) - Using the LogFrame Matrix and Theory of Change as a basis, groups
will prepare a grant proposal and budget to the prospective donor.
3) Online Journals (10%)
Students will keep a reflective journal during the first half of the course. (Journaling during the
second half of the course is optional and not graded). The goal of the journal is to promote
deeper learning by bringing ideas and approaches discussed in the course into conversation with
particular experiences, perspectives, and goals of the individual students in the course.
Students should make one entry in their journal each week of the course by the end of the day
(midnight) on Friday. Journal entries should be approximately 200 words in length.
Journals can contain a variety of entries, including critical reactions to readings, thoughts on the
applications of concepts to one’s home country or prior organizational experience, and
comments on class discussions.
Students should read all postings of other students in the class, and may post comments or
reactions to journals on the course website. These comments are encouraged, but will not be
graded.
Journals will be graded based on making all required posts as well as the quality of engagement
with readings and course discussions.
Class and Group Participation (20%)
Half of the participation grade will be based on students contributions to class discussions.
Students are expected to do the reading before each class and contribute constructively to class
discussions. This part of the participation grade will be based on class attendance, contributions
to the discussion, and knowledge of assigned readings.
The other half of the participation grade for the class will be determined based on the student’s
contributions to the group work. At the end of the course, students will prepare a brief
assessment of their own and other’s contributions to the group projects in the course.
This,.together with the instructor’s assessments of student contributions, will determine the
grade for group participation.
Class Topics and Reading Assignments:
Additional readings may be added later in the semester.
Date
Topic
Required Readings
Jan. 18
Introduction to Course
No assignment
I. Concepts and terminology
Jan. 20
Approaches to NGO
Management
Lewis, chapter 1
Gosling and Mintzberg, “5 minds”
Jan. 25
What is an NGO? Third Sector
Frameworks
Lewis, chapter 2
Kaldor, “Civil Society and Accountability”
Jayawickrama, “What makes international
NGOs distinctive?”
Jan 27
Chavez, “Casa Amiga”
Case Study
II. Organizational Management in the NGO context
Feb. 1
Managing NGO roles
Feb. 3
Feb. 8
Case Study
Feb. 10
Case Study
Feb. 15
Managing Organizational
Relationships
NGO Peacebuilding Roles
Lewis, chapters 3 and 5
Nelson and Dorsey, “Human rights and
Development”
Bratton, “The Right to be Human”
Paffenholz, ch. 3, “Civil society and
Peacebuilding”
Paffenholz, ch. 4, “A Comprehensive Analytical
Framework”
van Leeuven, ch. 3, “Mapping the
Peacebuilding Landscape”
Kurtenbach, ch. 5, “Guatemala”
van Leeuven, ch. 7, ”To conform or to
Confront?”
Lewis, chapter 6
Jordan and van Tujil, “Political responsibility”
Anderson, ch. 5, “Peace Partnerships”
Feb. 17
Feb. 22
Feb. 24
Mar. 1
Mar. 3
Case Study
CONCEPT NOTE DUE
Governance/Boards
Case Study
International Organizational
Structures
Staff
D’Agnes, “A Partnership in Troubled Waters”
Harris, “Voluntary Sector Governance”;
Baig, “NGO Governing Bodies”
Stivers and Kent, “Who speaks for us?
Foreman, “Evolving Global Structures”
Laidler-Kylander, et. al, “Global Brands”
Mukasa, “Are expatriate staff necessary? “
O'Sullivan, “International Human Resource
Management Challenges”
III. Project Management:
Mar. 8
Project Management Overview
Mar. 10
Guest Lecture:John Katunga,
CRS (tentative)
SYNTHESIS PAPER DUE
BREAK
Mar. 15
Mar. 17
BREAK
A. Project Design
Mar. 22
Stakeholder Analysis
Mar. 24
Needs Assessement and
Problem/Objective Analysis
Theory of Change
Mar. 29
Mar. 31
Apr. 5
Stetson, CRS ProPack, pages 1-14 and pages
25-35;
CRS, “Proframes Samples”
TBA
Stetson, CRS ProPack, pages 37-45.
Prell, “Stakeholder analysis”
Stetson, CRS ProPack, pages 47-83
Sida, “Manual for Conflict Analysis”
CRS ProPack, pages 85-95.
Lederach,“Theories of Change”
Church, “Understanding Change”
Eyben, “Thinking about Change”
CRS Propack, pages 97-104
Apr. 14
Case Study
Logframe Matrix - Program
Description
Logframe Matrix - Indicators and CRS Propack, pages 105-136
MOVs
B. Mobilizing Financial Resources
Funding Civil Society
Guide to Proposal Writing, chapters 11, 14;
Pinter, “Funding Global Civil Society”
Guide to Proposal Writing, chapters 3-6, 8-10
Grant Proposals
Apr. 19
Grant Budgets
Apr. 7
Apr. 12
Guide to Proposal Writing, chapters 7
“Core Funding Strategies”
Apr. 21
Beyond Fundraising: Scaling Up
PROJECT PLAN DUE
C. Evaluation and Learning
Uvin, “Think Large and Act Small”
Apr. 26
Designing an Evaluation
Church and Rogers, “Evaluation Preparation”
“Reflections on Peacebuilding Evaluation”
(various authors), pp. 1-24
Apr. 28
May 3
Case Study
Course Wrap Up
Gordon, “A UNHCR Evaluation”
TBA
May 11
GRANT PROPOSAL DUE
Full References of Readings
Anderson, Mary B. and Lara Olson, “Peace Partnerahips: How Outsider and Insider Peace
Agencies Can Best Work Together,” chapter 5 in Confronting War: Critical Lessons for Peace
Practitioners (Cambridge: Collaborative for Development Action, 2003).
Baig, Qadeer, “NGO Governing Bodies and Beyond: A Southern Perspective on Third Sector
Governance Issues,” Chapter 5 in International Perspectives on Voluntary Action: Reshaping the
Third Sector, ed. By David Lewis (London: Earthscan, 1999).
Bratton, Eric, “The Right to Be Human: The Dilemmas of Rights-based Programming at CAREBangladesh,” Case Study from Electronic Hallway website (2006).
Chávez, Marissa, “Casa Amiga: Addressing Violence Against Women on the U.S.-Mexico
Border,” Case Study from Electronic Hallway website (2006).
Church, Cheyanne and Mark M. Rogers, “Understanding Change,” Chapter 2 in Designing for
Results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation in Conflict Transformation Programs, (Search
for Common Ground, 2006), pages 10-24.
Church, Cheyanne and Mark M. Rogers, “Evaluation Preparation,” Chapter 8 in Designing for
Results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation in Conflict Transformation Programs, (Search
for Common Ground, 2006), pages 96-136.
“Core Funding Strategies,” Guidance Notes Number 6, (London: Bond, 2005).
CRS, “Proframe Samples,” (2004).
D’Agnes, Heather, “A Partnership in Troubled Waters (A),” Case Study from Electronic
Hallway (2006).
Eyben, Rosalind, Thalia Kidder, Jo Rowlands, and Audrey Bronstein, “Thinking about Change
for Development Practice: a Case Study from Oxfam GB,” Development in Practice, vol. 18, no.
2 (April 2008).
Foreman, Karen, ”Evolving Global Structures and the Challenges Facing International Relief
and Development Organizations,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4
(Supplement 1999): 178-197.
Gordon, Grant, “A UNHCR Evaluation of Search for a Common Graound Programming in the
DRC” (UNHCR, 2008).
Gosling, Jonathan and Henry Mintzberg, “The Five Minds of a Manager,” Harvard Business
Review (November 2003).
Harris, Margaret, “Voluntary Sector Governance – Problems in Practice and Theory in the
United Kingdom and North America,” Chapter 4 in International Perspectives on Voluntary
Action: Reshaping the Third Sector, ed. By David Lewis (London: Earthscan, 1999).
Jayawickrama, Sherine and Neil McCullagh, “What Makes International NGOs Distinctive?
Contributions, Characteristics and Challenges,” (Cambridge: Hauser Center for Nonprofit
Organizations, 2009).
Jordan, Lisa, and Peter van Tuijl, “Political Responsibility in Transnational NGO Advocacy,”
World Development, vol. 28, no. 12, (2000): pp. 2051-2065.
Kaldor, Mary, “Civil Society and Accountability,” Journal of Human Development, vol. 4, no. 1
(2003).
Kurtenbach, Sabine, “Guatemala: A Dependent and Fragmented Civil Society,” chapter 5 in
Civil Society and Peacebuilding: A Critical Assessment, ed. by Thania Paffenholz (Boulder:
Lynne Rienner, 2010).
Laidler-Kylander, Nathalie, John A. Quelch, and Bernard L. Simonin, “Building and Valuing
Global Brands in the Nonprofit Sector,”Nonprofit Management & Leadership, vol. 17, no. 3
(Spring 2007): 253-277.
Lederach, John Paul, Reina Neufeldt, and Hal Culbertson, “Theories of Change,” chapter 6 in
Reflective Peacebuilding: A Planning, Monitoring and Learning Toolkit (Mindanao, Philippines:
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2007).
Lundberg, Kirsten, “High Road or Low? Transparency International and the Corruption
Perceptions Index,” Kennedy School of Government Case Program (2002).
Mukasa, Sarah, “Are expatriate staff necessary in international development NGOs?” CVO
International Working Paper 4 (London: London School of Economics, 1999).
Nelson, Paul and Ellen Dorsey, “At the Nexus of Human Rights and Development: New
Methods and Strategies of Global NGOs,” World Development, vol. 31, no. 12 (2003): 20132026.
O'Sullivan, Sharon, “International Human Resource Management Challenges in Canadian
Development INGOs,” European Management Journal, vol. 28 (2010).
Paffenholz, Thania, “Civil Society and Peacebuilding,” chapter 3 in Civil Society and
Peacebuilding: A Critical Assessment, ed. by Thania Paffenholz (Boulder: Lynne Rienner,
2010).
Paffenholz, Thania and Christoph Spurk, “A Comprehensive Analytical Framework,” chapter 4
in Civil Society and Peacebuilding: A Critical Assessment, ed. by Thania Paffenholz (Boulder:
Lynne Rienner, 2010).
Patton, Michael Quinn, “The Nature of Qualitative Inquiry,” chapter 1 in Qualitative Evaluation
and Research Methods, Second Edition (Newbury Park: Sage, 1990).
Pinter, Frances, “Funding Global Civil Society,” chapter 8 in Global Civil Society 2001, ed. by
Helmut Anheier, Marlies Glasius and Mary Kaldor (London School of Economics, 2001).
Prell, Christina, Klaus Hubacek and Mark Reed, “Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network
Analysis in Natural Resource Management,” SRI Papers (Online), No. 6 (August, 2007).
“Proframe Samples,” Catholic Relief Services (2004).
“Reflections on Peacebuilding Evaluation,” New Routes, vol. 13, no. 3 (Life and Peace Institute:
2008).
Sida, “Manual for Conflict Analysis,” Division for Peace and Security through Development
Cooperation, Sida (2006).
Stetson, Valerie, Guy Sharrock and Susan Hahn “ProPack: The CRS Project Package,”
(Baltimore: CRS, 2004).
Stivers, Jan and James Kent, “Who Speaks for Us?” Case Study from Electronic Hallway
website (2004).
Uvin, Jain and Brown, “Think Large and Act Small: Toward a New Paradigm of NGO Scaling
Up,” World Development, vol. 28, no. 8 (2000).
van Leeuwen, Mathijs, “Mapping the Peacebuilding Landscape: Policies and Practices of
International Development Organizations,” chapter 3 in Partners in Peace: discourses and
Practices of Civil-Society Peacebuilding (Great Britain: Ashgate, 2010).
van Leeuwen, Mathijs, “To Conform or to Confront? Civil Society and Agrarian Conflict in
Post-conflict Guatemala,” chapter 7 in Partners in Peace: discourses and Practices of Civil-
Society Peacebuilding (Great Britain: Ashgate, 2010).