ActionAid International Annual Report 2006

Organisational Objectives

During 2006, we implemented structural changes to improve the way we work, in particular to enrich programme quality, improve performance and work more effectively in partnerships. These changes required commitment and understanding from our staff. To better meet their concerns about work overload and performance effectiveness, we made some substantial structural changes, particularly to our operations in Africa.

Strengthening our governance

We are in the process of building a new, flatter, international structure where all country programmes will become independent affiliates accountable to their national boards, playing an equal part in the ActionAid International family. Overall, we feel we made satisfactory progress in this area in 2006, with some country programmes changing their legal and constitutional status. Guatemala, Nigeria, and Malawi became new associates and South Africa, Sierra Leone and Tanzania committed to making the transition in 2007.

Reviews in three associate countries, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, showed that the process of change was going well, although we realise that countries need a lot of support to change their structure and status to become autonomous NGOs within the agreed timeframe.

Deepening our accountability

We were proud to be named the most transparent and accountable of ten international NGOs studied for the OneWorld Trust's 2006 Global Accountability Report (http://www.oneworldtrust.org). However, we are not complacent and know that we still have further to go to translate our policies and principles of open information into practice. We also joined other leading international NGOs in signing a new accountability charter which commits us, amongst other things, to monitor our environmental impact. In 2007, we will be developing an environmental impact policy which will, in particular, address our internal ‘carbon footprint’ – the CO₂emissions generated by our operational activities.

We explored further ways of putting our principles of downward accountability and peer support into practice. This included peer reviews between ActionAid country programmes. We continued to ensure that the communities, partners and allies we work with are directly involved in reviewing our progress and impact. Significant improvements were made in a number of countries who shared their financial information with their partners, communities and the public. This in turn is encouraging our partners to be more financially accountable.

Strengthening our structures and systems

In 2006, we were a workforce of 2,593 people working across more than 40 countries, an increase of 425 staff from 2005. We know that we will only end poverty if we work effectively together, within ActionAid and with our partners. We adapted our matrix management system to encourage the sharing of information and knowledge, and collaborative working across our teams of staff. We also adapted our planning system to ensure that every country and theme integrated women’s rights at the core of their strategies, budgets and work plans. We still have a great need for improved information sharing and systems, and we are investing in these to build greater effectiveness for the future.

Strengthening our staff capacity

In 2006, we put a lot of effort into ensuring that we had the right staff, with the right skills and support, to implement our mission. We recruited new members of staff to existing and new positions and trained them and existing staff in sharing information more effectively, supporting one another and applying the rights-based approach to their day to day work. In Nepal, this also included partners. We also shared skills and provided training in women’s rights, food security and communications.

We are committed to advancing women, but are concerned that there are still barriers to women’s leadership within ActionAid. We will work further with women staff to redress this over the coming years to ensure that women’s leadership is a lasting feature of the organisation.

Strengthening our communications and campaigns

ActionAid was awarded the title of “Most Innovative Charity” for 2006 by the UK’s Third Sector magazine. The award, voted for by Chief Executives of the UK’s 500 largest charities, was thanks to our "passionate, irreverent and highly imaginative approach", "giving a voice to people in the developing world," being "brave enough to rock the boat," and our "willingness to stick [our] head above the parapet and poke fun at those in power."

In contrast to the previous year’s high profile campaigning activity to ‘make poverty history’, 2006 was a year to build our capacity and to consolidate the effectiveness of our team. We recruited highly skilled international communications and campaigning staff to provide support, direction and share skills with communications and campaigns staff throughout ActionAid.

We developed a clearer and stronger identity to raise our brand and profile and to communicate more clearly that we are on the side of poor people. However, we realise that we need to work more creatively to generate more platforms for poor people to voice their issues and express themselves.

Increasing and diversifying our income

We were pleased to raise over €178 million in 2006, which was more than we had expected to raise. We also gained more sponsors and supporters than expected, largely thanks to stronger, more diversified and more energetic fundraising efforts in Italy and the UK. In Italy alone, a series of television programmes brought in 26,500 new sponsors. This growth has allowed us to expand our work. In particular, we were able to introduce increased funding to four new countries in Southern Africa.

Fundraisers have also successfully grown income from other sources. We were pleased with an 85% growth in income from trusts, foundations and corporates, which we hope to build on in 2007. Income from official sources, governments and multi-lateral institutions remained static.

We began work during 2006 to strengthen the link between sponsors and sponsored children. The Invigorating Child Sponsorship strategy seeks to ensure that sponsored children, their families and communities are well informed and can get involved in our programmes, and derive greater benefit from them. We hope that this will make sponsorship an even more rewarding experience for all involved.

In spite of these results, we are still concerned about reaching our targets in coming years and recognise the need to diversify our income. We are investing in new markets by opening new ActionAid offices, as we have done in Sweden. In other countries, we are pursuing new relationships with existing NGOs to expand our base of support and influence.

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To better meet their concerns about work overload and performance effectiveness, we made some substantial structural changes, particularly to our operations in Africa. Strengthening our governance We are in the process of building a new, flatter, international structure where all country programmes will become independent affiliates accountable to their national boards, playing an equal part in the ActionAid International family. Overall, we feel we made satisfactory progress in this area in 2006, with some country programmes changing their legal and constitutional status. Guatemala, Nigeria, and Malawi became new associates and South Africa, Sierra Leone and Tanzania committed to making the transition in 2007. Reviews in three associate countries, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, showed that the process of change was going well, although we realise that countries need a lot of support to change their structure and status to become autonomous NGOs within the agreed timeframe. Deepening our accountability We were proud to be named the most transparent and accountable of ten international NGOs studied for the OneWorld Trust's 2006 Global Accountability Report (http://www.oneworldtrust.org). However, we are not complacent and know that we still have further to go to translate our policies and principles of open information into practice. We also joined other leading international NGOs in signing a new accountability charter which commits us, amongst other things, to monitor our environmental impact. In 2007, we will be developing an environmental impact policy which will, in particular, address our internal ‘carbon footprint’ – the CO₂emissions generated by our operational activities. We explored further ways of putting our principles of downward accountability and peer support into practice. This included peer reviews between ActionAid country programmes. We continued to ensure that the communities, partners and allies we work with are directly involved in reviewing our progress and impact. Significant improvements were made in a number of countries who shared their financial information with their partners, communities and the public. This in turn is encouraging our partners to be more financially accountable. Strengthening our structures and systems In 2006, we were a workforce of 2,593 people working across more than 40 countries, an increase of 425 staff from 2005. We know that we will only end poverty if we work effectively together, within ActionAid and with our partners. We adapted our matrix management system to encourage the sharing of information and knowledge, and collaborative working across our teams of staff. We also adapted our planning system to ensure that every country and theme integrated women’s rights at the core of their strategies, budgets and work plans. We still have a great need for improved information sharing and systems, and we are investing in these to build greater effectiveness for the future. Strengthening our staff capacity In 2006, we put a lot of effort into ensuring that we had the right staff, with the right skills and support, to implement our mission. We recruited new members of staff to existing and new positions and trained them and existing staff in sharing information more effectively, supporting one another and applying the rights-based approach to their day to day work. In Nepal, this also included partners. We also shared skills and provided training in women’s rights, food security and communications. We are committed to advancing women, but are concerned that there are still barriers to women’s leadership within ActionAid. We will work further with women staff to redress this over the coming years to ensure that women’s leadership is a lasting feature of the organisation. Strengthening our communications and campaigns ActionAid was awarded the title of “Most Innovative Charity” for 2006 by the UK’s Third Sector magazine. The award, voted for by Chief Executives of the UK’s 500 largest charities, was thanks to our "passionate, irreverent and highly imaginative approach", "giving a voice to people in the developing world," being "brave enough to rock the boat," and our "willingness to stick [our] head above the parapet and poke fun at those in power." In contrast to the previous year’s high profile campaigning activity to ‘make poverty history’, 2006 was a year to build our capacity and to consolidate the effectiveness of our team. We recruited highly skilled international communications and campaigning staff to provide support, direction and share skills with communications and campaigns staff throughout ActionAid. We developed a clearer and stronger identity to raise our brand and profile and to communicate more clearly that we are on the side of poor people. However, we realise that we need to work more creatively to generate more platforms for poor people to voice their issues and express themselves. Increasing and diversifying our income We were pleased to raise over €178 million in 2006, which was more than we had expected to raise. We also gained more sponsors and supporters than expected, largely thanks to stronger, more diversified and more energetic fundraising efforts in Italy and the UK. In Italy alone, a series of television programmes brought in 26,500 new sponsors. This growth has allowed us to expand our work. In particular, we were able to introduce increased funding to four new countries in Southern Africa. Fundraisers have also successfully grown income from other sources. We were pleased with an 85% growth in income from trusts, foundations and corporates, which we hope to build on in 2007. Income from official sources, governments and multi-lateral institutions remained static. We began work during 2006 to strengthen the link between sponsors and sponsored children. The Invigorating Child Sponsorship strategy seeks to ensure that sponsored children, their families and communities are well informed and can get involved in our programmes, and derive greater benefit from them. We hope that this will make sponsorship an even more rewarding experience for all involved. In spite of these results, we are still concerned about reaching our targets in coming years and recognise the need to diversify our income. We are investing in new markets by opening new ActionAid offices, as we have done in Sweden. In other countries, we are pursuing new relationships with existing NGOs to expand our base of support and influence.


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