Georgia Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) Activity
I. Purpose
The Georgia Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) Activity is implemented by Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company (Kaizen), and its local subcontractors. The objective of the HICD Activity is to achieve lasting results in the human and institutional capacity development of key strategic partner institutions in Georgia that play an important role in fulfilling the country’s development objectives. It also operates a Center of Excellence (CoE), a dynamic hub providing USAID Georgia’s partners with diverse HICD knowledge, tools, research, and support to implement continuous improvement efforts.
The HICD Activity will increase the organizational integrity, operational effectiveness, and long-term viability of key partner organizations, which, in turn, anchor the country’s reform efforts across all development sectors.
The HICD Activity requires the services of an International Fundraising Expert, who will team up with a local consultant to improve fundraising and proposal writing capacities of five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) advocating for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia.[1] This SoW elaborates the International Expert’s roles and responsibilities, while the SoW for a Local Consultant will be developed separately.
II. Background
The goal of this consultancy is to assist the five local NGOs that advocate for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia in improving their fundraising and proposal writing capacities. Each organization is at a different level of development and has varying fundraising and proposal writing needs, as illustrated below:
Established in 2019, Tbilisi Pride is a prominent organization advocating and campaigning for LGBTQI+ rights and equality. It lacks a formal, written fundraising strategy and a clear vision for financial sustainability. There is no person dedicated to these efforts which makes the fundraising process chaotic and inconsistent. Its current fundraising capacity has not been assessed to provide insight into their donor base, fundraising channels, income diversification sources, and the overall effectiveness of their fundraising efforts.
Established in 2011, Equality Movement is the largest LGBTQI+ community-based organization in Georgia. It has not developed and adopted a fundraising strategy, and its current fundraising capacity has not been assessed. The fundraising activities are haphazard, and there is no person dedicated to these efforts. The organization also requires support in proposal writing as their staff members have not undergone training or supervision over the past few years.
Established in 2000, Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG) is the oldest feminist organization in Georgia. It operates at the grassroots, national, and international levels within the country, striving to establish a society rooted in principles of social justice for all, irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, and sexual orientation. The organization requires support in liaising and connecting with a wider network of international donors, and in effectively raising donor funds. This will help them to address the existing organizational needs, and implement projects focused on organizational capacity development, resilience, empowerment, service provision, knowledge creation, and research, among other activities.
Established in 2015, Temida champions the rights of queer and trans communities in Georgia. It strives to foster a secure, equitable, and fair political, legal, and social environment for queer and trans people within the country. The organization developed a fundraising strategy two years ago, but the document has become outdated and no longer fully or accurately captures its current fundraising needs, particularly considering the prevailing political and economic realities in the country.
Solidarity Community is a newly established regional NGO operating in Ajara. Its mission is to increase social and civic engagement of marginalized groups, foster regional and community development, and empower the queer community, alongside other vulnerable groups and individuals. As a nascent organization, Solidarity Community needs to build a robust institutional foundation, develop a strategic plan, and streamline its financial and project management functions. They require hands-on assistance in developing a fundraising strategy and building proposal writing skills to raise funds for initiating and implementing projects aligned with their mission.
The HICD Activity stands ready to assist all five NGOs in developing their fundraising and proposal writing capacities to better serve and empower LGBTQI+ and other marginalized communities in Georgia.
Objectives
The program aims to assist the five NGOs advocating for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia through improving their fundraising and proposal writing capacities. The HICD Activity will hire an International Expert in Fundraising and Proposal Writing, who will undertake the following activities:
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Approach
The local subcontractor hired for this program will closely coordinate with the five NGOs advocating for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia to incorporate an agreed upon M&E approach into the program. For this purpose, the subcontractor, the HICD Activity, and each partner NGO will meet at pre-determined intervals to develop a tailored M&E approach to assess the efficacy of the program, and to determine whether the association is on track to achieve the desired changes on a continual basis.
To gauge progress, the HICD Activity will develop an Activity Monitoring Spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will include a brief description of the activity Theory of Change (ToC). The ToC will be based on activity planning documents including a SoW and will be developed in close cooperation with the Project’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) specialist, the activity Program Manager, a selected subcontractor, and the partners. The ToC will briefly outline the context in which the development problem is situated and (causal) outcomes needed to achieve the desired change as well as major interventions that the activity will undertake to catalyze these outcomes. To give the partner organization tools to monitor performance, the Activity monitoring spreadsheet will also include a set of indicators that will be linked to an intended result (output or outcome) of the Program, relevant baselines, targets, and indicator definitions. The HICD Activity will submit the Activity Monitoring Spreadsheet at an early stage of program implementation.
Planned Outputs
Anticipated Outcomes
III. Deliverables
The service provider will also be required to submit weekly updates (two to three written paragraphs in English) to the HICD Activity every Wednesday by Close of Business (COB), summarizing the main activities completed during the reporting period, problems encountered, actions taken to resolve them, and any pertinent recommendations.
IV. Profile of Service Provider
The International Expert in Fundraising and Proposal Writing should have extensive experience in fundraising and proposal writing (developing proposals for USAID, EU, and other donors will be considered an asset), as well as a solid track record of improving the fundraising and proposal writing capacity of organizations in the not-for-profit sector. Experience working in the region, especially in Eastern European countries and/or Post-Soviet States, is desired. Georgia-specific experience is preferred. The Expert should possess general and Georgia-specific knowledge of the LGBTQI+ issues/country context.
V. Reporting
The subcontractor will report directly to the HICD Organizational Development Advisor. The HICD Activity Chief of Party is the ultimate reporting authority.
VI. Timing and Level of Effort
This scope of work is for a maximum of 60 days of LoE over the period of eight months. The anticipated start date of the intervention is October 2023.
VII. Location
The International Expert will work either remotely, using digital platforms with relevant audio and video conferencing capabilities, or in person. The in-person meetings will be held at the premises of partner organizations, or any other venue agreed between the parties for fundraising coaching/training sessions.
VIII. Language of Services
The language of the program will be Georgian and English. All deliverables will be developed in English. Translation/interpretation will be provided as necessary.
[1] The activity targets the following five NGOs: Tbilisi Pride, Equality Movement, Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG), Temida, and Solidarity Community.
[2] The exact number of coaching sessions will be identified over the course of the program in close consultation with each partner NGO.
[3] The exact number of individual and groups coaching/training sessions will be identified over the course of the program, in close consultation with all five partner NGOs.
