DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT IDEAS

1. DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT IDEAS Mark Delmartino, MDM Consultancy bvba “Gate to Europe” Project Development Workshop Budapest, 19 – 20 February 2009

2. PROGRAMMA • ORGANISATIONS & PROJECTS, IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES • DRAFTING PROPOSALS • ACTIVITIES & RESULTS • BUDGET • PARTNERS & STAKEHOLDERS

3. IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES Questions for the management of the NGO: • Is the organisation fit for a project? • development stage of NGO allows for project involvement • Does this project fit the organisation? • added value of funding opportunity for development/capacity/priorities of NGO • Who are we as an organisation? • project compatibility with mission and culture of the NGO • What are we doing? • project compatibility with activities and priorities of the NGO • Do we have enough money? • preparation of proposal, advancing project funds, co-financing • Do we have competent staff? • proposal drafting, project and financial management, professional expertise

4. IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES Questions for the designer(s) of the project: Do we know what the programme is about? objectives, activities, outputs, beneficiaries, partnership, budget, … Do we understand the documents? Call for Proposals, Guidelines, Application Form, Eligibility Criteria, … Are our ideas in line with the programme? the idea should fit the programme, not the other way around Do we have resources for this proposal? human, financial, technical and time resources Do we have the capacity to implement the project? what will happen with the organisation if it has to run the project

5. DRAFTING PROPOSALS • PROJECT SKELETON • What, when, why, with whom, for whom • PARTNER IDENTIFICATION • Task dispatching + share of grant/co-financing • DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES • Put flesh to the bones • Make sure you have adequate expertise • PLAN OF ACTION • Make sure the plan is realistic (activities/period/time available)

6. DRAFTING PROPOSALS • DETAILED BUDGET • Budget plan per activity / per type of expense / in total • Keep in mind donor requirements and commitment of partners • FINE-TUNE BUDGET AND ACTIVITIES • Make it fit the eligibility criteria • Involve all partners and have their final commitment • COMPLETE OTHER PARTS • Ensure consistence in terminology • Make sure you have adequate expertise • GATHER ANNEXES / PARTNER INFO • Start collecting documents in time • Prepare standard presentation on own organisation

7. EXERCISE – PROJECT OUTLINE Short-term objective: which goal should have been reached at the end of the project (i.e. after twelve months) – name only one goal Partnership: who is formally involved in the project – name the lead organisation and the partners and explain for each partner your choice Core activities: list at least four types of activities that will be implemented during the project (e.g. training of staff or clients, research, publications, seminars, public affairs/lobbying, public information, etc... Target group & beneficiaries: list (and quantify) the types of people that will be directly involved in the project (e.g. staff of partners, service users, etc...) and the groups that are targeted indirectly by the project (e.g. service users, general population, etc...) Expected results: mention three concrete achievements (linked to the project goal) that will be realised during the project duration

8. ACTIVITIES & RESULTS • Activities are actions or tasks that have to be implemented in order to produce the expected results • All project actions should be reviewed and confirmed during the inception phase • Each activity has its own cost, which should be in line with the contract budget • Organisations should ensure that activities are in line with EC visibility regulations, where applicable

9. ACTIVITIES & RESULTS • Implementing activities can contribute to building the capacity of your organisation • Involving beneficiaries and stakeholders in the actions facilitates sustainability • There is always a link between a project activity and a project result • Realistic planning with some room for flexibility reduces the risk for delays

10. ACTIVITIES & RESULTS • According to other NGOs in the social field, it is important to ensure that the actions are: • producing the expected result • implemented according to plan • involving the target group and beneficiaries • respecting the technical situation of the area • imbedded in the local context • endorsed by the (local) authorities • communicated to the various stakeholders

11. EXERCISE – RESULTS & ACTIVITIES On the basis of the project outline: • list all activities foreseen in the project; • indicate in which month each activity will take place; • link each activity to one of the expected results.

12. PROJECT BUDGETS • STAFF AND EXPERTS • TRAVEL AND SUBSISTENCE • EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES • OFFICE COSTS • OTHER COSTS AND SERVICES • ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS • CONTINGENCY

13. PROJECT BUDGETS • THINK OF ALL POSSIBLE COSTS • ACTIVITIES • OUTPUTS / PRODUCTS • STAFF • EXTERNAL EXPERTISE • OFFICE RENT & MATERIALS • DISSEMINATION • EVALUATION / AUDIT • BANK CHARGES • ETC…

14. Good & Bad Budgeting Practice • Staff: include all costs and taxes, not only net salary, and keep in mind possible salary increases – calculate average salary • All costs: grant + own funding – it is one project with one budget; donor will contribute certain % of project costs (with ceiling) • Do not consider EC grant as acquired property that can be spent on anything – it is an advance to support implementing a well defined project

15. Good & Bad Budgeting Practice • Co-financing: make sure you can count on external support when it has been promised • Partner organisation: try to know your partner organisation well in advance in order to see through “keeping up appearances”; try to create win-win situation for all parties • Use rounded figures: this allows for some flexibility • Start budgeting widely, then later narrow focus, reduce costs, size and number of actions • Avoid calculation errors

16. EXERCISE - BUDGET Based on the activities and the maximum project cost and co-financing share: • describe which kind of costs are involved; • calculate a total per type of costs; • indicate which costs will be co-financed; • divide total budget / co-financing among partners.

17. PARTNERS & STAKEHOLDERS • Stakeholders are individuals, groups of people, institutions or firms that may have a relationship with the project. • They may – directly or indirectly, positively or negatively – affect or be affected by the process and the results of the project. • The concrete stakeholders differ per project, but usually can be clustered in a few groups.

18. PARTNERS & STAKEHOLDERS • It is important to identify the different stakeholders and understand how they relate to the project. • During project implementation it is very important to build up local partnerships or a network of stakeholders who have similar concerns. • Other NGOs in the social field have indicated that: • Cooperation with (local) authorities is necessary • Involvement of all relevant stakeholders leads to some kind of community commitment • Good communication leads to visibility, awareness raising and identification/acceptance by the general population

19. EXERCISE – PARTNERS & STAKEHOLDERS On the basis of the outline and the budget: • list all official partners and indicate their role in the project; • list the different stakeholders that will be addressed throughout the project; • indicate how the stakeholders will be involved.

20. CONCLUSION • Looking for opportunities, developing proposals and implementing projects is very time-consuming • The management of the organisation must allocate sufficient human and financial resources if it wants to be successful • Good-quality project preparation pays off

21. CONCLUSION • THINK BEFORE YOU ACT • BE PRECISE AND COMPLETE • MAKE SURE ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FULLY “TRANSLATED” IN THE BUDGET • BE AWARE THAT THE APPLICATION IS THE ONLY CRITERION FOR APPROVAL • CONSIDER THE APPLICATION AS YOUR BUSINESS CARD