Mid-term evaluation report of the National Council of Negro Women cooperative agreement with the US Agency for International Development, no. AFR-0461-A-00-6205-00 [i.e. AFR-0461-A-00-6025-00]

The evaluation covers the period 10/86-11/89. NCNW/ID is experiencing serious financial difficulties, including a narrow funding base, low indirect cost recovery rates from private foundation grants, excessive actual indirect costs, and unsuccessful unrestricted fundraising. A.I.D. core funding, which has comprised a stable percentage of total funding, will soon be cut off with no immediate replacement available. Given these problems, NCNW/ID will not be able to sustain its two offices in Africa. Toward its own institutional development, NCNW/ID has made a few notable achievements. In 1987, the Division assembled a more experienced senior management team which has taken steps to improve staff development, including staff and benefit increases, especially for executive staff. Personnel turnover, however, while slightly improved, continues at an average of just under two years. NCNW/ID has done little to document lessons learned and evaluation is the weakest area of management operations. Other probems in the area of management include: lack of adequate financial skills among senior staff, the need for better defined benchmarks in NCNW/ID"s goal of institutional development of African womens" organizations; and the poor quality of external and internal documents, including proposals, in both writing and graphic presentation. Assessments prepared by the project to identify appropriate sister organizations have been of marginal value. While this is partially due to a lack of adequate and accurate data bases from which to draw information, NCNW/ID also contributed to the problem by not providing sufficient guidance to researchers. NCNW/ID"s "twinning" concept, which involves a long-term, institutional focus (rather than a shorter-term project focus) has both advantages and disadvantages. The twinning approach allows more flexibility, is better able to respond to local needs and environmental changes, and generates increased understanding between the two organizations. On the other hand, such open- ended arrangements are difficult to promote among donors, and without consistent funding, NCNW/ID may fail to live up to its institutional commitments.