IPG Strategic Plan v11 - clean - mv - locked

International Programs Group Strategic Plan 1. Overview International Programs Group (IPG) primarily stewards the design, implementation, and impact of Cross Catholic Outreach’s (CCO’s) global Programs portfolio. Supported by cash grants and material aid, Partner led, community-based Programs contribute towards the transformation of their communities.

Our work through Ministry Partners supports the principles of Subsidiarity, ensuring solutions are informed by local organizations for greater sustainability, effectiveness, and contextualization. In doing so, IPG supports CCO’s Mission Statement: “We mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

IPG promotes CCO’s Core Values of Obedience to God, Catholic Identity, Empowering, Joyful Service, Excellence in Stewardship, Preference for the Poor, and Love of Others when we enable our Partners to put these values into action through Programs that address the most pressing needs of the poor in their communities.

IPG’s engagement with Ministry Partners is guided by Integral Human Development (IHD), a human-centered development strategy rooted in Catholic Social Teaching aimed at authentic human flourishing of each person and the whole person. It is “a humanism that is up to the standards of God’s plan of love in history, an integral and solidary humanism capable of creating a new social, economic and political order, founded on the dignity and freedom of every human person, to be brought about in peace, justice and solidarity.1” IHD recognizes three pillars: Human Dignity, Common Good, and Holistic Development. IPG puts these pillars into action in the following ways: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

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Identify and work with Partners that address both the spiritual and material needs of the poor in their communities for greater self-sufficiency and flourishing.

Embracing a multi-year partnership approach to achieve the holistic development priorities of local partners and communities.

Leveraging multiple resource streams, such as cash and material aid, where and when appropriate.

Ensuring a local partner led process that starts with capacity building and enables community ownership from program design to evaluation.

Implementing Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) to ensure goals are met and the impact is shared with Donors and Ministry Partners.

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. No 19

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2. IPG’s approach to Strategy Development ▪ Step 1: Analysis and Assessment: IPG assessed challenges and opportunities; analyzed options.

▪ Step 2: IPG Strategic Plan co-created with IPG team leaders and other key stakeholders.

▪ Step 3: IPG will execute the Strategic Plan, monitoring progress, addressing challenges, and course-correcting as necessary.

▪ Step 4: Annually, IPG will intentionally review the Strategic Plan progress, make necessary additions and adjustments.

Analysis and Assessment

Evaluation and Refinement

Strategy Development

Strategy Execution

3. Integral Human Development as a foundation of Transformed Communities IHD refers to the process by which a person achieves authentic human flourishing in the context of the community’s common good. True Integral Human Development is a long-term, dynamic process based on human dignity and right relations: i.e., each person’s relations with God, self, others and all of creation.

Advancing IHD means working with a variety of actors to transform the way that societies live, heal and structure their relationships. Progress toward IHD is achieved through active engagement with others in a just and peaceful society that respects the sacredness of life and the dignity of every person.

In practice, this means CCO as a Catholic organization must develop a common understanding of IHD with our Ministry Partners and donors and then jointly take a holistic approach to development. In many cases, CCO partners are already familiar with the concept of IHD and have developed methodologies to help them work with communities to achieve this goal.

4. The IHD Conceptual Framework will help CCO foster Transformed Communities The IHD conceptual framework helps us bring all our frameworks and approaches together. It guides us to operationalize our Spiritual Outreach Approaches (SOAs) in Programs and to link Disaster Response programs and tools for greater impact. The framework is used to reduce risk and increase resilience in the most vulnerable communities. It fosters Human Dignity and Common Good in all Programs.

Outcomes are the result of the IHD strategies people use. For most people, these are based primarily on their many different Assets — these are the resources that they must work with and build on. Programs seek to strengthen Assets so they can withstand damaging shocks.

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How to use this framework

1. Start at Shocks: These are things that make life hard for the poor like droughts, floods, hurricanes, political instability, economic downturn, sick children, poor farm outputs, etc.

2. Next, the framework helps us and our Partners understand these shocks from the perspectives of the poor who use their Assets, Structures, and Systems to withstand the Shocks and maintain their wellbeing: a. Physical Assets: tools, animals, homes, bicycles b. Financial Assets: any savings or businesses c. Natural Assets: their land, their fruit trees, rivers or oceans d. Human and Spiritual Assets: their health, education, Spiritual life, e. And lastly, their Social and Political Assets: While we don’t focus as much on these, they nonetheless are part of the “tools” the poor use to overcome shocks. f. And Structures and Systems in their community: Things like Churches, relations with the local authorities, schools and health clinics.

Note: Our Programs primarily aim to improve the Assets (Physical, Financial, Natural, Human, and Spiritual) so the poor are better able to withstand the Shocks.

3. Resilience Strategies are the plans the communities and families make to withstand shocks. These plans incorporate their Assets, Structures, and Systems.

4. IPG measures the effectiveness of our Programs based on the Impact Outcomes.

5. IPG intentionally analyzes the impact for Learning and Accountability to the community and donors.

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The IHD Conceptual Framework is the basis for IPG’s program development and impact evaluation processes.

Participatory Assessment: The IHD conceptual framework leads us to ask: ▪ To what extent are people achieving Integral Human Development in their lives? a. Spiritual Well-being: To what extent are they experiencing the love of God? b. Mind Well-being: To what extent are they accessing education? c. Body Well-being: To what extent are community members experiencing enough food, clean water, sanitation, and health care? d. Livelihood well-being: To what extent are families able to provide for their needs? e. Essentials Well-being: To what extent are families or individuals housed and cared for?

▪ What policies, institutions and values support or constrain people’s ability to earn a living, or to lead full and productive lives, and to flourish?

▪ What Shocks threaten people’s livelihood and human dignity?

▪ What are people’s strengths and opportunities, and what can they do to improve their livelihood Outcomes?

Program Design: Using the IHD Conceptual Framework can be especially important in the Programs design process because it provides a way of understanding and addressing the multitude of complex factors that affect the lives and livelihoods of those we serve. By using the framework to understand complicated contexts, we are better able to design and implement high quality programs that foster the transformation of lives and relationships.

▪ Issues identification ▪ Validating/refining issues ▪ Analysis and strategic choices ▪ Development of key outcomes and outputs.

Monitoring and Evaluation: The IHD Conceptual Framework can be used to guide an evaluation from the beginning to the end of the process. The IHD analysis can even help determine not only if the program was doing the right thing (design), but also whether it was done right (implementation).

▪ Review the analysis that was used as the initial rationale for the program.

▪ Assess the degree of input the program participants had in the development and implementation of the program with Ministry Partners.

▪ How did the program contribute toward improving IHD for beneficiaries?

▪ Were the targeted objectives and outputs achieved (and how was this measured?)

▪ Are the program outputs and impacts sustainable after the close of the program.

▪ Were there any pleasant or unpleasant surprises that resulted from the program?

▪ What are the lessons learned from the program that can help increase the effectiveness of future programs?

HOW DOES THE LIGHTWHEEL RELATE TO THE IHD CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK? Both frameworks aim to guide program evaluation in a holistic manner. Both measure change based on several dimensions of development that affect the poor. The elements of the Lightwheel that are most appropriate to our model of ministry at CCO have been incorporated into the IHD Conceptual Framework: ▪ Living Faith (aka Spiritual Assets) in our Spiritual Outreach Approaches.

▪ Physical health (aka Human Assets) in our Health and WASH Projects.

▪ Environmental Stewardship (aka Natural Assets) in our Agriculture Projects.

▪ Material Assets and Resources (aka Physical and Financial Assets) in our Shelter and Microenterprise Projects.

▪ Capabilities (aka Human Assets) in our Education and Capacity Building Projects.

▪ Social (aka Social Assets) in our Education and Capacity Building Projects.

Factors considered: ▪ CCO’s “lean” operational model through Ministry Partners.

▪ Ministry Partners have various levels of capacity.

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▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Applicable to both Disaster Response and Holistic Programs.

Limited “facetime” for training, follow up, and contextualization.

Cost effectiveness One model that can be applied to Assessment, Design, Baseline, and Evaluation.

5. IPG Theory of Change This Theory of Change (ToC) provides both CCO and our Ministry Partners with a holistic perspective on how change takes place and how our various sectoral approaches integrate to achieve IHD. It also provides an anchor for our evidence-based approach to programming, as it reflects our hypothesis of how change takes place, and a hierarchy of outcomes that can be measured to understand the impact of our programs through the work of our Ministry Partners. This allows us to assess and reflect on the success and impact of our work in a holistic way and refine and adjust our approach accordingly.

Theology of Change: At the core of our view of development through the lens of IHD, change is ultimately the work of God. We are vital participants in God’s work rather than the primary actors. We are called to love by the God who is love. It is in this love that we find our source and hear our vocation to love, or “to will the good of the other.”2 This is the foundation through which all our activities flow and in which we find our ultimate goal to love and to serve others.

Assumptions: ▪ ▪ ▪

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Assumption #1: IPG and our Ministry Partners are dependent upon the transforming work of God to bring about change in the communities we serve.

Assumption #2: Local organizations, dioceses, and other partners are key actors in the positive development of the communities we serve.

Assumption #3: Long-lasting change is more likely when community members take ownership of the process and are actively working together to address their challenges.

Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas

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6. Guiding Principles to achieve Integral Human Development (IHD) Preference for the Poor When distributing resources or implementing development programs, IPG prioritizes those who are most vulnerable.

Sacredness and Dignity of each Person Human Dignity

An individual’s worth comes from God, and is not contingent upon achievements, social status, or any other external factors.

Experience the Love of God We strive for everyone to encounter Christ and feel His love and compassion.

We strive to make God present and evident through our work.

Stewardship We commit to efficient and effective time and resource management to deliver maximum benefits to communities.

Impact We are intentional about planning, program design, monitoring, and evaluation. We work with our partners to improve our approach for sustainability and impact.

Common Good

Partnership We partner with dioceses and ministries because they know the needs of their local community and can ensure program approaches are appropriate and sustainable.

Empowerment We empower the poor through community training and planning, which allows for greater local ownership and resiliency.

Subsidiarity Holistic Development

We prioritize input from at the local level, where communities have a greater understanding of their own needs and can exercise control over their lives.

Sustainability We design programs so they will eventually be managed and funded by the local community.

7. IPG supports three types of programs to promote Transformed Communities: PROGRAM TYPE

1 DISASTER RESPONSE

Characteristics Life saving Short term Natural disasters

Material Aid Includes Material Aid where and when appropriate

Sustainability Not a priority Impact Lifesaving, Output driven, Short-term

2 GRASSROOTS

3 HOLISTIC

No end date planned.

Core expenses funded.

Lower capacity Partners

Multi-year w/ end date Core expenses often funded.

Sustainability Capacity Building Intentionally and increasingly includes Material Aid in planning, implementation, and reporting.

Prioritized and expected

Includes Material Aid where and when appropriate Not a requirement, but encouraged Output driven, MEAL “Lite” TBD

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Full MEAL expected.

Outcome driven.

Intervention Morocco earthquake examples Ukraine relief Program design Use simplified IHD Conceptual Framework +Disaster Response Program Tool*

MEAL

Use simplified IHD Conceptual Framework + Outputs + Stories, video, photos +MEAL Disaster Response*

OVC centers Handout feeding Tuition scholarships

CT Water & Shelter Agriculture & Microenterprise

Use simplified IHD Conceptual Framework +OVC Program Tool* +School Tuition Tool* +General Costs Tool* + Spiritual Outreach* + Shelter* + WASH*

- Use IHD Conceptual Framework + Agriculture* + Microenterprise* + Health* + Food* + WASH* + Spiritual Outreach* + Education & CB* + Shelter*

Use simplified IHD Conceptual Framework + Outputs + Stories, videos, photos + Grassroots M&E Tool* + MEAL WASH* + MEAL Shelter* + MEAL SOA*

Use IHD Conceptual Framework for MEAL + Stories, videos, photos + MEAL Agriculture* + MEAL Microenterprise* + MEAL Health* + MEAL Food* + MEAL WASH* + MEAL SOA* + MEAL Education/CB* + MEAL Shelter* + MEAL Safeguarding*

*indicates that tools need to be developed in alignment with the IHD Conceptual Framework

8. Sectors: Internal and External facing SECTORS PARTNER FACING/INTERNAL 1. Water 2. Agriculture 3. Health 4. Food 5. OVC 6. Microenterprise 7. Disaster Relief 8. Housing 9. Education 10. Spiritual Outreach 11. Capacity Building 12. General

SECTOR GROUPINGS DONOR FACING /EXTERNAL

Spirit Spiritual Outreach Mind

Body

Education & Capacity Building

Food, Health & Water

Livelihood

Essentials

Agriculture & Microenterprise

Shelter, General, OVC & Disaster Response

9. Program Reach

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At the beginning of FY24, our Programs portfolio has the following observations: ▪ ▪ ▪

▪ ▪

48% of cash grants target 3 sectors (Shelter, Education, and Water).

79% of cash grants target 3 of 6 regions.

90% of Material Aid shipments are delivered to 2 of 6 regions (Caribbean and Mexico & Central America).

86% of Material Aid shipments are for two sectors: Food and Health.

Moving forward, IPG will aim to balance our Programs portfolio.

Program Reach by Expense and % of Grand Total: FY24

48% 86%

79% 90%

PROGRAM REACH MOVING FORWARD Priorities moving forward for cash grants: ▪ Grow Shelter program funding by X% annually.

▪ Increase Water/WASH program funding by X% annually and integrate with Health/Food ▪ “Balance single-sector projects and multi-sector programs”.

▪ “Balance single-year projects and multi-year programs”.

▪ Is our SOA investment an appropriate % of our Programs portfolio?

▪ Should we increase Asia resources by X%?

▪ Identify high potential and scalable partners in regions where we choose to grow.

Priorities for MatAid: ▪ Expand the shipments to Africa by X%.

▪ Integrate MatAid and cash grants.

10. Partnerships IPG is committed to working in partnership with high capacity, committed, accountable Partners.

We value the following attributes when considering a Ministry Partner:

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▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Governance: can they demonstrate that their organization has legitimacy, leadership, and direction tied to the local Church?

Experience: do they have experience working with those on the margins, in the sector required, and geographic area desired?

Subsidiarity: do they involve beneficiaries and/or other local partners in the program assessment and planning?

Capacity: have they demonstrated capacity to implement programs with integrity, quality, transparency, and impact?

Sustainability: do they demonstrate accountability in their program, management, financial and political reports?

Learning: can they demonstrate intentionality in applying lessons learned from past experiences?

Results and Impact: can they demonstrate reporting that benefits the program, the beneficiaries, and the donors?

11. Strategic Objectives A.

DESCRIPTION One IPG: Integrate Material Aid (formerly “GIK”) with Grants in Aid (GIA) and Grants Expansion (GX) into consistent approaches to the following: a. Program Assessment and Design, b. Partner Engagement, and c. Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

B.

Regionalization Pilot: Develop a regional structure that aligns functions and requirements by region and/or country: a. Regional structure that streamlines partner selection and engagement, eliminates duplicated efforts, improves programs quality and alignment (cash and material aid), maximizes IPO efficiency, concentrates country/region knowledge and ensures consistent impact/outcome data gathering. b. Perform a RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted and informed) analysis of the different functions of the IPG team.

PROCESS Launch

Preparation

Implementation

ACTIVITY Identify and vet potential Partners Seek Bishop approval Annual applications support Assessment Trips Program needs assessments MEAL planning and training Program planning and training Zengine training Consult on Finance, Languages, Legal, HR Grant writing support POC for Mar/Comm/Dev Disbursement of funds Disaster Relief Response Content Collection Supply Chain Management 10

Reporting

Customs clearance process Spiritual Outreach Approach (SOA) In-country colleague management Safeguarding Support for Currency devaluation or appreciation Support in case of Armed conflicts Program and Finance reporting Donor/Marketing Trips Fact checking for messaging Translation to English

c. Pilot roll-out in countries in regions with potential expansion in FY25:

Pilot launched

C.

“IPG Alignment with IHD” Working Group: • Develop a two-part summation PowerPoint presentation that defines what IHD is to the IPG Team and how the IHD principles guide our programs for transforming communities, that is relevant to our Ministry Partners and consumable for the wider CCO staff.

• The second part will be more technical and demonstrate how the various systems connect and relate to deliver IHD.

D.

Technical Programs Development and Impact • Ensure the development and refinement of sectoral program approaches that drive Programs implementation to help ensure Ministry Partners achieve expected outcomes.

• Develop, refine, and oversee the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) framework and its effective implementation.

• Oversee technical policies and models such as Safeguarding, Theory of Change, Integral Human Development (IHD). Collaborate with Marketing and Fundraising to develop New Programs Offerings that leverage CCO’s unique Catholic identity, IHD purpose, and network of Ministry Partners by sector, region, and country.

E.

Multi-year planning for growth ▪ Target Partners that have capacity, interest, and proven ability ▪ Partner Performance Management o Selection (Location, Experience, Sector, Governance) 11

▪ F.

G.

o Learning & Continuous Improvement o Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Mustard seed approach: start small and grow together.

Technology as an Enabler ▪ Ensure IPG teams are supported with tools to enable efficient process management including the following: o Planning, Agreements, Budgets, Monitoring, Reporting, Analysis o Zengine Strategies for Supply Chain Management** ▪ Ongoing focusing, streamlining and implementation of best-of-class Supply Chain Management industry practices in increasingly larger number of countries / complex clearing protocols ▪ Expand portfolio of mixed loads from the Doral Distribution Center (DDC) to Ministry Partners as appropriate ▪ Ensure Material Aid Compliance for CCO and Audited Financials ▪ Optimize efficiencies in inventory management with one inventory system that serves the DDC and CCO. ▪ Expand medical (pharma) Ministry Partner portfolio to other regions – Africa and Asia.

H.

Strategies for Grants and Material Aid** ▪ Leveraging Material Aid and Grant Expansion funding to maximize program impact and create new opportunities.

▪ Diversifying revenue streams through grant prospecting and stewarding grantor relationships.

▪ Strengthening partnerships with NGO and corporate donors to grow CCO’s ability to offer needs-based Material Aid. ▪ Developing high-capacity Ministry Partnerships that reinforce and multiply outcomes.

▪ Creating tools and providing training to support Ministry Partners in achieving shared goals.

I.

Strategies for Int’l Programs Strategy Operations ▪ Operate a program strategy that will guide and focus IPG programs with appropriate consistency, intentionality, and scalability.

▪ Seeks to grow and learn together alongside our field partners, supporters, external organizations, and influencing bodies to develop a strategy to perform international relief and development work guided by Integral Human Development principles and Christian love.

▪ This team requires active synergy with key stakeholders in each department within CCO to promote synchronization between international cash programs, grants, material aid programing, fundraising, and organizational-wide initiatives to help CCO achieve its mission.

▪ Lead, steer and innovate IPG Leadership meetings, IPG POC, IPG-all meetings ▪ Innovate, coordinate, and synchronize with the CCO cross organizational Strategy Directors to ensure key overall organizational planning and initiatives are deployed effectively between verticals.

▪ Support professional development opportunities for staff.

J.

Ministry Partner performance management (aka Balanced Scorecard) 12

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Annual Objective setting Monthly monitoring and reporting Funding implications Recognition for outstanding performance

K.

New Offerings development ▪ Engage with Marketing & Development to list “Top 3 Game Changers”.

▪ Make a plan.

L.

CT Baseline and Training workshops

M.

Disaster response: ▪ ▪ ▪

▪

Scope: International Goal: IPG Disaster Response aims to fulfill CCO’s mission to be the first suppliers of the first responders.

Approach: • Before disasters strike: we pre-position Material Aid in key countries/regions.

• During disasters we empower local dioceses and Partners.

Process: When disasters strike, IPG does the following: • Countries where we have ongoing Programs and Partners: - Identify those responding to the disaster (prioritizing active Partners), - Assess the immediate needs using primary and secondary sources, - Develop response plans with the Partners, - Gauge budget availability (considering pre-positioned Material Aid), - Executing the response plans with Material Aid shipments (if deemed appropriate) and/or immediate cash grants.

• Countries where IPG does not have ongoing Programs and Partners: - Cash grants primarily in regions/countries through the Church to impacted dioceses.

** indicates the Strategic Objectives for Material Aid Operations which is a functional combination of the Supply Chain Management and Grants and Material Aid teams.

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Appendix 1 INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS – CALLS TO ACTION from CCO SAP ●

Align the program portfolio with a Missions strategy capable of serving both ministry partner needs and supporter affinities that is scalable, efficient and cost effective, and that we can monitor and evaluate impact with continued learning — all in support of our Mission, Vision and Core Values. ○ Develop a clear and sensible strategy for defining the International Programs (Projects) and Material Aid (GIK) portfolios, to include categories of aid, size of projects, geographies, ratio of Community Transformation (CT) programs, etc. ○ Rapidly expand our partner base and project portfolio to meet both the needs of the poor and donor demands for housing, water and CT opportunities. ○ Address the internal philosophical tension regarding project portfolio demand and supply. ○ Increase the budget for International Programs, looking at the current needs for housing and water while also looking at future sector needs our donors will want to support. ○ Define and consolidate strategies for IHD and CT including opportunities to identify new partners and to expand or "upgrade" existing ones.

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Provide evidence of our achievements to donors and the press. ○ Build a clear and simple MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning) process to analyze our programs that our partners have the capacity to carry out. ○ Have robust, streamlined, efficient content collection processes and infrastructure that are mindful of our ministry partners, program capacities and internal and supporter expectations.

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Appendix 2 Glossary, References, and Source Documents 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Cash Grants CB CCO CT white paper DDC Disaster Response

Refers to the Int’l Programs team’s Programs Capacity Building Cross Catholic Outreach Source document for the CT program Doral Distribution Center Programs in response to natural or man-made disasters, partial MEAL

7.

DR SOP 8.

GIA 9.

Grassroots 10. GX team 11. Holistic 12. IHD 13. IHD Source

Disaster Response SOP Grants in Aid team, now named “Int’l Programs” Programs that are ongoing or recurring, and partial MEAL Grants Expansion, formerly Mission Expansion Programs that include CT and Focus partners and include full MEAL Integral Human Development CCO’s source document for the foundation and rationale of IHD

14. IHD 2-pager 15. Impact 16. Input 17. Int’l Programs 18. IPG 19. IPO 20. KPI 21. Output:

Integral Human Development Explained COMMUNICATIONS Long-term results of a program changes in mortality, disease, income Resources used for program implementation such as money, materials, staff Formerly Projects team International Programs Group, formerly Missions International Programs Officer Key Performance Indicators Direct products or deliverables of the program such as people trained

22. Outcome: 23. Outcome Map 24. Material Aid 25. MEAL 26. MIC 27. MP 28. Power BI 29. RACI 30. Regions

Medium-term results from a program such as knowledge, skills, access, etc IPG Theory of Change Outcome Map Formerly Gifts in Kind (GIK) Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning Microenterprise Development Ministry Partner FY24 Programs Mapping Forecast Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed Mexico & Central America, Caribbean, South America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe

31. SAP 32. Sectors

CCO’s Strategic Action Plan Refers to the category and purpose of a program, such as Water or Shelter

33. SOA 34. Strategic Plan 35. Verticals 36. Zengine

Spiritual Outreach Approach document Communicates the department’s goals and actions needed to achieve them.

Refers to the individual teams in IPG’s org chart References for sector outputs and out+A1:B36comes

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Appendix 3 IHD Framework for Assessments ▪

First, the IHD Framework helps IPG and its Ministry Partners to conduct an assessment of the following: •

ASSETS: Assets are things or aspects of people’s lives that they use to survive unexpected shocks and meet their needs. We take stock of the assets people have, including homes, livestock, crops, wells, clothes, cash or other valuables. A person’s education, faith and health are also assets, as are family, friends, membership in organizations and religious groups, and aspects of the natural environment such as animals, soil, and plants.

•

STRATEGIES: Understanding the assets people have, the way they interact with systems and structures, the risks and vulnerabilities they face and the way each factor influences and affects the others is a vital part of developing successful Programs strategies. Here are some approaches people use: • coping, survival: getting through difficult periods.

• reducing vulnerability to shocks, cycles & trends.

• asset recovery: rebuilding assets lost in a disaster.

• increasing the quantity and quality of assets to help households escape from poverty.

SYSTEMS & STRUCTURES: We assess the systems and structures that exist in the country and the community. Systems can be religious, legal, economic, political, social or cultural, while structures affect what we can do and how we do it.

•

•

▪

▪

RISK & VULNERABILITY We consider the potential threats to people’s lives: • shocks: epidemics, violent conflicts and major natural disasters • cycles: seasonal floods, elections, diseases that come with the rainy season or crop prices that fall after harvest and rise as food supplies dwindle.

Next, the information gathered in the above assessment is used to identify and analyze the issues.

A. Identify major issues that prevent or limit reaching IHD B. Prioritize the major issues C. Determine the Root Causes of the major issues, possibly using the Problem Tree analysis tool.

D. Identify major opportunities to address the root causes of the issues.

E. Look for way to enhance the Strategies families use to cope with shocks, building on their strengths.

Lastly, use the output of the above steps to develop strategies that address the main issues and their root causes. These strategies are the basis for the Project or Program design.

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Appendix 4 Regions and Countries

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Appendix 5 IPG Strategic Plan Iteration Template Instructions: The Iteration Template below should be used for each section of this Strategic Plan from #4 onwards, and for each Strategic Objective that’s either Active or Complete.

▪ ▪

This iteration process should be done at least twice per year for the IPG Strategic Plan.

It should not take more than 30min per section/objective, and each box should have no more than 7 points to consider and may have fewer than 5.

Please don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. The purpose of this simple framework is to readily refine our ideas and approaches.

The four grey boxes in the middle are the new strategy for the section/objective.

▪ ▪

1

3

5

7

WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT OUR EFFECTIVENESS?

NEW/DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECTIVE

DIFFERENT CAPACITIES NEEDED

RESOURCES ON HAND (STAFF & MONEY)

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2.

3.

4.

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2.

3.

4.

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1.

2.

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1.

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3.

4.

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1.

2.

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4.

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4

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IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR STRATEGY

WHAT TO STOP OR IMPROVE

NEW/DIFFERENT PARTNERS NEEDED

NEW RESOURCES NEEDED

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Appendix 6 IPG Organizational Chart

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Appendix 7

International Programs Group (IPG) Led by VP for IPG, Michael Veitenhans International Programs Group (IPG) prayerfully stewards the design, implementation, and impact of Cross Catholic Outreach’s (CCO’s) global Programs portfolio. Supported by cash grants and material aid, Partner led, community-based Programs contribute towards the transformation of their communities.

Our work through Ministry Partners supports the principles of Subsidiarity, ensuring solutions are informed by local organizations for greater sustainability, effectiveness, and contextualization. In doing so, IPG supports CCO’s Mission Statement: “We mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

The foundation of IPG’s Programs is Integral Human Development (IHD). IHD refers to the process by which a person achieves well-being in the context of the community’s common good. True Integral Human Development is a long-term, dynamic process based on human dignity and right relations with God, self, others and all of creation.

Int’l Programs The Int’l Programs team is responsible for implementing programs through 150+ Ministry Partners (MPs) with cash grants in over 20 countries in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and South-East Asia. The team works directly with MPs to assess, plan, budget, implement, and report on Programs that improve the lives of beneficiaries and families to gain access to basic necessities such as clean water, health care, food and nutrition, education, shelter, and microenterprise. The team ensures these basic needs are addressed alongside Spiritual Outreach through the local Church.

Additionally, Int’l Programs supports the marketing and fundraising teams developing campaigns.

Grants and Material Aid The Grants Expansion (GX) team executes the foundation and government grants fundraising strategy, including identification, cultivation, and successful solicitation of corporate and private foundations as well as U.S. Government entities, that involves extensive researching, writing, budgeting, evaluation and reporting. They also handle quality final reporting, monitoring and evaluation of overseas programs that have been funded through these donors. Foundations staff collaborate in the development of grant proposals, relationships with overseas partners, and outreach to current foundation and U.S. Government funders.

Material Aid (formerly GIK) are high-quality products donated to nonprofit organizations by corporations, often as tax-deductible gifts. Material Aid products are used by CCO both domestically and internationally to help children and families in need, most as a result of chronic poverty, but also those affected by natural disasters. The most common Material Aid donations are medicines, medical supplies, and food.

IPG’s Material Aid strategy is needs driven, not supply driven. Most material aid has been solicited from U.S.-based NGO donors that are known to have needed product. In addition, the Material Aid team receives unsolicited offers, which are reviewed to ensure a good fit for ministry partners and to ensure the product aligns with CCO’s mission.

Supply Chain Management At the core of IPG’s Material Aid operational efficiency, and donor and beneficiary satisfaction lie the Supply Chain Management (SCM) team. The SCM purpose is to orchestrate a seamless and optimized flow of donated material goods from their origin to the end beneficiary organization in the developing

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world. We are dedicated to creating a robust and agile supply chain that adds strategic value to the organization and the Partners we serve.

To do this, we focus on optimizing efficiency by streamlining the end-to-end supply chain process to minimize costs, reduce lead times, and enhance overall operational efficiency. We manage inventory by implementing effective inventory control measures, ensuring material aid availability while minimizing excess stock. We manage our Material Aid donors by cultivating strong partnerships with donors (aka suppliers) to secure quality items that have been requested by our Ministry Partners. We coordinate logistics by managing the transportation, distribution, and warehousing processes to guarantee timely and cost-effective delivery of products to customers. We also mitigate risk by identifying and proactively addressing potential risks in the supply chain, such as disruptions, geopolitical factors, and market fluctuations.

Int’l Programs Strategy Operations The Int’l Programs Strategy Operations team seeks to develop a program strategy that will guide and focus our future programs with appropriate consistency, intentionality, and scalability. It seeks to grow and learn together alongside our field partners, supporters, external organizations, and influencing bodies to develop a strategy to perform international relief and development work guided

by Integral Human Development principles and Christian love.

This strategy will guide IPG and help CCO achieve its mission to mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. The strategy seeks to help achieve this transformation through focused grassroots programs, multi-year transformational programs, and disaster response programs. In dialogue with our Ministry Partners, we aim to reach vulnerable children and communities with the love of Christ and to tackle critical barriers to nutritious food, clean water, shelter, education, and healthcare with appropriate alignment between cash and material aid support.

Technical Programs Development and Impact The Technical Programs Development and Impact (TPDI) team provides technical direction to IPG. TPDI ensures the development and refinement of sectoral program approaches that drive project implementation to help ensure Ministry Partners achieve expected outcomes. TPDI ensures IPG team members guiding program implementation overseas are well versed in both program design, project management, and partner engagement.

TPDI develops, refines, and oversees the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) framework and its effective implementation. The TPDI team develops and maintains systems to collect and analyze data, publishing and communicating learnings from sector designs, outcomes, and impact of CCO supported Ministry Partner programs. They steward IPG’s online grant-making systems, processes, and guidelines, oversee technical policies and models such as Safeguarding, Theory of Change, and Integral Human Development (IHD). TPDI collaborates with Marketing and Fundraising to develop New Offerings that leverage CCO’s unique Catholic identity, IHD purpose, and network of Ministry Partners worldwide.

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