Text and photos by MarÃa José Mesén / Coordinator of the Capacity Building Program of FONNOR
This article was translated by Antonieta Valenzuela and Manuel Mendoza
Northwest Mexico and the Gulf of California is one of the regions with the greatest diversity of ecosystems and home of enviable biodiversity, it is not fortuitous that it shelters so many non-governmental organizations (NGO).
Some of the largest, oldest and most experienced organizations in the Mexican environmental sector have contributed to raise awareness of environmental problems in the region, promote transparency and accountability, and support local communities in the management of natural resources. Given the key role that NGOs play, the strengthening of institutional capacities, as well as good leadership, are fundamental for the sustainability and effectiveness of NGOs.
In this context, the program known as Pescadero was born in 2014 with inputs from the “Strategy and Collaborative Plan of Institutional Strengthening for Northwest Mexico”, promoted by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. It is called Pescadero because the priorities of the strategy resulted from a workshop in El Pescadero, Baja California Sur (2012) in which donors, leaders and NGOs participated.
The program started with resources from the Packard Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Subsequently, the Marisla Foundation and the Sandler Foundation would join the initiative, as well as having the administrative and strategic support of the International Community Foundation (ICF). The program is executed by the regional fund for northwest Mexico FONNOR under the supervision of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN).
The objective of the Pescadero Program is to strengthen the institutional and leadership capacities of NGOs in northwestern Mexico through different lines of action: better governance, management and administration; diversification of funding sources; design of communication strategies; strategic planning; monitoring and evaluation; as well as the strengthening of individual leadership capacities of middle and upper management. The program proposes that strengthened organizations at an institutional level will make better projects that in turn will have a greater impact on the conservation of nature.
The Pescadero Program offers two types of guidance, mainly to 28 organizations, although to the extent possible, other NGOs are included in the activities that are carried out. On the one hand, it provides support through general training, and on the other, it provides specialized advice through experts when needed. Since its inception, the program has created an adequate environment to facilitate spaces for discussing institutional issues. The activities have allowed the exchange of experiences between different organizations and have fostered collaborative work in the region.
As one of the main indicators of the program, FONNOR uses the Institutional Effectiveness Index, a skills self-assessment instrument developed by the FMCN, which allows identifying the degree of effectiveness and efficiency of organizational processes, as well as the effectiveness of the projects and programs of each organization. The IEI allowed guiding the support actions of the Pescadero Program in a specific way for each organization, as well as determining common themes in the region that should be addressed. The IEI was applied in 2014 (baseline), in 2016 and will be applied at the end of the program in 2019.
Terra Peninsular is one of the organizations that are part of the Pescadero Program. In the last four years, 13 members of Terra Peninsular have participated in 36 of the 40 trainings that the program has offered on the aforementioned topics. Additionally, through the program, Terra Peninsular has received specialized advice on communication and resource mobilization issues, as well as team integration.
In total, between 2014 and 2018, the program offered 40 trainings on the aforementioned topics, in which more than 300 people from 58 different NGOs participated; 25 organizations received specialized consultancies, 16 organizations received scholarships or special supports, and 90 leaders of middle or upper management completed the 80-hour training on leadership issues.
About FONNOR
FONNOR was created in 2016 through the impetus of the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN) that sought to have a regional ally to help in the conservation of nature and the promotion of environmental quality.