Welcome to Philea's OD CoPractice
I'm Fabiana, the new coordinator for this vibrant community of professionals who share similar passions and goals. Coming from the NGO sector as both a grant-seeker and re-granter promoting local leadership, I'm profoundly inspired by the potential of this space. Collaborating with such knowledgeable, compassionate and innovative foundations as we navigate the complexities of advancing Organisational Development is a true privilege.
Through the OD Community's initiatives, we enrich skills and knowledge within the sector by encouraging philanthropy organisations to reflect upon and adopt impactful practices, staying up to date on emerging issues, and fostering connections with peers for shared learning. I'm genuinely excited to be here for you and your team, offering meaningful support as we delve deeper into honing our Organisational Development practices together.
As a starting point, in this email you'll find:
. Introduction to the OD Community of Practice
. OD CoPractice Events
. Knowledge Products
. How to Engage
. Eye on the Horizon
Introduction to the OD Community of Practice
The Organisational Development Community of Practice (OD CoPractice) is a community of foundations that are either providing a form of OD and capacity-building support or are considering developing this as an explicit support to their grantees. This includes various kinds of support, including stand-alone OD grants, as a complement to other types of grants and in-kind contributions from foundation staff, among other forms of support.
This community offers a safe space where philanthropy professionals can learn and explore the challenges of providing Organisational Development support in an effective, measurable manner; and where they can discuss challenges internal to their own organisations. In this way, we continue to aim to advance the practice of organisational development in the philanthropic sector more broadly.
This initiative has its roots in an informal peer-learning group set up by five foundations: Laudes Foundation, MAVA Foundation, Stiftung Mercator Switzerland, Oak Foundation and PeaceNexus. Their exchanges were captured in the report: Funding Organisational Development: A smart investment to multiply impact. Based on the interest generated by these previous discussions, the resulting report and wishing to extend the learning opportunities to a larger group of organisations, the five foundations decided to formalise their dialogue and embed it within the Philea network. Since then, the group has expanded to other foundations from other countries and works hand in hand with Philea in organising a wide variety of peer learning events and fostering the community which is now truly international.
A dedicated Steering Committee, in collaboration with Philea, guides the OD CoPractice:
Adriana Craciun - Head of Organisational Development | Oak Foundation
Andrew Holland - Director | Stiftung Mercator Schweiz
Belén Giaquinta - Organisational Strengthening Programme Manager | Laudes Foundation
Carole Frampton - Organisational Development Lead | Peace Nexus Foundation
Kate Sullivan - Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning | The Human Safety Net
Laurah Kamau - Programme Manager Africa | Porticus
Malika Dreyfuss - Program Manager | Hans Wilsdorf Foundation
Focus Areas
To bring visibility in recognising OD support as a key part of the foundation toolbox for enabling transformation.
Compare, explore and contrast different approaches and understandings of OD support.
Gain a deep understanding of the different key areas of OD support, such as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and financial capacity.
Share challenges and collectively explore evolving grantmaker-grantee relations.
Activities
Webinars that zoom into a specific area or theme of OD support, that incorporate a variety of formats and methodologies.
An annual in-person meeting.
Knowledge products.
OD CoPractice Events
Since its inception, the OD CoPractice has been coming together through online sessions and in-person events that zoom into topics on the minds of many professionals working in the provision of OD support.
March 2024, Italy | How Can a Process of Introspection Help Grantmakers Better Support their Partners?
December 2023, Online | How Can Organisational Development Support Avert the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle?
October 2023, Online | Defining Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in the Context of Organisational Development Support
May 2023, Croatia | Organisational Development Support: A Rough Guide
March 2023, Belgium | Exploring Emerging Practices in the Context of Evolving Grantmaker-Grantee Relations
September 2022, Online | Providing Support to Networks
May 2022, Barcelona | Organisational Development Support Unconference
April 2022, Online | Learning from Failure
January 2022, Online | Exploring the different levels of OD support
November 2021, Online | The Organisational Development Community of Practice explores OD strategy and needs assessments
For 2024, the OD CoPractice will reconvene during the OD session at the Philea Forum 2024, followed by an online Townhall by mid-July (further details will be provided shortly) where we'll present our initiatives for the upcoming months
Knowledge Products
The knowledge products draw upon key learnings gained from these dedicated gatherings, tapping into the collective wisdom of OD CoPractice members. These resources are the result of collaboration and co-creation, igniting deeper engagement among OD practitioners.
Opinions
"OD – a smart investment to multiply impact”: Learning from five foundations | Rick James - Organisational Change Facilitator
Funding real change is funding fully & flexibly to fight the starvation cycle | Hana ElSafoury - EDGE Funders Alliance & Jana Stardelova - Ariadne
Learning from BUILD – Why it matters and how, right now | Victoria Dunning - Ford Foundation
Recognising organisational development (OD) support as a tool for transformation | Carole Frampton - PeaceNexus Foundation & Daniel Spiers - Philea
Tips of the Triangle: Exploring three-way partnerships for Organisational Development (OD) | Simon Mériaux - MAVA & Liliana Dias - Stone Soup Consulting
The Philea Virtual Library includes over 1,000 free-to-download publications from a range of organisations and publishers on the topics of philanthropy, the management of foundations and the areas they are involved in and support:
How Can a Process of Introspection Help Grantmakers Better Support their Partners?
Organisational Development Support : A Rough Guide - Top Eight Learnings
Organisational Development Support: Defining Monitoring, Evaluation and Learnings
How to Engage
Introduction Call: Let's take a moment to connect and delve into what you hope to achieve in our CoPractice. It's an opportunity for introductions and for you to share your interests, questions, and aspirations within the community. Please feel free to select a time that works best for you by clicking here.
Stay connected with the OD CoPractice Newsletter. Every couple of weeks, I'll be sharing updates, upcoming events from Philea and members, along with requests for information and connections with fellow members. Send me a message to tap into the opportunity to address the entire OD CoPractice!
Any ideas, requests, suggestions, or aspirations for the OD CoPractice, I'd love to hear them. We're especially keen to hear from newcomers, and as we'll be deciding the topics for the two upcoming webinars, we encourage you to participate as both a presenter and participant.
Eye on the Horizon
Webinar.
European Philanthropy Calendar. Find out about upcoming events from Philea, our members and the philanthropic sector.
And remember, this CoPractice is as lively and vibrant as you make it 🌱
Once more, a heartfelt welcome to the OD CoPractice. I look forward to connecting with you.
Kind regards,