How PCI Engaged Stakeholders to Generate New Learning on Sustainability

Recognizing that knowledge on how to define and measure sustainability of development programming is limited and often complex, Project Concern International (PCI) was awarded a grant through the TOPS (Technical and Operational Performance Support) Program, a USAID/Food For Peace (FFP)-funded program, to compile existing concepts and tools into a resource guide so that practitioners can more effectively ensure lasting impact and change. The "Resource Guide for Enhancing Potential for Sustainable Impact" was developed with substantial input from experts in the food security and nutrition sector around the globe; although, the concepts and tools highlighted have broad, cross-sectoral application.

The production of the Resource Guide was truly participatory. Building on an increasing interest in sustainability, PCI worked with partners to capture existing knowledge on the subject and provided opportunities for them to reflect critically on practical ways to apply a "sustainability lens."  Activities undertaken to collect this knowledge included an extensive literature review and three regional workshops in Guatemala, India, and Malawi. In total, 145 people provided input from 11 different countries, representing 62 organizations. Different groups took responsibility for reviewing and contributing to each chapter of the Guide. In October, a day-long event in Washington, DC was held with 35 participants from 22 organizations in a similar process of review and engagement with the Resource Guide as part of an ongoing effort to share experiences and increase the likelihood of utilization of the Guide.

The following is a brief interview with PCI’s Janine Schooley, who worked on the development of the Resource Guide and was heavily involved in engaging stakeholders.

1. What specifically were the problems that PCI was trying to solve?

Sustainability is one of those concepts that every proposal for funding is required to include, but is not well understood. Very few (if any) donors require that it be well planned, managed, or measured; and the “Catch 22” is of course that once a project ends, funding is unavailable to actually measure or document lasting impact. Moving sustainability from a vague concept (or something that is quickly addressed at the end of a project) to a planned approach used throughout the project life cycle, is essential if we are to determine what truly leads to sustainable impact, what strategies are most cost-effective, what investments we should be making, and how best to maximize high-impact strategies for optimal sustainability.

2. What were the incentives used to engage stakeholders, and how were those stakeholders identified?

In the case of internal stakeholders, PCI requested its Country Directors to identify key individuals who would be invited to the regional workshop, participate in the Resource Guide development process, and then act as “champions” going forward in their respective countries/programs.  The incentives were: recognition, the opportunity to come to a regional workshop and be a part of this unique process, and the chance to learn and share on a topic of interest. For external stakeholders, it was either a specific invitation to a person or organization, or a widely disseminated invitation with suggested criteria to which prospective participants could respond. These individuals had to submit a brief application, and PCI had to approve it before they could register.  

3. What did the process look like for developing each chapter of the Guide?

Initially, PCI hired a consultant, who developed a detailed outline and worked with three leads from PCI’s headquarters to design the first draft of Resource Guide, building upon PCI’s earlier work in sustainability measurement and an extensive literature review.  This led to a series of revisions by the PCI team including the addition of chapters or significant rewriting of sections (e.g. local capacity strengthening and local ownership/champions).  A full first draft was developed in Spanish, including preliminary design and formatting work, in time for the Americas Regional Workshop.  After that workshop, the three staff leads reworked the Guide in preparation for the Asia Regional Workshop. After that workshop, additional input was incorporated, including case stories, quotations, photos, etc. An additional consultant was then hired to help with streamlining, simplifying, and enriching the document, adding in as much as possible from the two previous workshops and finalizing the basic look of the Guide. This was done in preparation for the Africa Regional Workshop. Again, after this workshop, additional input was incorporated, and the English version of the Resource Guide was finalized for the October 14 event in Washington, DC. The Spanish version required further changes to match the English version, and will soon be finalized.

4. How did you build consensus among the various stakeholders?

I believe it starts with the fact that a Resource Guide for this particular topic is something that everyone felt was needed. This mutually agreed-upon goal, its relevance to everyone involved, and the fact that there isn’t really anything else like it, all helped ensure strong stakeholder buy-in. Secondly, the workshops were extremely participatory and were led by very good and experienced facilitators. We used a variety of interactive facilitative techniques, including Introduction Bingo and Creative Presentations of Chapters. The World Café approach was used to study and revise one of the key tools in the Guide. We focused on learning as opposed to developing a document. We were open to any and all suggestions and critiques. For example, we changed the name from a Toolkit to a Resource Guide along the way and modified the key tool quite a bit as a result of the input received. Everyone knew that we wanted to share, learn from, and incorporate ideas and contributions into the final product.

CLA in Action articles are intended to paint a more detailed picture of what collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) looks like in practice. Unlike other disciplines, CLA is not a technical "fix;" it looks different in different contexts. This series will showcase examples of intentional collaboration, systematic learning, and resourced adaptation, some of which you may find applicable to your own work. The case studies, blogs, and resources represented in this series document the real-world experiences of development practitioners experimenting with these approaches for the benefit of sharing what's possible.