GERMANY

Program Evaluation Consultant

May 2005

Centre for Education in Non Violent Action- KW (German Ministry of Development)

Based in Germany and Macedonia

Head, Development and Regional Operations (Member, Senior Management Team)

January- December 2004

European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI), Flensburg, Germany.

Based in Flensburg and Skopje

What ?

sector

Where ?

When ?

With whom ?

Helping an international inter-governmentalorganization become a recognized brand leader+
Helping an international inter-governmentalorganization become a recognized brand leader

Sector?

Minority Issues, Conflict Resolution,

What?

Strategic Communication;Fundraising; Resource Mobilization

Where?

Macedonia

Germany

Kosova

Why?

An intergovernmental think tank headquartered in Germany, ECMI wished to enhance its profile as premier action oriented organization in the field of conflict resolution and transformation in Europe and to expand its portfolio of donor governments. It wanted to harmonize the profile of its field operations with that of its headquarters.
In 2003 I was commissioned to develop a strategy for communications for the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI).

When?

2003

What exactly?

I conducted focus groups and surveys within and outside the organization to understand the prevailing practices and perceptions. I identified bottlenecks and defined target audiences. Then I conceptualized and developed a range of strategic communication products. Tools developed for this purpose were:

  1. Strategic Communications document: once presented to the senior management, consensus was built on the recommendations. This document served as a roadmap for implementation of changes.
  2. Mission Statement development: the mission statement was re-phrased to reflect the aspirations and expertise of ECMI. It was phrased in a clear straightforward way leaving no scope for ambiguity.
  3. Webpresence: the central web site of the organization was completely re-structured to reflect a wide range of programs that the organization was running and the impact that it was having on its beneficiary
  4. www.ecmi.de
  5. Project/Country web sites: Web sites of individual projects and country offices were restructured and harmonized. A delicate balance was reached between the needs of individual projects (multilingualism, technical features for beneficiary usage etc.) and the need to present one corporate identity.
  6. E-Newsletter: Processes were established for information gathering from all of ECMI’s field offices in a timely and organized fashion to be compiled into a monthly E-Newsletter. This newsletter was in a format that allowed the receiving party to connect to the online version which was graphics enabled.
  7. Newsletter: Monthly hard copy version of the newsletter was printed for targeted distribution to ensure visibility of the organization and to meet the needs of project beneficiary at sites where the Internet connection was limited.
  8. Brochures & Flyers: New brochures were developed from a scratch for the organization, for the country operations and for individual projects in a way that would present a cohesive image without compromising the individuality of the projects.
  9. High Profile Events: Conceptualized and organized a high profile international meet under the patronage of the President of Macedonia titled “Minorities in Democracies”. This event turned into a landmark annual event of ECMI in South East Europe, which brought together politicians, policy makers, academicians and practitioners.
  10. Road shows: Conceptualized ECMI’s first road show in Berlin 2004. Organized in the form of a Round Table discussion meeting, it gave the funders and decision makers in Berlin an opportunity to interact with ECMI’s brain trust

With- whom?

European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), Germany

What happened?

The result was a cohesive brand image that attracted long term and framework donors to ECMI.

“ Combined with a strong analytical approach towards problems and challenges he is faced with, and his ability to adapt to almost each and every social context, I have seen Sunoor win immediate trust from the different stakeholders he was dealing with, be it NGO representatives from remote rural areas, government officials, or diplomatic representatives. ”

Matthias Siegfried
SwissPeace
Project Coordinator
Mediation Support Project, Switzerland

Evaluation German government’s civil peace service program+
Evaluation German government’s civil peace service program

Sector?

Civil society; Peace building

What?

Assessments & Evaluation

Where?

Macedonia

Germany

Why?

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) had launched a pilot Civilian Peace Services program. This pilot needed evaluation to decide how to shape the roll out.

When?

2005

What exactly?

Evaluation of the partnerships of the international NGO- Centre for Education in Non Violent Action- KW with NGOs in Macedonia on peace building initiatives.

With- whom?

German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

What happened?

Recommendation of the evaluation was taken into account for the rollout of the program.

“ Sunoor strikes me as an incredibly good listener with a strong ability to read the “hidden script” between the lines…….. ”

Matthias Siegfried
SwissPeace
Project Coordinator
Mediation Support Project, Switzerland

Creating an online platform for fundraising and donor liaison+
Creating an online platform for fundraising and donor liaison

Sector?

Civil society; Minority issues; inter-ethnic issues

What?

Fundraising

Where?

Germany

Why?

As the organization was growing rapidly and expanding in new countries coordination was needed in the way donors were being approached.

When?

2003

What exactly?

I conceptualized software that allowed all field offices and headquarters to coordinate their fundraising and project proposal writing processes. As it was my baby I also supervised the development of and later the implementation of the software and compliance by field offices

With- whom?

European Centre for Minority Issues

What happened?

Headquarters gained improved access to negotiations led by field offices and field offices gained access to real time information on ongoing dialogues with donors and partners. This saved time and allowed the organization to achieve Framework Funding from donors over piece-meal project-by-project funding. This also improved accountability within all units of the organization.

Sunoor Verma understands the concerns and goals of donors — what is important from their perspective — and he is able to articulate persuasively the positive and sustainable impact that programs can achieve.

Michael Szporluk

Expert, Civil Society Development

Mercy Corps

Being genuinely engaged and knowledgeable in the area of work makes Sunoor Verma a successful fundraiser.

Ulrika Lindberg-Labasauskas
Head of Development Cooperation
Embassy of Sweden in Skopje