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Description
The “Action Inov Azores” project aims to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of civil society by promoting more effective management processes in 20 Social Economy Entities in the Azores, through 4 methodological approaches: training, task forces, mentoring and consultancy. The project also intends to create partnerships and promote networking between social organizations with different experiences and knowledge.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of civil society by promoting more effective management processes in 20 Social Economy Entities within the Azores. Specifically, it sought to develop key skills in these entities, focusing on social innovation processes, governance, team management and leadership, financial sustainability, digitalization (applied to communication, marketing, and the management of people and operations), and safeguarding policies. These goals were planned to be achieved through four approaches: training, task forces, mentoring, and consultancy. Additionally, the project aimed to create partnerships and promote networking among social organizations.
The project was structured around four main components. Training involved five modules aimed at strengthening competencies in Digital, Leadership, Governance Models, Social Innovation, Social Business, and Safeguarding. These modules were completed within the defined timeframe from September 2022 to April 2023.
The Task Force held fifteen sessions to share challenges and collaboratively find solutions, fostering synergies and partnerships among organizations. These sessions took place within the defined timeframe from September 2022 to April 2023.
Mentoring included twelve programs focused on sharing best practices and providing guidance for improvements. Three programs were dedicated to Leadership and Governance Models, three to Digital, three to Social Innovation, and three to Social Business. These programs were conducted after each training module from October 2022 to May 2023.
Consulting involved eight projects where each organization received a consultant''s visit to diagnose and finalize the scope of developments to be implemented. Solutions were designed, and action plans were presented. These projects lasted 1.5 to 2 months and took place between December 2022 and May 2023.
Additionally, three activities focused on communication and dissemination of learnings. Two events were held: an opening event on September 19, 2022, on Terceira Island, and a closing event on May 31, 2023, in São Miguel. Both events were conducted in person with online transmission and included participants from the organizations, the promoter, the funder, partners, and local entities (City Hall and Government).
A video was produced featuring content from the opening and closing events, highlighting testimonials from the promoter, partners, and participants about the program''s impact on their organizations. An e-book was created to disseminate the learnings from the eight consulting projects, with each organization describing the challenges faced, the solutions designed, the actions implemented, and the results/impact achieved.
In quantitative terms, the following was achieved:
- 74 professional staff trained;
- 3 partnerships between NGOs or with public/private entities supported;
- 2 initiatives implemented through partnerships between NGOs or with public/private entities;
- 13 NGOs with transparent and accountable governance procedures;
- 8 NGOs with effective management procedures.
All proposed targets were met and exceeded.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner, Norsensus Mediaforum, shared its expertise and best practices for capacity building in the use of digital methods.