Sustaining the Change

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), there is a new generation of creative and passionate professionals forming non-governmental (NGO) and charitable entities to reach communities-in-need with services, resources and information and help them become active participants in their own development. At the same time, corporate, national and international donors are committed to support and engage new NGO partners in a variety of program areas—democracy and governance, youth development, civic engagement, health, environment, education, gender and economic development.

*For the overview in Arabic, please click here.

Sustaining the Change: Capacity Building for Non-Profit Organizations in MENA
May 20 – 31, 2012
Cairo, Egypt

Sustaining the Change is designed to help newly created non-profits develop and demonstrate the legitimacy, transparency and expertise needed to compete in the new funding environment. It will strengthen the skills of NGO staff and volunteers to design and institute strong management systems, develop and implement new programs, build strong leaders, and secure and sustain funding.

The two-week workshop is intensive, region-specific, and highly participatory. Participants will engage in meaningful exchange of experiences with peers, technical experts, and NGO leaders from diverse religious, political and community backgrounds. Participants will develop practical strategies and tools to improve organizational systems as well as enhance their own personal skills. The following topics are guaranteed to bring immediate results to your organization and programs. All sessions will be delivered in Arabic.

• Leadership – Understand and apply principles of situational leadership to create and lead effective work teams during social and political change; explore components of and assess individual characteristics related to emotional intelligence; analyze influencing skills; examine and strengthen supervisory tools and skills to maximize new and volunteer staff talent and potential.


• Financial Management – Develop project and organization budgets; calculate and apply direct and indirect costs; read and analyze financial reports; develop internal controls for the organization.


• Project Design – Adapt and apply proven project planning and design tools to strengthen current and proposed projects and programs; prepare results-based design framework to meet program objectives.


• Project Management – Identify activities, challenges and roles and responsibilities for each phase of the project cycle; develop performance monitoring plans; develop indicators to benchmark and measure success.


• Advocacy – Explore models and tools for effective policy advocacy; prioritize and organize around key advocacy issues; write clear goals and objectives; analyze target audiences; examine social media applications; develop strategies for building and sustaining diverse multi-sectoral networks to create a more powerful collective for change.


• External Communications – Assess and apply strategic communications tools to develop messages for various target groups and media outlets; learn effective public speaking techniques and build confidence in your own public speaking; learn interview techniques to ensure your message is heard.


• Fundraising and Proposal Writing – Initiate and sustain relations with various donors from government to private foundations; identify different models of and approaches for corporate sector engagement and elements of successful corporate partnerships; draft key proposal components to use towards a winning proposal.


• Gender – Examine and apply basic gender analysis and gender integration approaches and tools to ensure gender sensitive organizations and programs.

The workshop is open to women and men with 1-3 years of experience as paid or volunteer staff with emerging non-profit or charitable organizations in MENA countries. Space is limited to 25 participants.

USD $4,700. This includes tuition, materials and lunch during the workshop. Participants are responsible for all other costs related to their travel, lodging, meals, etc.

English Registration Form (Word)

English Registration Form (PDF)

Arabic Registration Form (Word)

Arabic Registration Form (PDF)

Registration will be confirmed upon receipt of the full tuition payment. Details regarding payment methods and cancellation policies are presented in the registration form.

Deadline for Registration and Payment: March 1, 2012

The registration and fee can be transferred to another person at any time at no extra charge. Once payment has been received, the following cancellation policy takes effect:

• On or before March 1, 2012: 90% of the fee will be refunded.
• Between March 1 and April 15, 2012: 75% of the fee will be refunded.
• On or after April 15, 2012: No refunds will be made.

* If CEDPA needs to cancel the program for any reason, the full payment will be refunded.