Short-Term Consultancy: Income-Generating Projects Strategist

Background

IM is a Swedish NGO committed to empowering civil society, catalysing profound societal change towards equality and democracy, as a feminist and anti-racist change agent. We base our work on a rights-based approach and we work on Social Inclusion, Economic Inclusion, Strengthening Civil Society, and Ensuring Civic Space.

IM sees and reacts to injustice in the world. Our primary mission is to fight poverty and exclusion and contribute to lasting change for individuals particularly in vulnerable situations. We do this through social and economic inclusion and by giving the right holders the opportunity to raise their voices. We believe a strong civil presence is key for a democratic society. All projects are implemented in close collaboration with local partner organisations.

IM has been working in the Middle East since the late 1960s in the area of intellectual disabilities. At present IM Middle East works with partners in Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon to achieve 4 priorities; Social Inclusion, Economic Inclusion, Ensuring Civic Space, and Strengthening Civil society.

Rationale and purpose

Throughout the years of work in Jordan, IM has fostered several important principles that contributed to shifting the mindset of civil society organizations, whom we consider equal partners, from fulfilling the needs of the donors (top-down approach) to the more progressive, bottom-up approach emphasizing on rights-holders participation in decision making as equals.

Having an annual budget for supporting capacity development of each partner organization from IM, as well as organized, participatory processes for identifying the needs for every partner together, have encouraged many organizations we work with to start brainstorming and designing income-generating ideas. IM believes that this is a positive direction that can improve the resilience and eventually sovereignty of of civil society organizations, and create freedom from the sole reliance on aid and grants as the only ways to organizational sustainability.

COVID-19 lockdowns, restrictions that followed, in addition to the increasing barriers to foreign-funding approvals have tremendously affected the implementation of civil society interventions in Jordan, and pushed many organizations to consider alternatives to sustain their work and activities. Alternatives such as income-generating projects had to be introduced in order to minimize and mitigate the risk of financial fragility that would eventually hinder the organizations from implementing their strategic interventions.

Objectives

Through this consultancy, IM’s objectives behind working with the consultant are:

• To transform the organizations’ existing and relevant skillset and experience into income-generating projects.

• To create and test concepts of income-generating projects for organizations to minimize general reliance on aid.

• To develop a roadmap for income-generating alternative sources other than development grants and aid.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this opportunity:

• IM partners will have clear understanding of income-generating in non-profit organizations beyond traditional means like aid and grants.

• IM partners will have developed new tools to validate and sustain income-generating ideas from an entrepreneurial and a financial perspective.

• Partner Organizations will have clear action plan(s) of their relevant income-generating projects.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to:

1. Setup meetings with partners to start the data collection process and analysis of income generation ideas.

2. Produce an action plan for each partner. The action plan should include (but not be limited to) coaching sessions, training topic recommendations where needed, and expected results for each action plan, approved by each partner.

3. A business plan for at least one year for each organization, on which consensus must be reached between the consultant and the partner, including:

a. Approaches to kick-start and grow the income-generating model that the consultant has designed with the partner.

b. A table of human resources, timebound-activities, and estimated budget per activity.

c. A detailed illustration and content of the phases of ideation and concept, foundation, setting up identity (if needed), product development, and launching. IM and partners will also be open to other frameworks/stages that might be suggested by the consultant.

Timeline, Fees, and Locations

This intervention will be held for a maximum of 24 working days (1 day = 8 working hours), between March to September of 2022. The fees set by the consultant should be a lumpsum daily rate in JOD. Payment disbursement will be agreed upon with selected consultant.

The consultant is expected to conduct introductory meetings and coaching sessions either virtually (if necessary) through the use of conference tools online or physically, if the Covid situation allows it, by visiting the premises of partner organizations when needed, and as agreed with each partner organization.

Participants

The consultant will work with three IM partners (civil society organizations) from Jordan. Our partner organizations are specialized in social and economic inclusion interventions with groups such as youth, women, and people with disabilities who are at risk of marginalization and exclusion

Consultant’s Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in income-generating projects and/or incubators, accelerators, startups.
• Proven expertise in training, coaching, and mentoring techniques.
• Fluency in both Arabic and English is a must, with demonstrated skills in technical writing.
• Excellent presentation and report writing skills.**

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the development sector. Knowledge in issues and principles such as anti-racism, and the impacts of heavy aid-dependence on non-profit organizations, economies, and the sovereignty of civil society organizations.