The effective programming takes into account the Stakeholders Analysis. The Development Solutions will analyze the priorities, strategies and policies of key stakeholders and assess the capacity of other partners working on related thematic issues. Based on the results of this desk research the Development Solutions together with you will suggest possible partnerships with governments, local and international organizations to bring greater strength to your Program.

Needs Assessment is targeted to collect or update the data about the needs of beneficiaries. This will help to ensure that the appropriate evidence is available to guide project design. We conduct consultation meetings with different stakeholders, hold interviews with key informants / beneficiaries or conduct full surveys on a representative sample of the intended beneficiaries.

The Problems Tree Analysis is a tool used by major development agencies to conduct Situational Analysis around the key Problem. Using the principle of Cause and Means effect, the method identifies the problems that led to the key problem. Good projects are designed to address the causes of the key problem delivering tangible results. It has now become a practice to conduct the Problem Tree Analysis to design projects or programs at national, regional or inter-regional levels.

The Development Solutions conducts facilitation of the problem study through moderating the discussions among the interested stakeholders and experts. The developed document serves as a basis for government and development agencies to design effective strategic programs and reach programmatic goals.

The Results Analysis serves to formulate solutions to the problems identified during the Problems Analysis. The participating stakeholders are encouraged to visualize what the future would look like if the problems were resolved.

The Factor Analysis is performed to identify the factor that may affect your project which is linked to risk management. The risks to be studied are political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental, so called PESTLE analysis. Apart from its risk management role, the PESTLE analysis is always required by the Development agencies in their Grant Application Forms, ex. European Union.

Cross-cutting issues are the issues that impact in more than one field. Cross-cutting issues are laid down in a number of international conventions, declarations and treaties on development. The broad policy goals for the issues have therefore been set. They must be taken into account at all stages of the project cycle.

The International Development Bodies identify several "cross-cutting issues" of major importance for development: Democracy and Human Rights; Environmental Sensitivity and Sustainability; Sustainability; Gender Equality; HIV/AIDS

Our experts will review your Project Proposal and suggest how the ross-cutting issue should be incorporated into the Project Design and mplementation. We will advise you on a Human Rights Based Approach, making sure that performance indicators and project budgets are gender sensitive, the environment is safeguarded and the overall project's sustainability stands for durability of Project's Results.

We complete your federal grant application, private foundation proposal, or letter of inquiry, ensuring that it is highly competitive and thorough. We develop budgets in coordination with you. Therefore, making sure that all staff and office costs are covered, and the costs of key activities are competitive and in line with market prices.

Monitoring plans specify what is to be monitored, how the monitoring will be conducted, who will carry out the monitoring, when and how frequently the monitoring will be conducted, the methods that will be used for monitoring, and the resources that are required for monitoring. You will receive Results Monitoring Framework and we will provide clear instructions to the parties responsible on data collection and data storage.

External Evaluation can provide evidence-based assessment of the worth or significance of a Project or its components. Mid-term Evaluations serve to provide project managers with recommendations for improving the project's performance and for the best use of the project's resources. Final Evaluations assist in showing the donors the social impact of the program and serve as a powerful fundraising tool. Always include the monitoring and evaluation into the Project Design to strengthen your proposal.

Ex-ante evaluations focus on relevance of the Project to your programmatic goals.

Mid-Term Evaluations focus shifts towards effectiveness, achievement and recommendation for improvement.

Final Evaluations serve to assess the sustainability and impact of the Project.

Once the contract is signed it is important to set up the control system to ensure the delivery of the outputs in compliance with the terms and agreement of the contract. The Development Solutions will revise your Contract and Terms of Reference to align the timeframes for each deliverable and specify their technical aspects. Further, we are able to go on site to monitor, when the activities outlined in the contract are implemented by the contract service provider. In case of non-delivery or insufficient delivery we are able to mediate between you and the service provider on new timelines of delivery, a reduced scope of services or amending the contract. In the case of a serious contract violation we will advise on all aspects of contract termination.

Monitoring inputs (resources) includes human, financial and other resources being used by the Project. We would ensure that the project budget is being utilized appropriately to achieve the project results. Monitoring of Activities and Results is usually based on key milestones and indicators from Logical Frameworks of the Project and involves service providers, stakeholders and project beneficiaries.

Sometimes donors or development agencies need to hire a Monitoring Officer by announcing a Call for Interest. We can assist you in developing Terms of Reference for the consultancy position outlining key competences, estimating the number of working days and developing a Budget. We will also assist you in placing your position in major development job search resources. Often we serve as external experts in job panel reviews.

Fundraising is most effective when the charity or organization has a solid reputation, high professionalism and shows excellent service delivery to beneficiaries. Often it is not the project proposal itself that receives the funding, but rather the organization. Below there are some key performance indicators that demonstrate added value of your organization and that will help increase your success in raising funds.

• Your services are needed and delivered regularly to the communities
• The overall activity of your organization is in line with local, national policies
• You deliver what beneficiaries exactly want based on needs research conducted by you regularly
• You practice a client-oriented approach while dealing with beneficiaries
• Strong service monitoring procedures and impact evaluation
• A professional website that is updated regularly
• Sound financial management
• A high quality annual report that demonstrates all of the above

Our consultants can help you develop any of the areas above - whether it's advice on a monitoring system, designing a professional annual report or planning of the website content.

Please get in touch for an initial discussion of your needs.

Our research databases, as well as many years of experience in professional fundraising enable us to produce tailored listings of extensive funding opportunities appropriate for any organization or project. We liaise with your existing fundraising team to complement your own in house services.

Our consultants will research application procedures, deadlines, funders' priorities and eligibility criteria on your behalf. We can also enquire directly if appropriate, discussing your organisation's objectives and proposals with potential funders in order to pave the way for your applications.

Our research can be presented in your or our template, which is usually in MS Excel. This will contain relevant contact information, typical grant sizes, web addresses, specific comments to consider and all of the information you need to start developing and submitting applications.

A fundraising strategy is essential to ensure the growth and sustainability of any charity or not for profit organization. We can work with you to establish how best to achieve your goals. We will take your internal capacity into consideration along with relevant external factors that may impact on fundraising.

We can offer a reasoned analysis of funding opportunities, including essential advice on choosing the key donors; presenting your pitch, establishing timeframes, prospect research, community consultation, service monitoring and evaluation, as well as options for diversifying your funding portfolio.

Fundraising strategy support can take a range of forms. Some clients find that just a half-day consultation can have a transforming effect on the future direction of their organization. Our experience working with many charities enables us to quickly identify the best fundraising opportunities in any given sector and actions required for our clients to embrace those opportunities. We would be delighted to discuss your needs. Please get in touch to see how we can support your strategic development.

We can offer you a package of fundraising services. Our outsourced fundraising service typically focuses on Donor Prospect Research and Bid Writing, often with some strategic development input or staff mentoring as required.

This is our most popular service and proves highly effective for our clients. Our fundraising consultants undertake full management of grant and contract fundraising, incorporating on-going prospect research, bid writing and guidance on strategic planning. Close contact is maintained with the client throughout via email and telephone. as well as attendance at regular meetings to review progress and consult on future priorities and strategy.

Seeks to explore an experience to discover, build and gain insights into human behavior, opinion, motives or attitudes through the use of observation or dialogue. In the result, you will not receive specific numbers but obtain information on the social, psychological and cultural aspects of the issues you study. Specific techniques include: focus groups, in-depth interviews, workshops.

This type of research is mainly used to collect specific statistically significant data on the subject of study: insights from stakeholders, target groups, businesses and social institutions. Quantitative Research is the formalized form of study, when a specific set of variables is identified from the start. In the result, you receive definitive answers which you can attach values and measures to. Quantitative Research works well for the situations when preliminary hypotheses about the object of the study are already developed and information is needed to make decision or plan specific actions. Specific methods of the quantitative research include face to face surveys, postal surveys, phone and online surveys.

Basic service needed to start any research project. The questionnaires are an important tool for gathering primary data. Poorly constructed questionnaires can result in errors and invalidate the research data. A well-designed questionnaire motivates the respondent to provide complete and accurate information, while sustaining the interest of the interviewer in completing the session. The Development Solutions will help you to effectively design your surveys and show you the methods to implement them in order to collect the relevant information regarding the current
and future performance of your activities.

Specific research tool aimed at assessing feasibility of the action or project you are planning to start. This technique helps you before you make that decision that is going to change your life, "Look before you leap". Starting a new activity or a project is every person's dream. However, proper assessment of main risks and prospects before you start prevent you wasting your time, efforts and money afterwards. Well-designed needs assessment and feasibility studies often serve and the generators of new ideas and projects and can be also used as a brainstorming technique in project development.

Desk Research - is a form of research which applies a mix of quantitative & qualitative techniques, where the information is collected using secondary data (i.e. gathering and analyzing data which was already collected by another person or organization). Secondary data can be found from a variety of sources – the Internet, newsletters, company annual reports, newspapers, database searching, associations/trade bodies or by ad hoc personal contacts.

Desk Research offers a number of advantages:

It's a quick method of collecting information, Desk Research is easier than field research, secondary data is often ready to use and process. Open data from various state and non-state sources (statistical agencies, professional and expert organizations) are usually the main source of information for desk research. However, this method can have disadvantages: secondary data may not be recent, it might not be accurate and sometimes data is hard to find, depending on subject matter.

This technique is used to consistently document and show the results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark. In addition, a "best" practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered. Best practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and can be based on self-assessment or benchmarking. To monitor best practices and benchmark performance, we can offer you pre-made 'templates' to standardize project process documentation, which can be used in reporting, monitoring & evaluation purposes later on.