Pact Launches New Global Capacity Building Alliance
Ah, a nice dream, you say. But it is not a dream at all. This was exactly what happened during the launch of the Impact Alliance in Lima, Peru, December 9-13, 2002. The Impact Alliance is the latest dynamic initiative from Pact to form a global network of top capacity building organizations and to bring them together, in person and virtually, to share lessons, ideas, and methods. The Impact Alliance is also a place for those looking for institutional building support to find the best service providers locally. This results in sustainable impact that is less costly and more effective. This is the Impact Alliance. Fourteen organizations attended the inaugural meeting, representing 11 countries on three continents. The NGOs ranged from academic intuitions, to civil society participation NGOs, to capacity building support organizations, to national and regional development networks. Common to them all was a desire to share lessons they have learned and apply them to raising capacity building to new standards. Sarah Newhall, Pact president and CEO, attended the event and expressed her excitement, "It is thrilling to be part of history in the making. Peer partnerships are blossoming in an incredibly exciting and powerful way. " During the first three days, participants worked to create the foundational structure for the alliance. They examined their best experiences in networking and defined guiding principles and governance mechanisms to steer the Impact Alliance. The last two days were devoted to the exciting part: learning. Each participant was able to present the best innovation or experience from his or her organization under the topics of: communities of practice and networking; managing change; capacity assessment; training programs; and financial sustainability. This seminar was open to the public and was rich with ideas and discussion on the trends and innovations in capacity building in Latin America. Similar launches are being planned for Africa for June 2003 and Asia in November 2003. The Impact Alliance membership is now growing by the day with current memberships from India, Mongolia, Australia, and South Africa. The number of partners is also growing! The no-cost membership allows organizations and individuals to highlight their activities and services to the public and share ideas and information with their peers. Visit the Impact Alliance portal space at www.impactalliance.org to create a user account, browse the resource library, and learn more about its members. Organizations and individuals interested in being part of the dynamic network may apply on-line. Join us to set new standards for excellence and innovation. |
Imagine yourself in a room with the best capacity building organizations in the region. Now imagine you are in conversation with them as they share their best ideas, tools and lessons. Picture yourself collecting notes, materials, and the business cards of your peer network. You return to your own organization inspired with a new sense of connection to the best individuals and organizations doing capacity building throughout Latin America with linkages around the world.