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SPIDER

STRENGTHENING PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EMPOWERMENT AND REFLECTION

Within the entrepreneurial context in which Trias specializes, we explicitly focus our attention on strengthening the conditions of women, young people and economically vulnerable people within member based organizations. Many of them need to strengthen their institutional and organizational capacities. To answer their requests, Trias has developed a participatory tool for diagnosis, support and progress monitoring – SPIDER – which aims to empower member based organisations in their organizational and institutional development.

What is spider?

SPIDER is a structured approach that allows MBO’s to:

  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization
  • Build a coherent capacity building plan
  • Measure progress and performance
Pictogram for partners

The SPIDER toolbox helps organizations to conduct a self-assessment in six areas: leadership and management, the offer of services to members, financial health and management, advocacy, inclusive organisational culture and resilience to climate change.

SPIDER is based on a participatory and deliberative approach. The elected representatives and members of the MBO participate in self-assessment, planning and monitoring workshops, and have an equal say in the identification of priorities.

Measuring progress is a key component of the process, which facilitates close monitoring of the evolution of each MBO.

how does it work?

  • Baseline assessment: MBO leaders and members participate in the self-diagnosis workshop. With the support of Trias advisors, they identify the strengths and weaknesses of the MBO, as well as organizational priorities.
  • Strategic dialogue: based on the self-diagnosis of basic capacities and objectives of the organisation, the MBO leaders and Trias validate the intervention priorities.
  • Organizational development plan: based on the selected priorities, the MBO defines the changes expected in the level of governance and internal functioning; as well as the quality of services provided to members. With the help of Trias, the main activities are planned and budgeted and performance indicators are selected.
  • Operational plan: Once a year, the MBO draws up, implements and monitors the annual operational plan.
  • Self-assessment: during an annual workshop, the MBO measures the evolution of its capacities based on this plan, performance indicators and a member satisfaction survey.

“The continuous follow-up helps a lot. At the end of each year, we sit down together to check if they have been achieved. If we were to A and we wanted to go to B, what made us did not reach B? Within the union, we respect each other: if we say something, everyone mobilizes to get things done.”

Salif OUEDRAOGO (UGPOS, Burkina Faso)
RS21007_160902phil261-lpr

WHY DOES IT WORK?

The participatory approach:
The participatory and inclusive dimension of the approach is one of the great strengths of SPIDER. Both MBO leaders and members take part in the various stages of the process. This allows for strong ownership approach.

The support system:
The support of Trias and the presence of locally trained facilitators within the MBO, is a third factor of success. Investing in capacity building of MBO staff on the SPIDER approach strengthens its durability.

Measurement of progress:
The evolution of the capacities of the MBO is a motivating and mobilizing factor for members in the conduct of activities. This system also allows Trias to closely monitor the evolution of each organisation and evaluate the quality of the partnership in collaboration with the MBO.

OUR IMPACT:

Since 2014, Trias has been working in the Philippines with Labo Progressive Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LPMPC), a pineapple cooperative. Trias provided holistic support to LPMPC to aid them on their trajectory to become a financially stable and inclusive cooperative with strong alliances that supports its members to implement environmentally sustainable practices, and provides them accessible economic and social services.

Between 2017 and 2021, the percentage of women in the board of directors increased from 42% to 71%, and the representation of small-scale farmers increased from
28% to 42%.

The total income of the cooperative, derived from membership fees and service fees paid for by members, rose from 14.602.292 PHP to 18.557.282 PHP.

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