Funding Formula Stage 4

Visibility tips for Communication Materials

Use these notes to help you to develop your organisation’s communications materials.

1. Donor facing

The Capability Statement is for high-level donors, so ensure that the content is relevant for them (all communications materials should demonstrate your relevance) and that your organisation’s stated goals and strategies are aligned with the donors’ goals and regional strategies etc. Remember not to tell the donor what you want to tell them; tell them what they want to hear! A Capability Statement is required in some government registration processes.

2. Country context

Demonstrate how your organisation’s work meets its country’s needs and is relevant to its context. Include in the country background something that stands out about the country (for example, high numbers of refugees, high fertility, fragile state). This emphasizes relevance.

3. Credibility

Include expertise and experience within your organisation – this could include key staff; when the organisation was established, awards it has won, and any affiliations. The Capability Statement is proof of your qualifications and of your past performance: demonstrate your high standards! Donors want to see that:

• your organisation is well-governed, accountable and well-managed
• funds are being used effectively
• evidence that your organisation is doing good work

4. Locally-owned

Promote your human rights-based approach, your indigenous roots and your involvement in the community; and that you reach vulnerable, key populations not served by others.

5. Compelling

Use text or graphics that tell a story, so that donors can see an arc. They want to see how your organization is:

• assessing the problem
• building internal capacity
• facing and overcoming challenges – and making progress
• achieving clear results: donors always like to see the impact that your organisation is making; so remember to show the outcomes, not just the outputs / activities of your programme
• remember the value of photographs – a picture really is worth a thousand words
• don’t forget the human story – it can get lost in numbers and statistics

6. Speciality

Demonstrate the niche area of work and showcase your organisation’s Unique Selling Points (USPs) – what are its core competencies and its comparative advantage?

• what really makes your organisation stand out in its country?
• how is it best at addressing country-specific issues?
• what is it known for/really good at: is it the only one doing this?

Is your organisation a centre of excellence, a leading provider of sexual and reproductive health in your country? Demonstrate that your organisation is not only the ‘go to’ CSO for the donor, but it is the ‘must have’ – for the donor to achieve their regional/national objectives.

7. High quality

The Capability Statement should be high quality and stand out from other materials (and sets you apart from your competitors) and uses a flexible template. Its layout will include a combination of text, images, photos and graphics that is easier to digest than pages of text, and quicker for the donor to read. It should be a living document – easily adapted for different donors’ interests.

8. Innovative

Emphasize innovation that you have pioneered (whether service delivery, advocacy, social franchising etc) which demonstrates your commitment to maintaining relevance.

9. Sustainable Development Goals

You should include your organisation’s commitment to the SDGs, and how you address and progress the goals and objectives of the SDGs, as donors are also committed to achieving them.

10. Advocacy

Highlight advocacy wins, and the key / unique role that you played in achieving those wins.

11. Value for money

Underscore cost effectiveness, and how IPPF measures the performance of its organisations through, for example, the Branch Performance Tool.

12. Full contact details

Remember to include all of yours: name of key contact, telephone, fax, postal address, email, website, Facebook, Twitter – on all materials, so that donors can easily ask you for more information about any aspect of your work.