CIVICUS launches Affinity Group of National and Regional NGO Associations

On behalf of CIVICUS and the Steering Committee of the CIVICUS Affinity Group of NGO Associations, we would like to invite you to join this new group designed to strengthen NGO associations and the key roles that they play in fostering a strong civil society. We believe that this affinity group will play an important role in helping all us to learn from each other, share best practices, engage in collective advocacy, and serve as a hub of information. In this way, the affinity group can help us to make our organizations stronger, provide better resources to our members and be more effective in shaping civil society in our respective countries.

The CIVICUS Affinity Group is made up of associations of NGOs from around the world and was created just this year. The basic idea behind the Affinity Group is that there is a great deal that we can learn from each other. Thus, peer learning is an important part of what we hope the Affinity Group will accomplish. For the Affinity Group to be effective, we need you to join us so that you can share with us what you are doing in your organization and also, hopefully, learn from the experience of others.

The Affinity Group is a project of CIVICUS and is managed by a Steering Committee of CIVICUS Members and Partners. The Steering Committee is made up of representatives of NGO associations from Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, Tanzania, the United States, and Zimbabwe. (see names below) All of us have benefited so far from our exchanges with each other and believe that will only increase as more organizations join the Affinity Group. Some of the areas that we have discussed so far or plan to discuss include:

• how to raise funds from national and international sources


• how to manage relations with government


• how to shape and influence nonprofit law


• how to build capacity of civil society organizations


• how to strengthen sustainability of NGO networks


• how to manage relations with business


• how to promote accountability and self-regulation


• how to communicate with members and the press

To join the Affinity Group, all you have to do is to let us know that you are interested and fill out the enclosed survey. Please contact Membership and Campaigns Coordinator, Ephrem Tadesse at ephrem@civicus.org. Once you let us know that you would like to join, we will add you to our listserv. That will be the initial way that we will share information and perspectives. We are also sending you a brief survey to get more information about your organisation, to learn more about what your particular priorities are from the Affinity Group and to learn about what resources you have that you would like to share with the Affinity Group. There will also be a section of the CIVICUS website devoted to information on the Affinity Group

For those of you who are members of CIVICUS, there is no charge to join the Affinity Group. For those who are not a member of CIVICUS, there is no initial charge, but we would expect that your organization would join CIVICUS after a trial period of six months. You can also get more information on joining CIVICUS from Manon Ellis Williams

We plan to hold an inaugural meeting of the Affinity Group on March 21, 2004 just prior to the evening opening of the CIVICUS World Assembly in Gaborone, Botswana, March 21 to 24, 2004. All those who join the Affinity Group will be invited to this meeting.

The CIVICUS Affinity Group of NGO Associations will only be as successful as the members who join it make it. We believe that there will be great value to all of us in this effort. Please join us.

Thank you very much.

Cordially,

Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS

Steering Committee:

• Joel Pagsanghan, CODE-NGO, Philippines


• Martin Sime, SCVO, Scotland


• Peter Shiras, Independent Sector, USA


• Amani Kandil, Arab Network for NGOs, Egypt


• Ezra Mbogori, MWENGO, Zimbabwe


• Irfan Mufti, SAP-PK, Pakistan


• Martha Segura, Colombian Federation of NGOs


• Mary Mwingira, TANGO, Tanzania


• Kristina Mand, NENO, Estonia

Draft Membership Criteria for CIVICUS Affinity Group of NGO Associations:

The CIVICUS Affinity Group of NGO Associations is aimed at organisations that meet all of the following criteria:

• The organisation is a national or regional network of NGOs;


• The organisation serves the general interests of the NGO community in that country/region;


• It is a membership organisation, with its membership drawn from various sectors of the NGO community;


• The primary purposes of the organisation include: to strengthen the capacity of NGOs and provide space for them to function; to advocate on behalf of its members on general NGO-related issues; and to provide services to its members and the wider community.

This Affinity Group is not intended for organisations or networks that serve one particular field of interest, e.g. an NGO association working solely with and for youth organisations would not be eligible to join this Affinity Group.

However, CIVICUS recognises the potential for the establishment of other Affinity Groups on the basis of thematic, sectoral, linguistic or geographical interest.

Please participate in the (MS Word) Survey