To care and serve those in your community well, it is important that we you are well organised. TOM DAVENPORT shares a few things you need to know in order to serve those around you better.
Know WHY you exist. Your Cluster or organisation needs to have a clear vision and everyone needs to understand it and support it. Without a clear vision of why you exist, you are likely to try and do too much, and your work will suffer.
Know HOW you will achieve your goals. As a Cluster or community, you need a clear strategy on how you plan to accomplish your goals. An easy way to be fruitful is to set SMART goals. This simply means that your goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Time based.
Identify WHO is doing what. Set out clear roles in your cluster or organisation and select specific people to work on them. People work much more effectively when they have a clear role.
Safeguard the vulnerable people and protect them from abuse or harm. You can do this by setting clear policies, training your colleagues or community workers to act appropriately if an incident occurs, setting procedures to create a safe environment for everyone and regularly holding each other accountable.
Make an effort to protect the data that is in your hands. By safeguarding data, you protect people’s information from corruption, compromise or loss. To protect information, only collect what is needed, make sure the information is safely stored and do not use or pass on any data given to you without the consent of the owner. It is also important to handle data according to the national requirements of your country.
Be open and clear with how you handle money. To achieve this, you need to be clear on how your community or organisation handles donations and payments. Also, be clear on who is responsible for financial transactions. It is advisable to share this responsibility with multiple people you trust. Lastly, keep good financial records and be willing to share them when asked to.
Learn why safeguarding is important HERE