CSOs Fighting for Integrity: Increasing the capacity of CSOs to help citizens raise funds, measure and communicate results in a sustainable manner

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) face a multitude of challenges when setting out to fight corruption. While the type of challenge can differ from one country to another, from sector to sector, and can be different depending on size, business model or leadership structure chosen, CSOs often struggle to balance their vision and declared goals with the necessary financial security to carry out activities as needed over a prolonged period of time. One of the recurring problems is donor-induced “projectitis”, compelling CSOs to follow a two or three year project funding cycle which may precisely come to an end when first results are in reach. Thus, many times CSOs are confronted with choices not easily made. This paper provides a check list for CSOs to self-evaluate their actions, aspirations and assumptions against common problems encountered and offers entry points to think about sustainability exploring areas often neglected. The author asks a variety of sometimes painful questions – challenging CSOs to be clear about what they want to achieve, what they can achieve and the tools they utilize walking the talk. In addition, the paper offers advice and an array of tools on communication and advocacy means available to CSOs as well as a list of resources for further exploration.