New “Associative life and volunteers” strategy

Following the release of the associative project in 2019, the CartONG volunteers and staff have been working on the development of the a volunteer and associative life strategy for the 2020-2023 period. Find out more here.

In 2019, CartONG adopted its first associative project. This document emphasizes the importance of the associative nature of our organization and of the role of the volunteer team alongside the staff team, especially on projects with little funding, partnerships with small organizations and in support of projects carried out by these teams.

A first strategic document resulting from our Associative Project

In the continuity of our associative project, 6 volunteers and employees formed a working group in January 2020. Their objective? To draft the first 3-year strategy of our organization and answer the following question: how to facilitate the commitment of volunteers and a rich and dynamic associative life in CartONG for the years to come?

Initially, the working group based its work on the input that was gathered during the sessions organized during the Get-Together in November 2019. In order to enrich these reflections, they also carried out a survey between January and May 2020 that led to 59 volunteers and staff’s contributions.

Based on these elements, the working group collectively drafted the “2020-2023 Associative Life and Volunteer Involvement Strategy“. After several back and forths with the Board, as well as a meeting with members and the staff team, the final version of the document was presented and approved at the 2020 General Assembly, on June 6th.

Towards the implementation of yearly action plans

The strategy identifies 4 main areas of interest that will serve as reference points for the activities and initiatives to be launched by our organization to improve its associative and volunteer life over the next 3 years: i) Ensuring that volunteers can take an active role in CartONG ii) Consolidating a work and involvement framework adapted to the whole volunteer and staff community iii) Ensuring a smooth and horizontal communication iv) Structuring the volunteer network. Ultimately, the strategy for associative life and volunteer involvement will become a part of the Global Strategy of our organization, whose consultation and design process was also presented and officially launched at the General Assembly on June 6th, 2020.

In order to achieve the objectives defined in the Associative Life Strategy, a yearly action plan will be prepared each year by the Volunteer Project Coordinator, then presented, discussed and approved at the General Assembly. Finally, each year, an assessment of the past year will be drawn up on the basis of previously established indicators and will also feed the reflections on the action plan for the following year.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to the process, and by doing so, have helped us better understand what makes CartONG a community that allows its members, volunteers and employees, to work together towards a common goal.