Funder and CSO relationships in anti-trafficking
Communication challenges are common between funders and CSOs in the field, and Shared Hope International releases the annual sex trafficking state report cards.
Earlier this year, Freedom Collaborative conducted a survey of our members to gain insights into the overall perceptions of funder-CSO relationships in the anti-trafficking and modern slavery community. The survey polled a sample of 80 anti-trafficking organizations from 28 countries that work in the field and provide services to victims and vulnerable populations.
We looked at different themes, including management and communication, strategy and expertise, collaboration and sharing, impact evaluation and reporting, and professionalism. The data collection grouped responses by funder type.
The findings from the survey provide an overview of the challenges in the relationships between anti-trafficking funders and CSOs, and offer opportunities for discussion, learning, and improvement.
The most conclusive finding from the analysis is that complications and challenges to communication are prevalent in funder-CSO relationships within the field. 60% of survey respondents indicated that they have a limited understanding of the reasoning behind funders’ strategic focus. The survey also found that there are limited opportunities for CSOs to provide input on strategies, as 68% indicated that funders either don’t disseminate their strategies or occasionally share their strategy, but there are no mechanisms for feedback from organizations.
There is little doubt that the anti-trafficking community is increasingly concerned with their ability (individually and jointly) to increase impact and effectively prevent exploitation. The implications of this survey are sobering because the responses suggest that one of the barriers to effective impact is the weakness of the relationships between funders and CSOs, particularly in relation to communication and clarity. The existing power imbalances and communication issues within these relationships create risk of undermining the effectiveness of anti-trafficking measures as a whole.
Here’s a recap of other noteworthy updates and news:
Children as young as seven are doing hazardous work for meager sums on sugar plantations in Zimbabwe
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