Do your members really have a voice in your organization? Understanding your members' views and making their voices heard is a major challenge, yet, it is necessary to further strengthen engagement & accountability in your organization. 

In 2021, Forus partnered with Keystone Accountability to jointly develop a Member Voice System to harness feedback from Forus' members, as a way to learn, dialogue, and find solutions in a dynamic and participatory manner.  

In the framework of this collaboration, Keystone Accountability developed the 'From engagement to Voice' Toolkit. This Toolkit is designed for CSO networks, particularly national and regional Forus members, interested in putting the voice of their members at the heart of their organizations.  

The Toolkit was launched on November 23 with several Forus members. The webinar was facilitated by David Bonbright, CEO of Keystone Accountability.   

Participants explored the various ways feedback is collected from members, how often and how that information is held. From online to offline dialogues as well as surveys and general assemblies, Forus members shared how they turn feedback into usable data. From Paraguay to Cambodia, Portugal and Nepal, several members talked about the need of encouraging transparent and direct conversations with members and to make decisions by consensus. Some Forus members developed permanent feedback channels, where members can write, request meetings and publish their events and activities. 

But how do we listen and respond to feedback? Participants shared their commitment to social solidarity and inclusion. They looked at ways of using data in decision-making in both internal and external processes – from governance, to advocacy with governments to enlarge civic space.  

David Bonbright, CEO of Keystone Accountability presented the new toolkit and shared his lessons from the field. He advised to keep the feedback processes systematic and simple, “this is not research!”. He explained how to evolve from “research to engagement from extraction to dialogues, from ego-system to eco-system" and the creation of a safe space for honesty. 

David talked about the importance of detecting timely, reliable signals and in integrating comparisons between different social and cultural groups, as it aids insight and drives actions.  

“In the social change and justice world, we tend to do a lot of things to people instead of with people,” David said, reason why dialogue or collaborative sensemaking about the data is extremely important to keep the process participative as that’s where learning and mutuality happens. We need to turn data into a living engagement with people about what is it that we should do to improve. The last lesson is “Repeat, repeat, repeat”, keep trying new things with members and “build a culture of continuous improvement”. 

The webinar ended with the presentation of the new Forus Member Voice system “Voices of Forus” that aims at gathering feedback from the network via both micro - surveys and larger surveys - and to take action. 

The webinar took place during this year's Global Accountability Week which focused on what civil society worldwide has done to increase, improve and learn about "Dynamic Accountability". How can CSOs engage in an ongoing dialogue with the individuals and communities they assist or benefit from?  

'From engagement to Voice' Toolkit is now available on our website in English, French and Spanish. 

Explore our new Transparency and Accountability page here.