Strengthening Global Civic Tech Through Collaboration

Lorin Camargo

Funding Area: Community governance / Gobernanza comunitaria

Problem Statement: The Code for All network, established in 2013, has become a vibrant global community of civic tech organizations collaborating on open source, tech-for-good projects. Over the past few years, the network has rapidly expanded, becoming more diverse and accessible as we’ve made it a priority to seek out civic tech organizations located in underrepresented regions. While celebrating new members and continuing to support current ones, we’ve reflected on the challenges we are facing as a network, from the Board to the Core Team and Network structures to our objectives and activities. As a network, we acknowledged the need to reassess our structures and ensure they are fit for purpose and adaptable to the ever-changing landscape of the civic tech field. The early years of Code for All focused on establishing foundational elements, while recent years have revealed cracks in the Network’s structures, which require attention. Realizing this, we want to address these issues and revamp the structures and value add, all while reenergizing the community. This work helps the global civic tech community and in turns helps the communities they serve in 30+ countries around the world.

Proposed Activities: During the period of November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024, our focus will be on strengthening network governance through strategic in-person meetings and the establishment of thematic working groups. Our ongoing initiative, the Refresh Process, aims to restructure Code for All's purpose, value-add, objectives, activities, and organizational frameworks, including staffing and governance structures. The Refresh Process, which commenced in January 2023, will have completed the design phase before the start date of this project (November 2023), allowing us to proceed with implementing the new structures. To initiate our newly formed community structures, we will convene an in-person Board meeting and staff retreat in November 2023. The facilitation of these meetings will be expertly conducted by Anca Matioc, a highly experienced consultant from La Sobremesa. La Sobremesa specializes in empowering civil society organizations, helping them build strength and resilience. Anca Matioc has been deeply involved with Code for All since the inception of the Refresh Process and has been instrumental in designing and facilitating this transformative initiative. Her extensive knowledge and expertise make her uniquely qualified to guide and lead these meetings, ensuring their effectiveness and success. The outcomes of these gatherings will guide us in identifying key themes and establishing working groups that promote active community engagement and participation in network activities and operations. While the specific structure and criteria for these working groups are yet to be finalized through the Refresh Process, it is anticipated that they will comprise representatives from member organizations possessing specialized skills and expertise necessary to accomplish the groups' objectives. By leveraging the collective knowledge and talents within our network, we aim to foster a collaborative environment that empowers our members to contribute effectively towards the established goals of their respective working groups.

Openness: During the ongoing Refresh Process, we have taken significant steps to ensure knowledge sharing and collaboration within our network. To facilitate this, we have developed comprehensive workshop materials, including a MIRO board and an evolving slide deck utilized throughout all seven workshops. These resources have been made readily accessible to all network members, allowing them to engage actively in the process. To extend the reach of our initiative beyond our immediate network, we are committed to sharing our experiences with the wider community. To achieve this, we will be crafting a detailed blog post that delves into the intricacies of our Refresh Process. By sharing our journey, challenges, and successes, we aim to inspire and educate others who may undertake similar initiatives. We recognize the value of fostering a culture of knowledge exchange, and we believe that transparency and open-source practices align with our core values. Furthermore, we are dedicated to creating practical templates that can aid other organizations and networks in implementing similar processes. These templates will serve as valuable resources, providing guidance and insights gained from our own journey. Our aim is to facilitate the learning and growth of others by offering practical tools and frameworks that have proven effective within our network. Moving forward, we remain committed to keeping our network members and the wider community well-informed about our progress.

Challenges: One of the primary challenges we anticipate is maintaining consistent community engagement throughout the periods between in-person gatherings, as we have encountered difficulties in this aspect in the past. To address this, our approach includes designing the new community structures with a specific focus on overcoming this challenge. One strategy we will employ to incentivize continuous engagement and active participation is the establishment of working groups that provide a modest stipend to their members. By fostering a collective effort and embracing a community-driven approach, we aim to create a network that encourages ongoing involvement and collective action.

Neglectedness: At present, our efforts to execute the Refresh Process are supported by a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy. Recognizing the significance of this initiative, we have applied for a cost extension for our existing grant, seeking to extend the project's timeline beyond September 2023, which is when the implementation phase of the restructuring is set to commence. While the outcome of our cost extension application remains uncertain, securing funding from the OIFund would greatly contribute to the ongoing development of this work. The additional financial support would specifically enable us to organize and facilitate essential in-person meetings and facilitate the formation of working groups. By providing the necessary resources, the OIFund would play a vital role in reinforcing and expanding the impact of our continued efforts.

Success: (1) Conduct feedback surveys, interviews and follow-ups throughout the establishment of a new Governance structure, as well as with additional updating of internal procedures. Evaluation activities will be conducted with involved Network members in each phase of the proposed support. (2) Gather regular feedback from Member Representatives on how to support more collaboration among Members, and gather suggestions for program iterations (through surveys and interviews every 3 months). We will not send out mass surveys, but will engage targeted Representatives in one-on-one conversations, as we’ve found engagement is much higher when Members are addressed directly. (3) Track potential Members’ and partners’ engagement and steps toward Affiliation and becoming a Governance member. Utilize Members’ Networks to find new potential Members and partners. (4) Engage, conduct interviews and follow-ups with community Members to gain understanding on issues such as: How accessible is the Member onboarding process for organizations from underrepresented regions? How accessible is the opportunity for new organizations and organizations from underrepresented regions to participate in decision-making processes?

Total Budget: 25,000

Affiliations: Code for All Network (Fundacja Moje Państwo)

LMIE Carveout: The majority of our team and community are not based in LMIEs. We have team and community located in a mix of countries, ranging from LMIEs to HIEs. Here is the breakdown: (1) Working location of the Code for All Core Team: Our fiscal sponsor, Fundacja Moje Państwo, is based in Poland. Current staff members located in: Poland, México, Australia, Kenya, and Italy. (2) Our community members (including users, contributors and maintainers of this project) are located in the following countries: México, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Kosovo, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, United States.

Team Skills: (1) Lorin Camargo (she/her). Lorin has over 7 years of experience in the civic tech field and has engaged with organizations within the Code for All Network at the local, national and international level. Vital to the success of this project, Lorin brings skills in event organizing, team management, administration, grant reporting, and also has extensive history with and knowledge about the Code for All network. (2) Mariana Villagrana (she/her). Mariana is a Mexican professional who holds a BA in International Relations. She has specialized in digital communications and storytelling. Before joining CfAll in May 2021, she worked developing digital projects with a youth and gender perspective and strengthening strategic alliances that promote a dialogue culture and a secure digital space in Latin America. Vital to the success of this project, Mar has extremely strong communications and community organizing skills. (3) M. Renja (they/them). Renja has spent the past decade building digital products for multinational organizations, including as part of initiatives funded by Facebook, WhatsApp, Google and the UN. Before joining Code for All’s Core Team, Renja had been collaborating on disability inclusion projects with partners like mySociety and UNDP. Vital to the success of this project, Renja has extensive experience around accessibility and inclusive design. Renja also possesses strong skills in data management and facilitating collaborative activities.

How Did You Hear About This Call: Word of mouth (e.g. conversations and emails from IOI staff, friends, colleagues, etc.) / Boca a boca (por ejemplo, conversaciones y correos electrónicos del personal del IOI, amigos, colegas, etc.)

Submission Number: 20