WESSA Phase 1 report to HHCT_28.10.2021

WESSA Phase 1 report to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust

June 2021 to October 2021

27 th October 2021

Submitted by Dr Andrew Baxter

25 th October 2021

Mr Anthony Nicklin and Ms Anne Emmett Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust

Dear Anthony and Anne,

Re: First report to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust on the WESSA Strategic Review Process

It has been six months since Sarah Alcock and Wandisile Mandlana, our Board Chairperson, met with you both to discuss WESSA’s relationship with the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust. WESSA is extremely grateful for your immediate response and subsequent generous financial support to our organisation. WESSA placed a ‘fit for purpose’ consultant to guide and support the WESSA strategic review process . Professor Christo Fabricius from the Sustainability Research Unit of Mandela University, and two of his colleagues, namely Dr Bianca Currie and Dr Randall Jonas were selected after a rigorous evaluation process. I am now very pleased to submit the phase 1 report to you both as an update to the HHCT on the progress thus far. Essentially, the purpose of phase 1 was to understand WESSA's current interventions, governance structures and strategic plan; assess the forces that influence WESSA's value risks in the context of South and Southern Africa's environmental challenges and opportunities; and lastly to highlight trends, scenarios and alliances. The entire design thinking processes has 4 phases: I: Discover; II Define; III Develop and IV Reflect. This report is about Phase I (Discover) with some elements of Phase II (Define). The Phase I process involved a combination of document analysis, focus group discussions with a range of stakeholders, individual interviews and periodic reflection with the Strategic Working Group (an appointed sub-committee of the WESSA Board), Exco and all Board directors. The timeline stretched from 23 June until 13 September 2021. This entailed a 1-month extension of Phase 1, to include additional surveys, focus group discussions and individual interviews at the request of the Strategic Working Group and Board. The plans are well advanced to take these findings forward to define and develop a strategy that will include all stakeholders to put WESSA at the forefront as a leading organisation that truly represents South African civil society in environmental advocacy and the facilitation of collective action towards ecologically responsible stewardship of the planet.

We are carefully managing the budget so that we successfully implement phase 3 and 4 of the process that involves the roll out of the strategy with stakeholders, including the change management process.

WESSA continues to value the long-standing partnership between our two organisations, and I look forward to sharing the next report with you soon.

Yours sincerely,

_______________

Andrew Baxter Chief Executive Officer

PHASE 1. Situational analysis- the reality and context within which WESSA operates

Christo Fabricius, Bianca Currie and Randall Jonas

8 October 2021

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Background ......................................................................................................................................... 4 II. Methods............................................................................................................................................. 4 III. The WESSA ecosystem ('as it is') ....................................................................................................... 4 IV. Seven critical success factors............................................................................................................ 4 V. Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities ....................................................................................... 5 1. Clarity of purpose, mission and value proposition ........................................................................ 5 2. Governance systems and processes .............................................................................................. 7 3. Human resources ........................................................................................................................... 7 4. Support base, alliances and partnerships ...................................................................................... 7 5. Identity, brand and culture ............................................................................................................ 9 6. Financial sustainability ................................................................................................................... 9 7. Monitoring and adaptive management ....................................................................................... 10 VI. Scenarios..................................................................................................................................... 10 Full Report 1 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Phase 1 objectives...................................................................................................................... 12 2 Process .............................................................................................................................................. 13 2.1 Methods..................................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Dialogues and engagements ............................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 Document analysis .............................................................................................................. 13 3 Approach........................................................................................................................................... 14 4 The WESSA ecosystem ('as it is') ....................................................................................................... 14 4.1 Connectedness and disconnectedness within the WESSA ecosystem....................................... 15 5 Seven critical success factors ............................................................................................................ 16 6 Seven critical success factors: strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 17 6.1 Clarity of purpose, mission and value proposition .................................................................... 17 6.1.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 17

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6.1.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 20 6.2 Governance systems and processes .......................................................................................... 21 6.2.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 21 6.2.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 21 6.3 Human resources ....................................................................................................................... 23 6.3.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 23 6.3.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 23 6.4 Support base, alliances and partnerships .................................................................................. 23 6.4.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 23 6.4.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 24 6.5 Identity, brand and culture ........................................................................................................ 27 6.5.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 27 6.5.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 28 6.6 Financial sustainability ............................................................................................................... 29 6.6.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 29 6.6.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 29 6.7 Monitoring and adaptive management ..................................................................................... 30 6.7.1 Strengths ............................................................................................................................. 30 6.7.2 Weaknesses......................................................................................................................... 30 7 Potential opportunities and leverage points .................................................................................... 31 7.1 Leverage points and game changers.......................................................................................... 31 7.2 Mission and clarity of purpose................................................................................................... 31 7.2.1 Opportunity: Sharpen clarity of purpose ............................................................................ 31 7.3 Governance systems and processes .......................................................................................... 33 7.3.1 Opportunity: Adapt governance systems and processes .................................................... 33 7.4 Human resources ....................................................................................................................... 34 7.4.1 Opportunity: Human resource development ...................................................................... 34 7.5 Support base, alliances and partnerships .................................................................................. 34 7.5.1 Opportunity: Strengthen WESSA’s support base, alliances and partnerships .................... 34 7.6 Identity, brand and culture ........................................................................................................ 37 7.6.1 Opportunity: Strengthen and sharpen WESSA’s identity, brand and culture ..................... 37 7.7 Financial sustainability ............................................................................................................... 38 7.7.1 Opportunity: Become a lean, flat organization ................................................................... 38 7.7.2 Opportunity: Government and bilateral donors are looking for reliable trustworthy partners........................................................................................................................................ 41 7.7.3 Opportunity: Corporates are looking for ways to strengthen and validate their ESG credentials.................................................................................................................................... 41 7.7.4 Opportunity: Other organizations are looking for a safe pair of hands, to partner with .... 42 7.7.5 Opportunity: Global funds are available ............................................................................. 42 7.8 Monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management .................................................................. 43 7.8.1 Opportunity: establish a fit for purpose MEL system and develop a learning culture........ 43 8 Possibilities = scenarios..................................................................................................................... 44 8.1 Scenario exercise ....................................................................................................................... 46 9 Way forward ..................................................................................................................................... 47 Figures Figure 1. The WESSA ecosystem, with strong contributions in dark blue and weak contributions shaded more lightly. The ecosystem is balanced on the WESSA Board, strategic plan, action plans and the organization culture, brand, trust and credibility................................................................... 15

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Figure 2. WESSA’s seven critical success factors are nested within one another, with clarity of purpose and value proposition at the core. Trust, credibility and communication cut across all seven ............................................................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 3. Members and social media followers have expectations that WESSA should promote human rights and well-being through environmental sustainability................................................... 18 Figure 4. Stakeholders need more information about complex global issues, climate change and the link between humans and the environment........................................................................................ 18 Figure 5. Most stakeholders agree that WESSA should be both people and nature centric ............... 19 Figure 6. WESSA's stakeholders and their expectations ...................................................................... 20 Figure 7. Age distribution of WESSA members (orange, N=717); social media followers (blue, sample=118) and WESSA supporters = EC05 membership category (grey, N=649). Horizontal axis in percentages ......................................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 8. Key areas for improvement, according to the Board, Exco, members' representatives and WESSA staff.......................................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 9. Strategy hierarchy emerging from Phase 1 consultations and surveys. ‘WESSA inspires and mobilizes society to be champions of the environment / worthy stewards of the biosphere’. ‘The WESSA Family’ forms the foundation of the structure........................................................................ 32 Figure 10. Draft Theory of Change or Impact Chain co-developed with the Board............................. 33 Figure 11. Example of a reward vs. strategic focus exercise completed by Exco. [Note the absence of items in the 'don't do it' category]. A more objective exercise will be completed during Phase 2. Low- risk endeavors are in green.................................................................................................................. 39 Tables Table 1. Types and number of stakeholder engagements during Phase 1 .......................................... 13 Table 2. Document types and numbers reviewed during Phase 1 ...................................................... 14 Table 3. The value WESSA brings to its stakeholders .......................................................................... 17 Table 4. WESSA's current impact on the SDGs .................................................................................... 19 Table 5. Common visions among WESSA stakeholders ....................................................................... 20 Table 6. Activities WESSA members are able and willing to engage in and contribute to .................. 24 Table 7. Areas for improvement according to WESSA stakeholders ................................................... 26 Table 8. Perceptions of WESSA's brand among stakeholders.............................................................. 28 Table 9. What stakeholders believe WESSA is good at ........................................................................ 28 Table 10. Common leverage points and game changers mentioned by stakeholders ........................ 31 Table 11. SCAMPER exercise aimed at improving the impact of WESSA offerings.............................. 40

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Executive Summary

I. Background This report is about Phase 1 (“Discover”) of a design thinking process to review WESSA’s medium term strategic plan. The objectives are to: • Understand WESSA's current interventions, governance structures and strategic plan • Assesses forces that influence WESSA's value, risks in the context of • South and southern Africa's environmental challenges and opportunities and highlight • Trends, scenarios and alliances. II. Methods The team conducted 49 stakeholder engagements and surveys and studied 65 WESSA documents and used a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analysis and interpretation to synthesize key issues, patterns and anomalies. III. The WESSA ecosystem ('as it is') • The WESSA ecosystem consists of internal and external stakeholders, and enabling support systems, with connections between them ranging from strong to very weak • The resilience of the WESSA ecosystem hinges on connectedness among and between elements. Connectedness is fostered through information flow, trust and social capital • The ecosystem is balanced on the WESSA Board, strategic plan, action plans and the organization culture, brand, trust and credibility.

IV. Seven critical success factors 1. Clarity of purpose and value proposition 2. Governance systems and processes 3. Human resources 4. Support base, alliances and partnerships 5. Identity, brand and culture 6. Financial sustainability 7. Monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management.

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Monitoring & adaptive management

6.Financial sustainability

5.Identity, brand and culture

4.Support base, alliances and partnerships

Communication

Trust & credibility

3.Human resources

2.Governance systems & processes

1.Clarity of purpose

V. Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities

1. Clarity of purpose, mission and value proposition Strengths

• Strong convergence around the vision that WESSA should be the leading environmental movement for a sustainable future, protecting and conserving the environment through collective action; leading the way for the environment we want; the Champion of Champions for the environment. Weaknesses • Programmes have drifted away from WESSA's mission in pursuit of income targets. Opportunities • Sharpen WESSA’s clarity of focus by aligning mission, purpose, markets, offerings, processes and structure

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WESSA’s mission is to:

• Reduce threats to the natural environment • Inspire society to act.. for a clean and sustainable environment for future generations • Facilitate collective action towards stewardship of the biosphere

Purpose

•WESSA serves the natural environment by enabling supporters, policy makers and implementers, corporates and civil society to be worthy biosphere stewards

Markets

•Donors, corporations, government and individuals who are aligned with our mission, and who are willing to pay a fair price for our value proposition

1.Communicate a clear purpose and value proposition 2.Maintain solid governance systems and processes 3.Develop knowledgeable and inspired human resources 4.Nurture and develop its support base, alliances and partnerships 5.Strengthen its identity, brand and culture 6.Enhance financial sustainability •A reputable, trustworthy and well-governed champion of the environment •A national platform to galvanize society to take care of their natural environment •Environmental learning and capacity development materials and services to promote stewardship at all levels •Tools and advisory services to promote good environmental practice •Good and stable governance systems •Mechanisms to harness & channel stakeholders’ capacities & skills •Leading edge communication systems, networks and technologies •Skilled and knowledgeable facilitation services

Strategy

Offerings

Processes

•A lean organizational structure with low overheads •Streamlined and capable support services •A network of relationship builders and facilitators •Thematic committees, workstreams and working groups •A well-governed national network of supporters

Structure

• Stick to a well defined Theory of Change; yet be prepared to adapt markets, strategies, processes and structure (but not mission and purpose) when monitoring data indicates this is necessary.

Inputs

Interventions

Outcomes

l Align mission, activities, governance, people and financial resources l The board must adopt a clear, concise and easily understood strategic plan for the future of WESSA. l Prioritize a smaller number of focused themes l Address the governance structure l Agree on separation of duties of the Board and the executive l Become more visible in conservation and sustainable development dialogues and policy forums l Broaden the constituency, but with a clear focus l Raise adequate funds l Develop a new vibrant communication plan,

l Find WESSA's niche and special value proposition l Adapt WESSA's governance model, to become a lean and focused organization with a clear identity and purpose l Clearly communicate WESSA's focus and value proposition l Develop and strengthen alliances and partnerships l Financial sustainability l Make concerted efforts accepted trusted voice..the go-to organization for reliable information and expertise l “ To be a highly effective and well-supported champion of the environment” at demographic transformation l Become a widely

l Funding l Intellectual property and technical expertise l Human capital: staff and voluntary workers l Data l Technology l Infrastructure l Trust and social capital l Brand and identity l Communication products

Ultimate impacts l Reduced threats to the natural environment l An inspired society that acts for a common purpose: a clean and sustainable environment for future generations l Facilitating collective action towards stewardship of the planet

linked to a focused fundraising strategy

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2. Governance systems and processes Strengths • Governance systems are in place even though their implementation leaves room for improvement • Supportive Board who are willing to contribute. Weaknesses • Guidelines for members are ineffective • Complicated structure, cumbersome procedures. Opportunities • Adapt governance systems and processes by providing clearer policies and guidelines to volunteers, regions and branches about financial accountability, governance and meeting procedures • Meticulously implement internal governance and accountability systems • It is crucial that all Board members should act in the interest of the Organization as a whole and support the newly negotiated direction - in the interest of One WESSA. 3. Human resources Strengths • Strong role of women at all levels • Professionalism, knowledge and skills among staff and supporters combined. Weaknesses • Skills gaps • Large staff budget. Opportunities • Develop human resources by: o Building on the strong presence of women in WESSA to develop an organizational culture grounded in empathy, cooperation and communication o Re-aligning, retraining staff along streamlined and consolidated activities and workstreams aligned with the Theory of Change o Harnessing and channeling the willingness, expertise and energy among volunteers. 4. Support base, alliances and partnerships Strengths • Stakeholders believe in WESSA and are willing to contribute • A strong and diverse WESSA family. Weaknesses

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• Historical discord between some members, members’ representatives - and WESSA management, staff and the Board • Perceptions of underperformance and mission drift among many stakeholders • Lack of absorption of learners and beneficiaries into the WESSA family. Opportunities • Strengthen WESSA’s support base, alliances and partnerships by o Mobilizing the full WESSA support base for guided collective action, to create systemic change – for ‘the planet we want’. There are six elements, with trust building and legitimacy at the centre:

Motivate: Provide evidence that it has worked Reflect and learn

Empower: facilitate and organize society for collective action

Awareness: something is wrong; change is needed

Build trust, legitimacy & credibility

Offer solutions: for achievable goal-directed collective action

Imagine: vividly paint a positive, bright future for ‘the planet we want’

Mobilize: around a shared belonging, identity and collective goals

o Re-evaluating membership categories and fees, to broaden membership and make it more inclusive o Providing clear direction and guidelines to the WESSA family of supporters o Launching youth and virtual branches o Enhancing confidence and trust through consistent and transparent messaging o Forging strong alliances with corporates and other non-profits (nationally and internationally) who share WESSA’s vision.

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5. Identity, brand and culture Strengths • An old and established brand • Association with environmental conservation, education and youth mobilization. Weaknesses • Diverse interpretations of the WESSA brand • Unclear to stakeholders why they should choose WESSA over others • Perceptions of stagnation and conservatism. Opportunities A strong brand statement, e.g. “WESSA enables corporations, government, donor organizations and civil society who are passionate about caring for the Earth to be worthy environmental stewards, make a meaningful difference on the ground, and get fulfillment and recognition for their contributions” • Strengthen and sharpen WESSA’s identity, brand and culture by o Differentiating WESSA as a leader in inclusive conservation and environmentalism o Instilling so much love and pride for the brand in employees, beneficiaries and volunteers that they freely advocate its virtues to customers, friends, and family members o Launching a ‘One WESSA’ and ‘Environmental Champions’ campaign and supporter drive. 6. Financial sustainability Strengths • Fixed assets can be used as collateral. Weaknesses • Over-emphasis on contractual project management services with unfavorable MoUs and contracts • High overheads. Opportunities • Become a lean, flat and financially sustainable organization by

o Reviewing all programmes i.t.o. focus, reward and risk o Streamlining existing programmes to maximize their value o Separating commercial and non-profit endeavours o Building on existing strong reputations with Government and bilateral donor agencies o Presenting clear value propositions to stakeholders o Working with Corporates to strengthen and validate their ESG credentials

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o Offering WESSA as a safe pair of hands, an authentic voice for the environment, to local, provincial and national government o Exploring global funding opportunities. 7. Monitoring and adaptive management Strengths • Digital infrastructures exist • Willing volunteers. Weaknesses • Outcomes and impacts not monitored • Adaptive management not informed by evidence. Opportunities • Establish a fit for purpose MEL system and develop a learning culture by o Developing innovative practicable and affordable dashboards that evaluate impacts and outcomes o Involving volunteers in online data collection o Developing decision support systems that enable evidence-based adaptive decision making. VI. Scenarios Three possible future scenarios for WESSA. A. The elephant: familiar routes • Persistent • Back to roots • Grounded in tradition B. The octopus: diverse and flexible • Diverse • Opportunistic • Flexible and accommodating C. The leopard: patient and focused • Calculating • Lean • Selective. In Phase II, each scenario can be evaluated against the 7 critical success factors, in terms of their risks vs. reward potential. The scenarios are described in more detail below.

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Scenario descriptions

Scenario

1.1value proposition

1.2purpose

2.Governance systems and processes

3.Human resources

4.Support base, alliances, partnerships

5.Identity, brand and culture

6.Financial sustainability strategy

7.M&E, adaptive management

the elephant: Returning to familiar routes

Strong representation of members in decision making

Members and conservation donors; other conservation NGOs

Grow income through membership fees, bequests and donations

Wessa focuses on advocating for wildlife and conservation priorities in South Africa. Actions under pinned by science and recognizing the importance of bio-diversity conservation for human well-being.

Citizens science focusing on biodiversity trends and impacts

Wildlife conservation; publications about pristine nature; charismatic species conservation

Staff provides membership support; professional ecologists provide technical info and representation in forums

Protected area expansion. Wildlife conservation. threatened species protection. Training of rangers Advocacy against threats to habitat and wildlife.

the octopus: Diverse and flexible

Within the broader framework of the SDGs supporting educational and vocational training of youth with an environmental emphasis, where possible. Wessa focusses on education and training and builds and refines this capacity in a profitable/sustainable manner. SDGs =

Excellent project implementation; training providers; environmental education broadly; 'sustainability'; resilience

Win tenders and contracts; sub- contracts; implementation of government & donor public works programmes

Accountants; project managers; proposal writers; entrepreneurs; external consultants for technical know- how; hire & fire

Environment & development issues, broadly linked to SDGs. Excellent project

Financial accountability; project budget controls; risk management; auditing

Funders' requirements, e.g. Income & expenses; number of beneficiaries / learners reached

Those who can benefit WESSA's bottom line. Client who sub-contract WESSA. Membership runs independently from professional staff. Regional autonomy and diversity

implementation, to generate financial surpluses

the leopard: Patient, lean and focused

Streamlined and right-sized. Contract positions for short duration projects. Harnessing and channelling capacity of support base

Mobilizing & enabling society for environmental stewardship..towa rds the planet we all want

Simplified yet rigorously implemented. Strong guidelines

Willingness to pay for value proposition; donor buy-in; bequests. Long term contracts; large global programmes; NGO partnerships

One WESSA - 'the WESSA Family' of supporters. Wide range of supporter categories. Selective alliances with corporates, NGOs, government around shared values & mission

Focussed projects & programmes aimed at

Wessa implements strategic actions, partnerships and programmes of work to address: the climate emergency (energy transition), habitat and biodiversity loss (on land and in oceans), pollution, consumption and waste. Using the SDGs 3,6,7,11,12,13,14 and 15 or a tighter subset) as the primary lens of determination.

Dashboard, focused on outcomes & impacts in ToC. Learning, reflection & adaptive management. Involvement of supporters in data collection

achieving systemic impact, directly linked to outcomes in the Theory of Change.. "Facilitating collective action towards ecologically responsible stewardship of the planet"

to channel supporters

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1 Background The team of consultants (Christo Fabricius, Bianca Currie and Randall Jonas) were contracted by WESSA to conduct a purpose, mission, vision, strategic focus, governance and funding review to “ensure that WESSA is playing its rightful and a significant role in addressing environmental challenges. Specific focus should also include an in-depth review of the relationship between the stakeholders and the fractured nature of some of them” . We proposed a design thinking process, consisting of 4 stages: I. Discover - understand the context and nub of the problem by analysing the situation using secondary data, and spending time with stakeholders. II. Define - synthesize and clearly outline challenges and opportunities and future Impact Paths in a desired direction. III. Develop - co-create clear solutions and recommendations; IV. Reflect & learn, communicate understandings, invite reflection and jointly map a way forward towards implementation, monitoring and adaptive management. The over-all objectives of the review are to: 1. Analyse and discover the current reality and contexts in which WESSA operates, the scope and focus of its existing operations and the roles of different stakeholders 2. Define current and future challenges and opportunities, using the Sustainable Development Goals and resilience building as frameworks for sense-making 3. Embark on a co-development process that seeks to align all WESSA’s stakeholders around a common purpose, vision, strategy, branding and practical financial and governance model 4. Co-produce a new yet practicable model for value creation – “ a roadmap to the sustainable planet we want; and the WESSA that will get us there ” 5. Recommend practicable strategies towards operationalizing the model through constantly monitoring and evaluating progress. 1.1 Phase 1 objectives This report is about Objective 1 (Analyse and discover the current reality and contexts in which WESSA operates), but also incorporates elements of Objective 3 (Embark on a co-development process that seeks to align all WESSA’s stakeholders around a common purpose, vision, strategy, branding and practical financial and governance model). The Phase 1 investigation: • Synthesizes secondary information and documents to fully understand WESSA's current interventions, governance structures and strategic plan • Assesses the social, technological, economic, environmental, political and cultural (STEEP-C) forces that influence WESSA’s value, as well as risks to the organization’s sustainability • Assesses South and southern Africa’s environmental challenges and opportunities against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals • Summarizes the international and national environmental non-profit sector – and looking at investment trends, likely scenarios and scope for strategic alliances

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• Pin-points focal topics and questions to guide focus group discussions and stakeholder engagements in the next Stage.

2 Process The entire design thinking processes has 4 phases: I: Discover; II Define; III Develop and IV Reflect. This report is about Phase I (Discover) with some elements of Phase II (Define). The Phase I process involved a combination of document analysis, focus group discussions with a range of stakeholders, individual interviews and periodic reflection with the Strategic Working Group, Exco and the Board. The time-line stretched from 23 June until 13 September 2021. This entailed a 1-month extension of Phase 1, to include additional surveys, focus group discussions and individual interviews at the request of the Strategic Working Group and Board.

2.1 Methods

2.1.1 Dialogues and engagements

Engagements took the form of focus group discussions, individual interviews and questionnaire surveys. The number of engagements in each category are summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Types and number of stakeholder engagements during Phase 1

Number of dialogues

Type of engagement Focus group discussions

Stakeholder group

Board

2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 3

Exco Staff

After-school youth employed or trained

Scholars Teachers

Regional representatives Members and friends Strategic Working Group

External key informants: other NGO CEOs, donors, former Board members & clients

Individual interviews

15 13

Board members

Questionnaire surveys

Online Questionnaires administered

3

TOTAL

49

2.1.2 Document analysis

A total of 65 documents (Table 2), provided by WESSA and extracted from the Web, were assessed. Note: there was some overlap between categories.

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Table 2. Document types and numbers reviewed during Phase 1 Document type

Number of documents

Minutes, financial reports and annual reviews

15

Project proposal examples Brand and profile documents

4 2 9 2

Strategy documents

15

Membership and governance documents Online surveys (118+108 responses)

Web site extracts

18 65

TOTAL

3 Approach For Phase 1 (the status quo), WESSA’s current situation is assessed through the lens of 7 critical success factors, outlining their strengths and weaknesses. Stretching Phase 1 somewhat into Phase 2, we also present opportunities, using the same 7 critical success factors, as well as scenarios. We made liberal use of diagrams to convey insights and results, and as far as possible mirror and interpret information presented to us via documents, dialogues, surveys and discussions.

4 The WESSA ecosystem ('as it is')

The WESSA ecosystem (Figure 1) consists of relationships and flows of resources (knowledge; trust; revenue) between them. Key components include: Stakeholders, e.g. • Funders and investors • Subcontract clients

• Policy makers • Other NGOs • Members and volunteers • Beneficiaries (learners, teachers, interns)

• Professional technical staff • Professional support staff

Support systems e.g.:

• Governance systems and processes • Physical infrastructure • Financial assets • Fixed assets.

The foundation of the WESSA ecosystem is its strategic and action plans, workstreams and working groups, organizational culture including its brand, identity and credibility. The WESSA Board is the custodian of the WESSA ecosystem. Some contributions are strong and healthy (the dark arrows), others are incomplete (the lighter arrows) while others are weak or even non-existent (the white arrows).

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Professional technical staff

Professional support staff

Beneficiaries (learners, teachers, interns)

Governance systems and processes

Members and volunteers

EXCO

Organizational infrastructure

Other NGOs

Policy makers

Fixed assets

Subcontractors

Financial assets

The WESSA Ecosystem

‘Human capital’.. Knowledge & skills

Funders & investors

Action plans, workstreams & working groups Organizational culture, brand, trust, credibility

WESSA Board Strategic plan

Figure 1. The WESSA ecosystem, with strong contributions in dark blue and weak contributions shaded more lightly. The ecosystem is balanced on the WESSA Board, strategic plan, action plans and the organization culture, brand, trust and credibility

4.1 Connectedness and disconnectedness within the WESSA ecosystem

• The resilience of the WESSA ecosystem hinges on connectedness among and between elements • Strengthening these connections through trust building, communication and presenting a crisp value proposition to stakeholders is an important opportunity • Strong connections include: the link between staff, infrastructure and sub-contracting clients; the links between professional technical and support staff • Weak connections include the link between members and volunteers and professional staff; between internal governance processes, as well as governance of members and volunteers; between clients, donors and investors and tangible assets • Lack of a common bond that brings various stakeholder groups together around a collective vision has caused many of the disconnects.

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5 Seven critical success factors

Seven critical success factors were identified. These include: 1. Clarity of purpose and value proposition 2. Governance systems and processes 3. Human resources 4. Support base, alliances and partnerships 5. Identity, brand and culture 6. Financial sustainability 7. Monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management. Two drivers of success: trust and credibility; and communication, cut across all 7 factors (Figure 2).

Monitoring & adaptive management

6.Financial sustainability

5.Identity, brand and culture

4.Support base, alliances and partnerships

Communication

Trust & credibility

3.Human resources

2.Governance systems & processes

1.Clarity of purpose

Figure 2. WESSA’s seven critical success factors are nested within one another, with clarity of purpose and value proposition at the core. Trust, credibility and communication cut across all seven

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6 Seven critical success factors: strengths and weaknesses

6.1 Clarity of purpose, mission and value proposition

6.1.1 Strengths

Table 3. The value WESSA brings to its stakeholders

Value WESSA brings its stakeholders

Learnerships (current) X

Providing reliable information and education

Board X

EXCO X

Membership X X

Learnerships (Previous) X

Teachers X

Scholars X

Scholars X

Social media survey X

(senior)

(juniors)

Members survey

Inspiration, agency & confidence

X

X

X

X X

X X

X

X X

Credibility and excellent project implementation X Providing a platform / broader support network and sense of belonging X

X X

X

X

X

Awareness creation

X

X

X

Fundraising

X X

Social impact - promoting human rights and human well being Advocacy for environment rights and issues and representation in environmental forums No value

X

X

X

X

X

• There is strong agreement amongst stakeholders about WESSA’s emphasis on linking environment, promotion of human rights and human well-being o Most members (58%) and social media followers (71%) agreed that WESSA should be both people- and nature centric. This is aligned with a ‘people caring for the Earth’ focus (Figure 4) • Several existing programmes are well aligned with WESSA’s environmental focus and can form the building blocks or ‘seeds’ for future renewal o Well aligned programmes include e.g. Blue Flag; Green Key; Green Coast; Eco Schools (requires some interrogation of projects being implemented); LEAF; YRE; Rural Sustainable Villages; e-STEAM; Climate Diplomacy • Across WESSA stakeholders the most identified values WESSA brings them included 1) reliable information and education, followed by 2) inspiration, agency and confidence. Additional values include 3) credibility, 4) excellent project implementation, 5) a platform for a broader support network, and 6) a sense of belonging (Figures 3 & 4).

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Figure 3. Members and social media followers have expectations that WESSA should promote human rights and well-being through environmental sustainability

0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 5

Global environmental issues

National environmental issues

Climate change Conservation of species and ecosystems

Environmental education

Human well- being and the environment

Members

Social media fol lowers

Figure 4. Stakeholders need more information about complex global issues, climate change and the link between humans and the environment • A sense of identity and belonging was seen as an important value that WESSA brings to stakeholders • Supporters believed that WESSA’s most important contribution to SDGs were Quality Education, Life on Land, and facilitating Partnership for the SDGs. Clean water and sanitation and climate action also featured strongly in responses (Table 4).

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Table 4. WESSA's current impact on the SDGs

SDGs WESSA has an impact on

Total

WESSA EXCO

WESS regional & branch leadership WESSA Membership

WESSA Learnerships (current)

WESSA Learnership (Previous) Teachers

In-school learners (senior)

In-school learners (juniors)

SDG 3 Quality Education

17

X

X X X X

SDG 15 Life on land

16 X X X

X X

SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation

15

X

X X X

9 X X X

X

X

SDG 13 Climate action

9 X X

X

X X

SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production

8 6 3 3 3 2

X X X X

X X X X X X

SDG 14 Life below Water

X

SDG 16 Peace justice and strong institutions

X X

• There were strong sentiments amongst members and supporters that WESSA’s vision should be to lead an environmental movement for a sustainable future, to promote collective action for the environment, and capacitating the youth and leaders for environmental sustainability (Table 5) • There are encouraging overlaps in expectations between WESSA’s stakeholder groups (S.A. society; volunteers; customers & investors; professional staff; learners) (Figure 6). Everyone wants to have impact • WESSA staff envisioned an organisation that is progressive, visionary, and proactive - signaling that they are ready for change.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Being nature centric Being people centric Being human nature centric Members Social media fol lowers

Figure 5. Most stakeholders agree that WESSA should be both people and nature centric

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Figure 6. WESSA's stakeholders and their expectations Table 5. Common visions among WESSA stakeholders

Common visions

WESSA protecting and conserving the environment

Board

EXCO

Regional &

Branch leaders Staff

Members &

supporters

Teachers

Members survey

Social media survey

55

X

X

X

X

X

WESSA leading an environmental movement for a sustainable future WESSA well networked in collective action for the environment, mobilized membership WESSA leading environmental education for an engaged youth and leaders of the future WESSA being a leading environmental voice and knowledge source WESSA driving the blue and green economies alleviating poverty & unemployment Measurable impact and accountability

48

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

48 X

X

X

X

X

45 X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

26

X

X

X

X

X

5 2

X X

X

X

X X

X

6.1.2 Weaknesses

• The current vision (“ To be a highly effective and well-supported champion of the environment ” and “ to implement high impact environmental and conservation projects which promote public participation in caring for the Earth ”) is formulated to focus internally rather than on WESSA’s desired impacts and achievements o This does not resonate well with supporters’ expectations of WESSA’s value, which they see as making a difference to the environment we all want

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• Several programmes have drifted away from WESSA’s mission in pursuit of income targets which feature prominently in managers’ performance objectives o Examples include programmes focusing just on tourism or edu-tourism; feeding and food production programmes with tenuous links to environmental stewardship; employment programmes focusing just on environmental job creation; youth empowerment programmes with a minor focus on environment; and formal qualification offerings with vague or indirect links to WESSA’s mission 1 • Stakeholders struggle to understand and therefore have not bought into WESSA's vision • Members are not unanimous in their support for a more integrated approach: 40% of those surveyed believed WESSA should be purely nature-centric, compared to 25% of social media followers who believed the same. • Governance and accountability systems and processes, while still leaving considerable room for improvements in implementation, exist • WESSA has a supportive, competent and motivated Board who are willing to contribute and have a lot to offer, e.g. o Connecting Exco to their corporate, political and professional networks o Involving WESSA directly in some of their own projects and endeavors o Using their influencing potential on e.g. social media o Providing expert knowledge and advice o Being brand ambassadors • A motivated and experienced Exco has carried WESSA through a crisis period • Essential organizational infrastructures (digital networks, social media platforms, databases and physical infrastructure) exist and do not have to be developed from the ground up. • Guidelines for members’ conduct and governance processes are inadequate; those that do exist are not being implemented • Financial record keeping and accountability at regional and branch level compromises auditing outcomes and needs to be improved • Decision making processes and minuting thereof at regional and branch level are inconsistent; it is unclear how members’ representatives on the Board obtain their mandates o Difficult to verify whether positions taken by members’ representatives in 2020 Board meetings reflected those of the broader WESSA support base, or whether (as 6.2 Governance systems and processes 6.2.1 Strengths 6.2.2 Weaknesses

1 This should not be construed as a critique of management and staff, who performed their duties and followed instructions to the best of their abilities and kept the organization afloat during difficult times

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