This is what it looks like to get sh*t done when everyone works remotely
You might be embarking on a long period of remote work for the first time, or you may still be heading into work while nearly everyone else is at home. How you work is about to dramatically change, but how much you can accomplish doesn’t have to.
Before you write off your own or your team’s ability to be productive while working remotely, we wanted to share a case study to show what is still possible without everyone gathering in an office or having in-person meetings. There are many important reasons for people to come together in-person, but there is so much that can get done when that just isn’t possible.
Case Study: Improving evaluation practices and reporting
Last year IbD was approached by the Global Alliance for Animals and People (GAAP) for help. Their work includes veterinary clinics, education, and conservation programs within Chile, but also communities in Guatemala, Peru, and Canada.
GAAP leadership was feeling overwhelmed by the endless hours they spent writing proposals and reports for funders. They came to us looking for a better way to measure and report on their impact – “What exactly should we be reporting on?” they asked, and “how can reporting take less time?” Due to various constraints, all of our work together would also have to be remote, so we tackled their challenge in these steps:
We started with a series of calls to deeply understand GAAP’s challenges and exactly what the “solution” needed to look like.
IbD conducted several interactive webinars to train them on the process of developing a Theory of Change (ToC).
We supported them in using their ToC to develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan.
GAAP took the M&E plan and used it to build a funder proposal.
Finally, IbD helped bring all of the pieces together and transform their M&E plan into a series of templates they could use for funder reporting.
Not only was all of this work remote, it happened while GAAP remained very busy doing their incredible work to support people and animals every day. They have a veterinary clinic, nature center, children’s classes, and mobile services that couldn’t stop or slow down. Even with all of that work going on, here is what they were able to accomplish:
Theory of Change
Together with GAAP, we developed their organizational Theory of Change (ToC), which they can now use to communicate to their funders how they are making change happen in communities around the world.
Funder Reporting Templates
IbD created funder reporting templates to save time on writing and focus effort on exactly what GAAP needed to share with funders in the clearest way possible. This not only makes these reports easier to complete, it will meet the increasing demands that donors and funders have for impact-driven reporting.
Now GAAP has:
A Theory of Change that helps them clearly articulate how they are making positive impacts for animals, people, and nature
A plan for how they can monitor and evaluate their work
A series of funder reporting templates that will cut way down on the amount of time they spend writing reports
And this was all done remotely.
You can be productive with remote teams too
Whether you are working remotely yourself or collaborating with others who are home, there is so much you can do. There are still many good reasons to come together in-person and when the time is right this is often a preferred way of working. But if your team is grounded or newly working from home, don’t let that be the reason things slow down. Now might actually be the perfect time to get some really important work done.
IbD’s staff is remote and we work with organizations that have teams all over the world, so we’re used to getting sh*t done when people don’t get together. If you have any questions or need more ideas, please feel free to reach out.
