Better Outcomes. Better lives.

Background

The Center for Environmental Law and Community Rights (CELCOR) was established in February 2000. CELCOR is a not-for-profit public interest environmental law and advocacy organization. It was set up to address a growing need for legal support to adversely affected and highly marginalized people who mainly reside in rural areas.

Over the past 16 years, CELCORs vision and mission has remained constant. An organizational crisis sent the organization into a free fall leading to the recruitment of a new Director.

The current evaluation was organized in order to evaluate if and to what degree CELCOR and the new management have been able to pull the organization together and where it currently stands in relation to vision and mission

Purpose/objective

This 2017 evaluation is the fourth evaluation since CELCOR was established, with previous evaluations in 2005, 2008 and, most importantly here, 2011.

The objectives of the evaluation are to:

• examine the achievements of the organization in light of its 2011 External Evaluation recommendations and provide feedback on CELCOR’s performance
• provide an analytical review of the main evaluation findings to provide feedback for policy refinement, impact and replication 
• recommend strategies/approaches/activities to improve the efficacy of the program to achieve anticipated outcomes within stipulated timeframes.

Methodology

This 2017 evaluation is the fourth evaluation since CELCOR was established, with previous evaluations in 2005, 2008 and, most importantly here, 2011.
The objectives of the evaluation are to: 

• examine the achievements of the organization in light of its 2011 External Evaluation recommendations and provide feedback on CELCOR’s performance
• provide an analytical review of the main evaluation findings to provide feedback for policy refinement, impact and replication 
• recommend strategies/approaches/activities to improve the efficacy of the program to achieve anticipated outcomes within stipulated timeframes.

Key findings: see in relation to “recommendations”

Recommendations

Keeping CELCOR functional Recommendation 1:

It is recommended that consideration be given to fine-tuning the governance framework including:

1. ensuring that elections to the Board are held every year
2. ensuring that there is parity between men and women on the Board (at least three of each)
3. ensuring that Board members are aware of, and commit to, Board responsibilities
4. inviting a person with governance experience and a close association with EDO NSW onto the Board
5. preparing a skills matrix to ensure that CELCOR has the right range of skills on the Board
6. actively using the partnership with EDO NSW to engage in ongoing training on governance
7. adopting a simpler strategic planning framework as follows:
   - effective legal protection
   - empowering the community
   - leadership and influence iv. dynamic, functional organisation.

Recommendation 2

It is recommended that the open and transparent approach to management is continued, including:

1. following adopted financial and budgeting policies and procedures
2. following adopted staffing policies and procedures including:
   - having regular internal meetings (management team, programs, staff)
   - recruiting (staff and consultants) openly and transparently
   - communicating and making decisions openly and transparently
   - doing staff appraisals regularly
3. reviewing staffing salaries and frameworks to ensure equity and promotion opportunities d. dealing quickly and fairly with non-performance
4. discussing policies and procedures at staff meetings (on a rotational basis)
5. reviewing all aspects of IT, including the server, hardware, network, document management and protocols, and legal databases
6. discontinuing consultancy work for internal staff.

Recommendation 3

It is recommended that risk management be further improved by:

1. developing a basic risk management manual (with assistance from EDO NSW)
2. rotating the auditors ever three years
3. adopting a written procedure for communicating with donors when budgeting problems arise
4. developing a process for backing up the server regularly
5. developing procedures to deal with what to do when something goes wrong, including immediate response and reporting back
6. ensuring roles and responsibilities are clear, and monies allocated, for basic office functioning such as internet, security, vehicles and printers
7. introducing risk management as a standing agenda item at Board, management team and staff meetings.

Recommendation 4

It is recommended that training be emphasised including: 

1. setting up a basic training register for staff and Board members (name, position, date, type of training needed, type of training that can be delivered) 
2. doing a training needs assessment for existing staff and Board members
3. identifying training options and opportunities at the annual reflection day (as internal, in kind, EDO NSW and external)
4. taking advantage of ad hoc training opportunities for staff and Board members.

Recommendation 5

It is recommended that monitoring and evaluation is improved by:

1. monitoring progress against the Operational Plan at each Management Team meeting
2. developing basic evaluation tools to help measure effectiveness (such as at the end of workshops)
3. using external evaluators at the mid-point of the next strategic plan (that is, after its first 18 months).

Recommendation 6

It is recommended that CELCOR focus its fundraising and income generation efforts on:

1. restoring donor confidence and grant-making rather than corporate or community fundraising
2. exploring in kind contributions from supporters, clients and NGOs, particularly in circumstances where CELCOR is providing services.

Making CELCOR more effective

Recommendation 7

It is recommended that the commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach be continued through:

1. actively pursuing and building on the partnership with EDO NSW over the next 3 to 5 years
2. using program meetings to exchange information and explore the linkages between the DLA, CLE and PRLR programs c.
3. integrating the CAN activities into other programs (such as CLE and PRLR).

Recommendation 8

It is recommended that Community Legal Education:

• provide its service across the provinces of Papua New Guinea, where relevant
• provide all field reports to the litigation committee as soon as they are completed
• explore more targeted CLE opportunities where training is focussed on the issues at hand
• explore the possibility of accreditation with the National Training Council
• explore the possibility of doing fee-for-service CLE work for the government around policy review and law reform processes.

Recommendation 9

It is recommended that Direct Legal Assistance be further improved by:

1. inviting a person with strong litigation skills and with a close association with EDO NSW onto the CELCOR Board
2. actively using a litigation committee comprising the CELCOR Principal Lawyer, the in country legal consultant and EDO NSW to drive the DLA program and make recommendations about cases and capture lessons learnt
3. ensuring that all recommendations to the Executive Director about potential litigation are accompanied by an opinion on prospects
4. developing a litigation strategy and regularly reviewing the litigation guidelines to ensure that the most strategic cases are being run
5. significantly reducing the obligations of the Principal Lawyer under the CLC program to allow for a clear focus on DLA
6. regularly reviewing the arrangement with EDO NSW and the legal consultant to ensure its efficacy and value for money

Recommendation 10

It is recommended that Policy Review and Law Reform:

1. review the role of PRLR within the office
2. work closely with EDO NSW on building its technical capacity and reach, including the use of science in policy work
3. using CELCORs linkages with local and international people and organisations to further its work on PRLR
4. explore the possibility of doing fee-for-service work for the government around policy review and law reform processes
5. take on the primary legal role around CLE workshops.

Recommendation 11

It is recommended that Campaign, Advocacy and Networking (CAN) be integrated into the other functions.

Recommendation 12

It is recommended that communications be improved including by:

1. preparing a basic communications plan in relation to DLA, PRLR and CLE
2. re-launching the website as soon as possible
3. exploring opportunities for EDO NSW to promote CELCORs work through its media and communication channels (such as sharing of Facebook posts and blogs).