SIDA offers member-only working groups on topics of interest to development professionals. These groups are led and managed by our members. They are supportive spaces designed to work on issues of shared concern, to foster peer support, share best practice and to facilitate peer learning.
All SIDA members (individual and organisational) are welcome to join these groups. Find out more about their aims and how to get involved by emailing us. Please also get in touch if you have ideas for guest speakers for the groups, or want to suggest a new working group topic.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Working Group
The MEL group was launched in 2014 and offers members a space to share approaches to MEL, discuss innovative MEL theories and source new practical tools. It also provides a forum to discuss work based challenges, hear from distinguished invited external guests, as well as scope ad-hoc training needs. All SIDA members (individual and organisational) are welcome to join the group. The MEL working group can be access on the Members Hub here.
Leave No One Behind (LNOB) Working Group
The LNOB group was launched in 2013 and is a place for members to share best practice, learning and knowledge on working with marginalised groups. The purpose is to increase knowledge of different forms of marginalisation in pursuit of better development results. The LNOB working group can be accessed on the Members Hub here.
Funding Working Group
A pilot funding working group was launced in 2018 to meet member demand. It providesa space for SIDA members to share their experience of fundraising (through Trusts and Foundations, membership, high net worth individuals, corporate, crowdfunding, community etc.), and to explore some of the solutions to working in today’s challenging funding environment. The funding working group can be accessed on the Members Hub here.
Safeguarding Working Group
The Safeguarding Working Group was launched in 2019 in our continuing commitment to transforming standards of safeguarding. This working group provides a space for members to share their experience of fostering safe organisations and building robust safeguarding policies, procedures and practice.
The Safeguarding Working Group facilitates discussion and initiatives towards strengthening capacity and practice in safeguarding and embedding an organisational culture where safeguarding incidents are unacceptable and procedures for reporting incidents are clearly set out and understood across organisations. This takes into account the requirements for Scottish Government and other funder compliance, the regulatory environment in Scotland and the evolving UK and global context and the resources being developed.
The Safeguarding Working Group is open to SIDA members (individual and organisational), and can be accessed on the Members Hub here.