In the fall of 2006, Naser Al Ardah took a three-week break from heading up the Palestinian office of a non-governmental organization which provides humanitarian assistance, particularly technology and educational opportunities for Middle Eastern students and teachers. He traveled to San Diego to take part in the MEET Civil Society Organization training program, and just six months after his return, Naser’s new focus on defining a strategy and engaging employees has mobilized his team, increased fundraising significantly, and led to Naser’s appointment to lead his organization’s regional efforts.
“Upon my return, I started implementing a new structure based on a decentralized approach that gives the opportunity to every staff member to use the best of their abilities, not only on the program implementation side, but also on program development and fundraising aspects,” says Naser.
This collaborative style and the strengthening of his team were vital to the development of a strategic plan for 2007, which Naser says has helped to achieve many positive results for the organization. Already this year, the organization has been hired to develop a new five-month IT training curriculum to be offered in women's centers. Other new initiatives and funding opportunities are being finalized.
Because of this success, Naser was promoted to a regional program development director position, where he will lead program development and fundraising initiatives in Ramallah, Jordan and Lebanon. In addition, he will oversee the organization’s Egypt office. Mohammed Zare, a MEET alumnus he met during the MEET US program in San Diego, has agreed to host the new office in Cairo for one year and may be involved in the development of new programs in Egypt. Naser has also discussed collaborations with MEET alumnus Hani Hourani of Jordan on several initiatives both in Jordan and at the regional level.
“A great deal of this success was because of my participation in the MEET program, especially from the sessions covering strategic plans,” says Naser. “Because of the teamwork approach that I have come to appreciate more after my participation in the MEET program, we were able to develop important new programs, increase funding, and eventually to grow.”
Naser now advises other CSO leaders to focus on strengthening their teams and strategizing for their organizations. He encourages networking among CSOs to mobilize resources, avoid duplication, and coordinate efforts that will benefit more underserved communities and groups rather than just concentrating on one or two service areas. He also stresses that in order to meet the true needs of their communities, CSO leaders should develop their programs based on community needs and donor-driven strategic plans instead of focusing only on donor desires.