What does a new USAID partner organization need to survive, adapt and thrive in a fast-changing world? 

For those funded by the Development Grants Program (DGP), the first steps on the path to improving their performance are often taken at a Detailed Implementation and Management Planning (DIMP) workshop.

Conducted by the USAID-funded Capable Partners Program (CAP), these rigorous week-long “boot camps” help participants learn the nuts and bolts of being a successful USAID partner.

Following the workshops, CAP helps grantees conduct self-assessments and create institutional improvement plans. Then, via customized technical assistance, CAP works with grantees to strengthen the systems that will contribute to the long-term health of their organizations. 

One such DGP Round One grantee is the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) that works in the company “towns” or bateyes that spring up around the sugar cane plantations on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There, BRA serves the needs of migrants who hack out a meager living, yet have little access to adequate shelter and medical care.  

Since its founding in 1997, BRA has partnered with local grassroots groups and U.S. health care professionals to bring modern medical facilities and treatments to the bateyes along the border. From modest beginnings, the non-profit has experienced rapid grown in both size and the scope. But, no matter how rewarding, such growth has strained the organization.

“Batey Relief Alliance was founded from scratch,” said its CEO, Ulrick Gaillard. “It has grown tremendously in a short period of time, and we feel we lack the maturity as an organization to face our challenges in implementation, staff capacity and fundraising.”

Workshops Move Grantees beyond Survival Skills

The U.S. Government has very high standards of accountability and transparency because it has a duty to be responsible stewards of taxpayer funds. The DIMP workshops teach the grantees what they need to know to meet those standards and survive in the field.

For Batey Relief Alliance, whose organization is receiving USAID funds for the first time, attending the DIMP workshop in Quito, Ecuador answered many questions.

“New grantees have no clue how USAID operates,” Gaillard said. “Had I not done the workshop, it would be virtually impossible to understand the USAID culture.” Gaillard was largely referring to USAID’s numerous financial reporting requirements, such as how to report travel expenses and process reimbursements, which are not necessary for the majority of the Alliance’s donors. But that was not all he gained.

“In Quito, we met with folks from Ecuador, Peru and fellow people from Haiti; we exchanged ideas, and our experiences working with our new partner, USAID,” he said. “We learned not just how to comply with minimum requirements or how to maneuver within USAID regulations. I think beyond that, the workshop taught us how to become a stronger, more professional organization that feels comfortable in any funding capacity, with any donor.” 

Strong Systems: “A Beautiful Thing”

Moving forward, CAP continues providing technical assistance to DGP grantees as they implement their improvement plans and USAID grants. 

For Batey Relief Alliance, and those it serves, the opportunity is invaluable. “For five years we’ve been searching for an opportunity to work with a group that understands our culture and goals, to sit down with them one-on-one, and to receive help so we can meet those goals,” Gaillard said. Of his experience at the workshop, he added [it] “helped us draw a plan, bringing us to a different level of workmanship. It’s a beautiful thing.”