cases from tanzania - Sustainet

5 Scaling up
agencies, the private sector, the general public, actual and potential students (for training
organizations), and the organization’s own staff. There are many possible mechanisms to
communicate with these audiences: websites, exhibitions, meetings, newsletters, brochures,
prospectuses, calendars, etc. A positive public image can be invaluable in helping the organization
obtain and maintain funding and goodwill. Church organizations in particular
can reach a wider audience since most are well organized, enjoy high credibility, and have
access to a wide communication network of church members. Using such networks as
information channels can facilitate the spread of innovations. If religious groups take
up the idea of “sustainability”, the message of sustainable agriculture can be spread on
a daily or weekly basis.
challenges
Organizational scaling up faces various challenges. Here are some experiences by Sustainet
partners:
• Cost It can be expensive to change organizations, both in terms of the monetary
cost of investing in new assets, training and publicity materials, and in the terms of the
disruption caused by restructuring, staff reassignments and management changes.
• Funding Organizations engaged in scaling up to meet field needs may be hit by the
withdrawal of donors who have supported its past activities. Donors understandably
want to see activities in the field that benefit local people directly, and are often reluctant
to pay for other essential costs such as administration and staff development.
• Leadership and management Organizational change is hard. The staff and managers
may resist change, and change managers’ hands may be tied – for example, by laws
restricting the hiring and firing of staff. Change is hardest if the organization’s own
leaders are not fully committed, or if one part of the management system (such as the
financial management system) cannot cope. Organizational change must frequently be
done in stages – upgrading the financial management before revising the staff management,
for example – rather than all at once.
• Staff continuity It can be hard to retain good staff. The best, most experienced staff
may be tempted to join other organizations that pay more. To guard against this, it may
be necessary to review staff salary levels, and ensure that other staff can take over if
necessary.
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