Presentation by the Dgroups Board at the 2012 Dgroups Partners Business Meeting - 15 November 2012

2. Thanks
Dgroups Partners
Communication support: Pier Andrea Pirani (Euforic
Services)
WA-Research: Damir Simunic
Board members:
• Rob Witte (ICCO), Secretary and Treasurer
• Hapee de Groot (Hivos)
• Kristin Kolshus (FAO)
• Giacomo Rambaldi (CTA)

3. Dgroups vision
Dgroups is a partnership of organizations
committed to:
Provide open and accessible Internet spaces and
services where members of the international
development community can safely share
information, collaborate and engage in
dialogue and networking.
Support the international development community
to mobilize and apply its collective knowledge
and expertise.
Does this need to be refreshed?
Please send comments to:
pier@euforicservices.com

4. Activities Report 2011
• Dgroups platform: Hosting, development and
support
• Dgroups management and coordination
support
• Dgroups members and membership
• Partners meeting 2011, September, Rome
• Outreach and promotion
• Financial Report (Rob Witte, Sec/Treasurer)
Questions/comments? – Q&A

5. Action Plan 2012
1. Continuing developing a reliable, simple, open
and accessible platform
2. Strengthening the support system to provide
and document usability and usage support
to administrators of groups
3. Recruiting sufficient members to cover all the
recurring costs.

6. Progress in 2012 and next steps
1. Improving the platform
2. Ensuring continuity of service
3. Providing support in optimum use of platform
4. Engaging with existing Partner organisations
5. Attracting new Partner organisations
6. Improving board representation

7. 1. Improving the platform
Progress:
Successful migration of Next Dgroups
Many functional improvements, week by week
Well received – “How I fell in love with Dgroups”
Future plans:
User-driven continual improvement - using [redesign] to engage
all users
Transparency of functionality requests, feasibility (or otherwise),
and progress updates on each request
Take advantage of mobile (apps/mobile interface/SMS-to-email)

8. 2. Ensuring continuity of service
Progress:
Almost 100% continuity during 2012
Dgroups Twitter
Future plans:
More clarity on what would happen in event of
disaster:
- major technical breakdown or fire at offices
of WA-Research
- illness/injury of WA-Research staff (Damir)

9. 3. Providing support in optimum
use of platform
Progress:
Improvement in help guide
Plans for future:
Introduce peer support / Dgroups moderation
training programme
Increase peer-to-peer exchange, eg “How to
make the most of Dgroups”

10. 4. Engaging with existing Partner
organisations
Progress:
Communications with Partners through DG-Partners
and 1-to-1 communications to discuss Partners’
priorities and issues
Plans:
Encourage Partners to make full use of membership
(including right to provide complimentary Dgroups
for affiliated organisations with turnover less than
0.5m USD)

11. 5. Attracting new Partner
organisations
Progress:
Dgroups website: www.dgroups.info
Plans:
Aim to increase membership to 40 partners by 2015
(current = 18)
Publicity materials (eg Leaflet – printed and electronic)
We would like to invite help from all Dgroups Partners
to promote Dgroups and engage new Partners

12. 6. Improving board representation
Progress:
Gender balance: 4:1 M:F
Geo balance: 5:0 Europe:Rest of the World
Plans:
Amend constitution to allow expansion of board
Invite nominations for new board members

13. Dgroups finances

16. Governance
• Proposal from the Board to change Article 5.1
of Dgroups Statutes
– More flexible Board formation when and if
needed
– Gender balance, global representation

17. Dgroups Statutes Article 5.1
• Current text:
“The Board of the Foundation consists of at least three and not more than
five members and shall be appointed for the first time by this deed. The
number of members shall be unanimously fixed by the participants council
with due observance of the provision in the previous sentence.” Suggested
text
• Suggested text
“The Board of the Foundation consists of at least three and not more than
nine. Any new board member is to be ratified by majority vote by the
participants council."