Backstopping & Coaching

Sometimes an organisation, programme, project, or person needs help. For instance, to decide (go/no-go), to take the next leap, to improve a product or service, or to become better as a person in what they are doing. Trimpact provides backstopping and coaching in various domains (for training see the multiple workshops) to a range of organisations.

Trimpact meeting in Kenya

Trimpact Dragon's Den in Ghana

Trimpact workshop in Nairobi

Backstopping

We like to use the word backstopping. Merriam Webster’s dictionary provides three definitions we can adhere to a) to support (assist); b) to provide dependable support or protection against failure or loss, and c) to bolster (to reinforce; to give a boost to). Therefore, the role of backstopping is of fundamental importance.

Some examples of backstopping in East and West Africa Trimpact provided are assisting national NGO’s in the design of innovative projects and providing feedback on their concept notes and project proposals, advising an intercommunity on various development issues, evaluation of project proposals for donors, advisory brief on the planning of the start of a new large project to the donor involved, being a member of a Dragon’s Den team, advisory brief on how to organise synergy and alignment right from the beginning to a donor, giving presentations, assisting in workshops of third parties, on-demand workshops, and mailing of newly published documents to national NGOs and project partners.

For more information about a possible set-up of backstopping that your organisation (project) needs, please get in touch with us.

Coaching

Coaching is not yet done so much in development projects, because it is not considered an output (unlike training through workshops) by most donors. Based on our experiences with our other company Inspired People Work, we belief strongly that with a coach, i.e. supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal, the results of training can be made more sustainable by one-on-one or by group coaching depending on the subject. Subject of our book can be included. With regular coaching sessions, people obtain the skills of self-reflection (hence self-steering), increase intrinsic motivation, and increase skills to perform better and support others. That, in turn, will positively improve the efficiency of the organisation (or project).

It requires the courage of people to be honest and transparent in what they can do (i.e. what they can deliver) and what they perhaps need from others to excel. Coaching can assist in overcoming this. It is only then that one can form a team (of persons) or an equal partnership (of organisations) that one builds on trust and respect.

Based on our experience of running complex multi-stakeholder projects, we coach persons and organisations (or projects) in thinking-out-of-the-box, how to create (work together, write and present a concept note), opening up to collaboration with other parties, etc.

For more information about the modalities for coaching, please get in touch with us.