Historic results for RFSU as an international development partner
RFSU obtained historic results from the Keystone International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Survey, which independently benchmarks partner perceptions of international NGO donors. Over 50,000 aid-receiving organisations have responded to the survey over the years.
A vital way for RFSU to receive feedback
Good cooperation between organisations is essential for international aid to work effectively and reach the rightsholders that need it the most. Keystone has been conducting comparative research since 2009 to help donor organisations better understand how they work. Keystone's surveys usually consist of around 30 questions, covering areas such as cooperation, communication, and mutual support between donors and recipients.
Over the years, Keystone has evaluated the cooperation between 165 international donor organisations and over 50,000 recipient organisations. The results provide a good opportunity for RFSU to see how it stands with other civil society organisations. It is also a vital way for RFSU to receive feedback and improve its activities.
RFSU invited all 56 organisations it works with during 2023 to participate in the Keystone anonymous survey. Almost 70% of the organisations chose to participate, and the majority of the 36 respondents are funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida.)
RFSU scores exceptionally high
The results of the survey show that RFSU performs well above the global average in almost all areas. Keystone writes, "It set all-time high scores in 19 benchmarks. This is the first time an organisation has achieved this many all-time high scores.”
It is in the area of relationships and communication in particular that the RFSU scores "exceptionally high", according to Keystone. Here are some examples:
- RFSU understands our working environment and cultural context.
- RFSU staff are respectful, helpful and competent.
- RFSU’s staff ask us for our advice and guidance.
It is also clear that RFSU's partners believe that RFSU prioritizes mutual accountability. The same applies to the area of reporting and monitoring.
The partners are experts and RFSU give them possibility to make change
“The organisations we partner with know their context best. For us, it goes without saying that our partners, who work, among others, on combatting abortion stigma, sexuality education and non-discrimination of LGBTIQ+ people, are experts in their field. We at RFSU just need to make sure that we give them the best possible conditions to create change and development. The next step is to analyse and improve further our ways of working based on the feedback that we have received. But this result clearly shows that we are doing a lot that is good. We are pleased with the results,” says Annika Malmborg, Director of RFSU International Department.