In the process of creating the Aspire program, OLAM worked with an outside consultant and steering committees of 12 professionals, both inside and outside our network, who have deep knowledge about ethical best practices in the field of international development. This collaboration included sharing their expertise, helping to prepare Aspire documents, and working together to formulate a program that is aligned with the most current global ethical practices.

Yes! Whether the entirety of your organization’s work, or just one of its projects, relates to international development, understanding and reflecting on ethical practices can be relevant to other aspects of your work.

The amount of time you spend depends on a number of factors, such as:

• how many topics your organization focuses on
• where your organization falls on the spectrum tools
• how your organization prioritizes this work,
• and how many staff members are involved.

To make the most out of this program, you should:

• Take the self-assessment survey (~1 hour)
• Participate in the informational webinar (~1 hour), or watch it later if no one from your organization can attend the live event
• Assign a staff member to be the point person at your organization for the ethical practices work
• Decide on at least one topic to focus on each year
• Take part in at least two training sessions or workshops throughout the year (~1 hour each)
• Retake the self-assessment survey each year

The amount of time an organization spends on this work can fluctuate throughout the year, depending on capacity, project cycle, staffing, etc. However, OLAM sees this work as long-term, and encourages organizations to think about improving ethical practices all year round.

Yes. Similar to participation in Focal Point and our annual partner renewal survey, we see a commitment to deepening ethical practices as central to what it means to belong to OLAM’s network. We expect you – our partners – to be active participants in the Aspire program, sharing your experiences and expertise with others and identifying areas for growth. This will ensure that as a network, we can pursue our goals of supporting the world’s most vulnerable people ethically and justly.

In recent years there has been a grassroots demand on the part of OLAM partners that we work to support each other in deepening our ethical practices and reaching international standards in our work. As a result, OLAM has facilitated conversations about these issues through Focal Point, focus groups we convened to study this issue, and our Do No Harm webinar series. Aspire is the next step on this path.

Please email Yael Shapira, OLAM’s Director of Network Engagement and Programs, for any questions or concerns you may have about Aspire: yael@olamtogether.org.

Often best practices and ethical practices are one in the same. The Aspire program is specifically focused on actions that organizations take that have implications for the well-being of the communities they serve. While not following general best practices could lead to lack of professionalism in your work, not following ethical best practices can – directly or indirectly – cause harm to these populations.