Background
The Local Capacity Development Facility (LCDF) is an innovative initiative that specifically aims to stimulate the ‘capacity development market’ in a number of countries. LCDF was initiated by SNV together with a number of partners.
The goal of the LCDF is to support the development of a dynamic and transparent sub-national level market for capacity development. The three objectives of the LCDF are:
1. Strengthening articulation of demand for capacity development services: creating opportunity for (social) entrepreneurs, local organizations, to express demand for poverty related Capacity Development Services,
2. Improving the supply of capacity development services: enhancing the outreach and quality of capacity development services, and
3. Redirecting financial CDS flows: to the sub-national level as well as tapping into local resources.
The strategy of LCDF is to focus on what works, or in other words to focus on those capacities that underlie success. Successful local poverty solutions (in this document referred to as ‘Local Solutions’) are at the heart of the LCDF approach. By focusing on developing capacities that are at the basis of demonstrated successful local solutions the LCDF ensures a sub national focus, grounding around real cases, concrete results and effectiveness.
LCDF’s two key strategies are (1) Upscaling local solutions by (i) identifying and selecting successful “local solutions’; (ii) identifying the underlying key capacities (and financial investments) that are instrumental for the success of the solution; (iii) facilitating subsequently the up scaling of the solution by investing in the quality provision of those capacities; and (iv) linking solution promoters to financial and other resources; (2) Market Facilitation activities to stimulate overall market performance (match making, a virtual ‘Center of Excellence’, market research, quality standards)
Rationale for a web-based platform for LCDF
Building on the advantages and popularity of Internet would help the LCDF to efficiently realize its vision and goals. Specifically a web-based platform will support the LCDF in:
- outreaching to the LCDF’s stakeholders;
- communicating key LCDF messages to the targeted audience;
- scanning of candidate local solutions to be considered for LCDF support;
- sharing and facilitating access to relevant knowledge and resources including materials about CDS and potential funding sources for grant seekers;
- promoting and advocating for LCDF’s values and approach to the community.
Features/Functions of the web-based platform
To achieve the above objectives, the platform will have the following features and functions:
Competitions: information about announcements, progress and results of competitions that the LCDF runs.
Knowledge base on CD and CDS including but not limited to the followings:
Directory of CDS providers with their profiles
Directory of CDS actors/players with their profiles
Library of regulations on CDS
Library of good and best practices on CD and CDS
Library of documentations about relevant projects and programmes
Blog: provide commentary or news on a particular subject.
Forum: an online discussion site. People participating in the forum can cultivate social bonds and interest groups for a topic may form from the discussions thereof. The forum is moderated by designated personnel.
Newsletters: a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers.
Mailing list: a collection of names and addresses used by LCDF to send material to multiple recipients.
Please refer to the indicative sitemap of the website for more detailed information about what the content of the website look like.
Marketing for the platform
To make the website known to the public and the targeted communities, a marketing plan should be prepared and implemented. Ideally that plan should be part of the LCDF marketing and communication plan. The marketing of the LCDF website should leverage on the existing networks of partners and stakeholders and build on the power of Internet itself.
Make use of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and other locally available platforms
Form partnership with other platform such as FPT’s www.vicongdong.vn [1] website
Link with and have banners at websites of:
local developmental platforms such as the NGO Resource Center (www.ngocentre.org.vn [2] ), Vietnam Development Information Center (www.vdic.org.vn [3]), Making Markets Work Better for the Poor (www.markets4poor.org [4])
LCDF’s founding partners including SNV Vietnam, Pact, CECODES and SRD.
Other development partners: WB, UNDP, VUSTA, other donors and the NGO communities.
Operations
The website will be operated by LCDF. A small team with modest resource is needed to operationalise the website in ensuring that, amongst others, the contents are updated on an ongoing basis and enquires submitted by users are handled adequately. There should be a knowledge management officer/specialist (or the like) in the LCDF Team designated to manage the website.
Accessibility
The website should be multi-language with contents available in at least Vietnamese and English at a minimum.
The domain name of the website should be meaningful and easy to remember.
Infrastructure
Like any other websites, a server is needed. It is recommended that the website and its server(s) to be hosted by an Internet Service Provider
Interested website designer can send their expression of interest, technical and financial proposal by April 21, 2010 to:
SNV Vietnam
Ref: LCDF website
Address: Building B, La Thanh Hotel, Doi Can Hanoi
Or [email protected] [5]