Organization: 350.org
Closing date:
08 Mar 2016**Call for Proposal: Evaluation of 350’s COP21 Project
Terms of References
Background
Background to the organisation
350.org is building a global climate movement. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are coordinated by a global network active in over 188 countries. In just over seven years, we've helped create a network of nearly 1 million supporters and hundreds of partner organizations around the world. 350.org has organized some of the largest mobilizations in the planet's history.
It all started when writer Bill McKibben and a team of seven college friends founded 350.org in 2008 with the intent to build a major social climate justice movement worldwide to confront climate change and the fossil fuel industry. In 2009, our first International Day of Climate Action united over 5,200 climate rallies in 182 countries. In 2010, we organized the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, bringing together 7,200 communities in 188 countries to work together on local climate solutions. In 2011, we merged with 1Sky, and we began to focus more of our work in the US, starting with a major effort to stop the Keystone XL pipeline and connect it with President Obama's climate legacy.
Our Global Power Shift conference in June 2013 brought together 500 young leaders from 135 countries, now being followed up with 50-60 national summits. Our 22-city Do the Math tour at the end of 2013 was a great success and helped launch our divestment campaign, now with over 400 campuses, municipalities, churches, and other institutions involved in many countries and regions across the world, including Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, northern Europe, Australia, US and Canada. In April 2014 we helped organize Reject & Protect with the Cowboy Indian Alliance to bring Native Americans, farmers and ranchers to DC for a week-long encampment to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. In September 2014, we worked with nearly 1,500 partner groups to organize the largest (nearly 400,000 people) climate protest in history, the People's Climate March, and 350.org worked with partners to turn out an additional 400,000 around the world at solidarity marches in key cities. In October 2014, the Pacific Climate Warriors paddled out into the harbour of the world’s largest coal port – Newcastle, Australia – to stop coal exports for a day and send their message to the fossil fuel industry and the world: “We are not drowning. We are fighting.”
In 2015, the Keystone XL pipeline was finally denied. We helped pass a bill to divest California’s two largest pension funds from coal, and we held Global Divestment Day in February 2015. By the end of the year, institutions representing $3.4 trillion in assets under management have committed to some level of fossil fuel divestment. In December, we helped organize demonstrations around the world to pressure world leaders to create a landmark climate agreement in Paris. While in many ways the agreement is too-little-too-late, it provides a tool and a path forward to pressure countries to make change.
Background to the Project
At the time of deciding to become involved in COP21 and to make it a priority project for the organisation for 2015, very little was expected of a possible positive outcome to the inter State process and possible agreement. The basis for 350’s engagement in the COP21 process was therefore to use the event as an opportunity to grow the global climate justice movement by 1) engaging with the French and international coalition and coalition partners to consolidate the movement through stronger partnerships and 2) use the event to recruit new 350 supporters globally through online and offline mobilisation so as to strengthen other actions and existing campaigns (Keep it in the Ground, Break Free, Divest, etc.) taking place beyond COP21. The evaluation will look at the effectiveness of this strategy for 350.
Goals and Objectives of the Project
Goals
350’s goals in relation to its engagement in the COP21 process were:
1: To broaden and strengthen the climate justice movement (Paris is seen as a recruitment/diversification opportunity for 350)
2: To align the worldwide climate progressive movement behind common escalation strategy (by playing a coordinating role and trying to close the gap between grassroots and NGO/institutional movement)
3: To build to the May 2016 Global Action: Break Free from Fossil Fuel
Objectives:
There were a variety of objectives based on the different moments of the Paris Sandwich. These go as follows:
28-29 November 2015: Global Climate March (or GCM)
Objective 1: Bring people on the streets of Paris and beyond
Objective 2: Diversify the Climate Justice Movement
Objective 3: Shaping the look of the March
Two weeks of the COP
Objective 1: Responding to government in COP 21 and to FF industry
Objective 2: Strengthen the Divest Movement (Event)
Objective 3: More climate finance (More narrative so led by Comms)
D12
Objective 1: Create the largest Mass Action over climate in Europe (leading working group, trainings and designing one of the action) that includes diverse communities participating. (8,000 participants)
Objective 2: Grown numbers calling for fossil freeze
Objective 3: Give the movement a clear signal for what comes next -- A big, broad, bold and energized movement to win national and local fights in 2016 and beyond.
Activities
A variety of activities were organised to meet these objectives , in the run up and during the Paris Sandwich, including training of trainers (social mobilisation) and event briefings, online mobilisation, events and unauthorized actions, lobbying, media outreach, engaging with a wide array of partners (international and French coalition members), negotiating with the French government, mobilising minority partners, Artivism, etc. More about the project is available on: http://350.org/paris/
The team
A variety of teams were created to work towards and during the Paris Sandwich, such as the Global Moments Team (which usually operated as separate sub-teams: September Workshops, Global Climate March, and D12), the Narrative Team, the Political Strategy Team and the Paris on the Ground Team (PoG) to respond to the various activities that 350 decided to engage in as part of its strategy around COP21. Additional sub-teams also arose and generally team membership was flexible and aimed at responding to the shifting needs of 350’s engagement in the social mobilisations around the COP21 process. Coordination and information processes around and between these various teams and sub-teams will be a key area of study during this evaluation.
Research
Purpose of the research
After the highly successful 2014 Climate March organised by 350 and partners in New York and after a few years of global organising, 350’s engagement in the COP21 process has not only been its biggest endeavour so far, mobilising the whole of the organisation at one point or another during the preparation/implementation process, it was a key element of 350’s global development strategy.
The two main objectives of this evaluation therefore are
to understand whether the strategic decision to engage in the COP process in the manner that 350 did (through coalition work, engaging in online and offline mobilisation, delving into in the political process during the negotiations, etc.) was the correct strategic decision for 350 in its endeavour to grow and strengthen a global climate justice movement: what gains were made, how were challenges met, what does this tell us for the future of the organisation? Were the financial and capacity invested in this process justified based on the result of the evaluation?
to assess the project management of the Paris Sandwich including internal planning process, information sharing and team coordination
350 is more interested in teasing out and implementing learning from this extensive experience than defining the project’s or the teams’ “successes” or “failures”. We welcome suggestions from Consultants on how they intend to deliver such learning during and at end of the evaluation.
Research framework
350 is a very young organisation which has grown enormously since its first events in 2008. Whilst this growth is a sure sign of success, it also implies that it is an organisation that has not yet fully integrated more established organisational processes, including project processes which would allow for more run-of-the-mill research framework to be used, especially sufficient indicators as basis for the research.We are aware that our objectives were lacking clear articulation of outcomes or success indicators, we are therefore looking at the evaluators to propose a methodology/research framework to address this issue in their response to the Call. DAC criteria might be an option but we are very much open to other tools better suited to 350’s organisational culture, embedded in a strong network of international, young and passionate activists.
Research areas
The focus of the evaluation is on COP in Paris or what was called “the COP21 Paris sandwich”, i.e. the week-ends and weeks of action around the Climate Summit taking place in Paris and globally at end of November and first two weeks of December 2015.
Some more defined areas for research with regards to 350 during the Paris project are:
1) In relation to some political achievement in the bourget
Did we meet our objectives as defined in the “Two weeks of COP” above? To what extent? What were the tactics that were used (inside/outside; impacted communities’ voices; petition, actions outside Paris, etc.)? What were the most/least successful and why?
What was 350’s position on the final text? How does it fit with the rest of the movement? How was the positioning process done and to what extent is this reflective of 350’s as an organisation? What does it mean for our political work in the future?
What unexpected learning?: successes and challenges that might not be covered by the objectives which took place (capacity to be nimble, to grab opportunities but also lost opportunities and unexpected “wins”/”losses”.)
2) Street mobilisation/action in Paris and globally
Did 350 fulfill its objectives with regards to both N29 in Paris and Globally and D12 in Paris? What were the most effective tactics (outreach to frontline and excluded communities through events, campus tours, mobilisation in other EU countries, trainings and briefings) to foster participation on both dates?
What was our final contribution to the street actions in Paris and Globally on both dates?
Was our engagement (leadership, capacity and commitment) in N28-29 events globally sufficient?
How did 350 react to the terrorist attacks and the state of emergency in Paris? What was their impact on 350’s planning? What lessons can be learnt?
3) Online mobilisation: web and social media
Were the Digital objectives as per the COP21 Digital strategy/plan met (including number of blasts, timely web updates, stats, sign-ons, etc.)?
Were the Social Media objectives as per the COP21 Social Media strategy/plan met?
4) Coms/media outreach (both mainstream and community/local media)
Were the Communications objectives as per the COP21 Communication strategy/plan met (including media coverage, discourse, etc.)?
Was staff inside and outside Coms clear on narrative, messaging, audiences?
Did 350.org help shape media coverage of the COP to reflect 350’s top priorites and messages?
Did 350.org effectively generate press coverage for the N29 and D12 mobilisations?
How did communications work to support partner led initiatives?
5) Relationship and coordination to the French and international coalition as well as with 350 partners and communities.
What was the basis for 350’s engagement with the French and International coalitions? Was the purpose of engagement as well as scope of engagement clear to all parties (including staff involved)?
In what way and to what extent has engagement with the Coalitions helped us meet our wish to grow and strengthen the movement? Should 350 pursue such strategy in the future and to what extent?
With regards to 350 partners, how has partnership work, during COP21, enhanced 350’s capacity to meet its objectives to strengthen the Climate Justice Movement? What were the positive aspects of these partnerships? What were the challenges? In this context, what should we review?
With regards to most impacted and excluded communities, have our strategies carved greater space for their voices to be heard? What can we learn of such engagement for future actions?
6) Planning process/ Internal coordination/project management (with a large number of levels and different part of the organisation being involved at one point or the other in the process and the specific context of the terrorist attacks and the state of emergency).
What was the type of planning process undertaken? Was it effective? What should we review?
What was the PM (teams, line management, budgeting) model used to prepare for the Paris Sandwich? What were its strengths? What were the challenges? What recommendations can be made for future similar projects?
What tools and processes were used to ensure coordination and information sharing? To what extent were these useful? What can be improved in the future?
Were roles and responsibilities clearly established and pursued? Were there processes of foras to review these when necessary?
How transparent and accountable was decision making with regards to action planning, communication, financing, etc?
How effective were the team structures set up for information sharing in the run up to and during the Paris Sandwich?
Methodology
We will not be prescriptive on the methodology for the evaluation and leave the Consultants to advise on the appropriate methodology. However as a key project for 350 and one of the first evaluation that 350 is undergoing, we think it is important that data should be rich and coming from a variety of sources and that the process be as participatory as possible (there may be a possibility to arrange for discussion groups on skype but also in “real life”).
The results of the evaluation, whilst focusing on 350’s engagement in COP, will be shared with the movement at large and should also be of interest to those most involved. The Project Leads from 350.org are committed to writing a written response to each recommendation explaining how they will be taken forward (or not) and to be shared with relevant or all staff .
Potential sources for data gathering include French and International coalition members, 350 partners, donors, political figures of the movement/states, 350 permanent and contract staffs, 350 Board members, amongst others.
Outputs:
A short inception report (in English) clarifying/finalising research questions, methodology, timeline and outputs will be delivered in the early stages of the research process
A full evaluation report in English including Executive Summary, Key Findings and Analysis, Lessons Learnt (including unexpected findings), Conclusions and Recommendations. This will primarily serve internal purposes for any staff interested and more specifically, the Leadership Team. Final agreement on the length and the structure of the report though will be confirmed in the Inception Report.
A separate presentation summarising the main highlights of the report presented in an engaging manner (content, form, visual). This would be the format preferred to share with all staff and partners. This might require the help of a designer (provided by 350).
Timeline
Call out by end of February (sent to specific consultants and specific relevant lists, for instance C4D)
March: Decision on Consultants: Contract signed
April: Desk review and Finalisation of scope of the research and methodology, list of partners and others to part-take, review of timeline, finalisation of outputs. Delivery and finalisation of inception report.
May: Data collection exercise including face-to-face discussions groups (either during 350’s May retreats or via online processes)
June: Data collating, analysis, draft 1 of report delivered for input
July: Correction and feedback
August: report and presentation delivered to 350
Budget
The budget allocated for this research is around $30k.
Payment will be made in 3 instalments: instalment 1 after induction report, instalment 2 after delivery of Draft 1 and final instalment following sign-off on all of the outputs.
Requirements
Skills and experience
The Consultant(s) should possess the following skills and experience:
Strong experience of organisational evaluations: Experience evaluating activists based organisations preferred
Experience of evaluating Coalitions/large partnerships
Experience of international policy foras and related civil society actions - a good understanding of the political and strategic stakes at play during COP21 would be an advantage.
Experience evaluating internationally based organisation with staff interacting mostly online
Experience of analysing/evaluating social change
Good level of French preferred
Good writing skills to enable to write for a large audience (especially for the public report/presentation)
Tenders:
Tenders should include the following:
An outline of the proposed research process (2 pages max) indicating suggested research framework, methodology and project management process
A detailed budget
1 page CV for each Consultant
Biography for each Consultant indicating with specific examples how professional experience and skills meet the needs of 350 for this evaluation
Tenders should be sent to Payal Parekh, payal@350.org by 8th March 2016
350’s support during the evaluation:
350 will provide:
All relevant organisational and/or project documentation
Finalise with the consultants on a list of interviewees, provide contact details and advise the interviewees of 350’s evaluation (inviting them to cooperate). Consultants will be responsible for organising their own interviews.
Logistical support to organise live or online group work
Design support for public report
Consultants are expected to provide their own research and data collecting tools. **
How to apply:Tenders should be sent to Payal Parekh, payal@350.org by 8th March 2016
