Thanks Shreedeep. Individual ALSes can request funds from the Discretionary Budget for special outreach programmes that are relevant at the RALO level. Staff would be able to provide further information on the per-event funding permissible under existing norms.
As for the funding resources table there has to be two different rows to identify the one for the Discetionary budget and the other for the CROPfunding.
Also there is a need to add another 2 column to list all the action events expected to be conducted by the participants for the proposed meetings/events and what would be there expected deliverable.
Thanks Nadira. As the CROP guidelines have been updated, we will be working closely with the ICANN GSE team to reframe these items in a format consistent with the new guidelines.
Since the beneficiaries could be anyone from APRALO community, I would recommend to revisit the draft Outreach Strategy and allocate one of the slots to an active ALS member, given what is written in the draft of no clear activity of the proposed participation.
Thank you very much for your valuable comments and feedback. Actually this was part of the LT discussion some time back and we were addressing how we can arrange this and based on what criteria the allocated slot can be awarded. But eventfully the new approved budget was a shock and surprise to all ICANN community due to the dramatic cut in the budget specially in the Outreach line. Having said that , such change have caused major impact on our plans and as you know we are in a vast region with great number of major events and activities and with the allocated 3 slots only not that much can be achieved. There are number of other important events that we on individual bases look for different source of funding and I am sure you and others are doing the same just to make sure of the maximum continuity of our Outreach plans being it regional or within our local community.
Agree with you Ali, it is unfortunate that budget cuts are severely affected the RALOs and also the regional CROP program.
It is not easy to accomplish ambitious outreach activities with this tight budget.
In these circumstances, I think there is a greater need today to work out a clever approach of handling the CROP funding more effectively and efficiently.
According to what I've read the CROP budget is not limited to just the RALO LT. I also could not find any process in place to handle a request for CROP funding.
On checking the process of other SOs I found that they have a transparent CROP request process in place, which they follow.
To bring more engagement in APRALO and maximize the limited fund available, I would suggest to open up the CROP to all ALSes and APRALO LT and the fund be allocated post studying the application based on their objectives and measurable outcome.
This way APRALO may be able to generate more effective local or regional out reach program; the local ALSes will be motivated to be active (which is a challenge today) and the budget can be used more cost effectively. For example: the cost of a local ALS to attend a local event or an event nearby would be much less than someone having to fly 6/7 hours from another part of APAC (considering APAC is hugely spread-out)
A transparent process should be laid out, to ensure a systematic approach to applying for CROP Fund even by ALSs. This will encourage more ALS participation.
Perhaps you could also share the processes adopted by other SO's .We could always learn good practices from others.
The problem of what I suggested today that it might not be applicable for CROP-FY19 because they only allocation up to 3 regional trips but I didn't search to see if they allocate a certain budget to each SOs/ACs. APRALO LT or staff can shed light on the CROP budget allocation. In all cases, I still see the need for each SOs/ACs, to have their own transparent process to make awareness of the availability of CROP program to their communities.
Hence, my later suggestion will not be feasible for this year, but my first suggestion to allocate at least one slot for APRALO ALSes would be possible. Accordingly, I encourage the LT to discuss this point for FY19 APRALO Outreach and Engagement Strategy.
Since one of the objectives is to increase engagement of ALSes, perhaps a section highlighting how ALSes can apply for CROP funding along with criteria for applying and expected deliverables would be beneficial. This would not only encourage ALSes to participate more especially within the region but also set an example for those who are not too active, to start contributing.
Also if some parameters on how the outreach and engagement initiatives which has been planned, would be measured can be stated, will not only make the process more full proof and accountable, but also help the Leadership Team to plan for future outreach activities more effectively, based on what worked and what did not.
As per the current norms, ALSes are eligible to apply for funding for local events under the Discretionary funds available to RALOs. Pls consult Staff for more details.
We are in the process of incorporating outcomes and indicators as per the revised CROP guidelines, in consultation with the APAC GSE team.
12 Comments
Shreedeep Rayamajhi
I also wanted to know about the individual ALSs's outreach, and how much has been allocated for that from CROP
Satish Babu
Thanks Shreedeep. Individual ALSes can request funds from the Discretionary Budget for special outreach programmes that are relevant at the RALO level. Staff would be able to provide further information on the per-event funding permissible under existing norms.
Nadira Alaraj
As for the funding resources table there has to be two different rows to identify the one for the Discetionary budget and the other for the CROP funding.
Also there is a need to add another 2 column to list all the action events expected to be conducted by the participants for the proposed meetings/events and what would be there expected deliverable.
Satish Babu
Thanks Nadira. As the CROP guidelines have been updated, we will be working closely with the ICANN GSE team to reframe these items in a format consistent with the new guidelines.
Nadira Alaraj
Thank you Satish,
I had a look at the CROP Guidelines at
https://www.icann.org/news/blog/fy19-community-regional-outreach-program-crop-ready-for-use-by-eligible-icann-communities
Since the beneficiaries could be anyone from APRALO community, I would recommend to revisit the draft Outreach Strategy and allocate one of the slots to an active ALS member, given what is written in the draft of no clear activity of the proposed participation.
Ali AlMeshal
HI Nadira,
Thank you very much for your valuable comments and feedback. Actually this was part of the LT discussion some time back and we were addressing how we can arrange this and based on what criteria the allocated slot can be awarded. But eventfully the new approved budget was a shock and surprise to all ICANN community due to the dramatic cut in the budget specially in the Outreach line. Having said that , such change have caused major impact on our plans and as you know we are in a vast region with great number of major events and activities and with the allocated 3 slots only not that much can be achieved. There are number of other important events that we on individual bases look for different source of funding and I am sure you and others are doing the same just to make sure of the maximum continuity of our Outreach plans being it regional or within our local community.
Nadira Alaraj
Agree with you Ali, it is unfortunate that budget cuts are severely affected the RALOs and also the regional CROP program.
It is not easy to accomplish ambitious outreach activities with this tight budget.
In these circumstances, I think there is a greater need today to work out a clever approach of handling the CROP funding more effectively and efficiently.
According to what I've read the CROP budget is not limited to just the RALO LT. I also could not find any process in place to handle a request for CROP funding.
On checking the process of other SOs I found that they have a transparent CROP request process in place, which they follow.
To bring more engagement in APRALO and maximize the limited fund available, I would suggest to open up the CROP to all ALSes and APRALO LT and the fund be allocated post studying the application based on their objectives and measurable outcome.
This way APRALO may be able to generate more effective local or regional out reach program; the local ALSes will be motivated to be active (which is a challenge today) and the budget can be used more cost effectively. For example: the cost of a local ALS to attend a local event or an event nearby would be much less than someone having to fly 6/7 hours from another part of APAC (considering APAC is hugely spread-out)
Satish Babu
Thanks Nadira. The LT will discuss this point and make a decision considering all relevant factors.
Amrita Choudhury
I agree with your suggestion Nadira.
A transparent process should be laid out, to ensure a systematic approach to applying for CROP Fund even by ALSs. This will encourage more ALS participation.
Perhaps you could also share the processes adopted by other SO's .We could always learn good practices from others.
Nadira Alaraj
Hi Amrita, in the following link you can have a good background about CROP-FY19
CROP-FY19 Site Opens Announcement
The problem of what I suggested today that it might not be applicable for CROP-FY19 because they only allocation up to 3 regional trips but I didn't search to see if they allocate a certain budget to each SOs/ACs. APRALO LT or staff can shed light on the CROP budget allocation. In all cases, I still see the need for each SOs/ACs, to have their own transparent process to make awareness of the availability of CROP program to their communities.
Hence, my later suggestion will not be feasible for this year, but my first suggestion to allocate at least one slot for APRALO ALSes would be possible. Accordingly, I encourage the LT to discuss this point for FY19 APRALO Outreach and Engagement Strategy.
Amrita Choudhury
A few suggestions:
Satish Babu
Thanks Amrita.
As per the current norms, ALSes are eligible to apply for funding for local events under the Discretionary funds available to RALOs. Pls consult Staff for more details.
We are in the process of incorporating outcomes and indicators as per the revised CROP guidelines, in consultation with the APAC GSE team.