A Volunteer Driven association

Action10 is a volunteer association registered in Sweden (www.action10.org).  The organisation is run by volunteer staff only, thus Action10 does not pay salaries. The administration costs in Sweden shall not exceed five per cent of the annual income.
Action10 was registered 2009 .
The organisation is run by 20 volunteer staff.
Action10 is operating under the umbrella of Human Rights & Science HQ International in Sweden.

Ten Action (TAct)

The organisation operates according to the Ten Actions (TAct). The Ten Actions are:

  1. Needs Driven Programme
  2. Equal Partnership
  3. Real-time Outcome Planning and Evaluation
  4. Strategic Partners
  5. Institutional Capacity
  6. Sustainable Economy
  7. Quality values
  8. Resilience
  9. Knowledge Sharing
  10. Visibility. 

Admin costs

The funds for Action10 are raised through donations and only 5 % of the raised amount remains in Sweden.
The 5 % pays for direct administration: the Website hosting, bank fees, the money transfer, a virtual office platform and bookkeeping software.

Under the Umbrella of HR&S

Action10 operates under the umbrella of Human Rights & Science (HR&S). Action10 is dependent on its close collaboration with Human Rights & Science (HR&S). HR&S manages the operations abroad and back Action10 up with institutional support. Action10 benefits from HR&S management strategy ROPE.

Governance, management & Operations

Governance

The highest governance body is the General Assembly.
The members are the volunteer staff and the monthly givers.

Management

The management is with the working Board.  Action10 has a working Board with ten members that meets six times per year and together with the volunteer staff another six times per year. Action10 arranges cross-cultural events for the volunteer staff and monthly givers six times per year as well as  monthly on-line sessions with our partners in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Operations

The day-to-day operations are handled by a team of volunteer staff organised into a working board and three workgroups.

  1. Team Africa.
  2. Team Media.
  3. Team Sweden.

External auditor

Gabor BRUSZT

Association Data

Full name: Action10
Registration name: Action10
Type of institution: Volunteer driven association
Legal status: Non-profit association registered under the Swedish law (’ideell förening’).
Registration number: 802447-2147
Registration date: 26 June 2009
Registration Country: Sweden
Founder: Assoc. Prof. Cecilia ÖMAN
Address: Fagerviksvägen 35, 168 39 Bromma, Sweden
E-mail: info@action10.org
Phone No: +46 707 148 150

Website: Action10.org
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/action10

Operating under the umbrella of HR&S HQ International in Sweden
Website HR&S for partners: www.humanrightsandscience.se
Website HR&S for the public: www.humanrightsandscience.com
LinkedIn HR&S: www.linkedin.com/company/human-rights-and-science

Bank name: Swedbank
Bank address: Tunnlandet 11, 168 36 Bromma, Sweden
Bankgiro No: 431-4381
Bank account No: 8327-9,913 564 310-5
IBAN: SE85 8000 0832 7991 3564 3105
BIC: SWEDSESS
Account holder name: Action10 c/o Cecilia Öman
Swish: 123 496 80 20

 

Volunteer staff commitment

In Action10 we are professionals.
Once we have have signed up to be a volunteer staff of Action10, the focus is on being a trustworthy team-member. Professional staff that deliver according to plan and milestones that have been agreed on with each volunteer staff member. The reimbursement is the benefit of doing social good and being a member of a professional institution that have capacity to generate sustainable social impact. The commitment is minimum i) ten work hours per month and to deliver on milestones as agreed, ii) attending the monthly events; the volunteer staff meetings and the ActionEvents, as well as iii) attend work group meetings when called upon. Volunteer staff always replies to messages asap.

We have an expression in Action10: “In Action10, we do not volunteer to volunteer, we commit to volunteer.” The reason is that Action10 raise hope among the under-served, we raise hope within vulnerable communities. Action10 is important and people look as us for help. If we as a team raise hope and then do not deliver, then we break hearts among those who are already under-served. It is the same as agreeing on taking on an assignment in Action10 and then choose to NOT deliver and to NOT inform about the decision to not deliver. The consequence is obviously that that assignment will not be done and thus Action10 cannot deliver to those who put hope in us. So being a volunteer in Action10 is a serious matter, a commitment. As soon as anyone decides to step down, or to be inactive for a period of time, it is mandatory to tell the the Board. We are seriously proud of EVERY volunteer staff member and we expect everyone to deliver as agreed.

Action10 and HR&S Country Branches

About the relations between Action10 volunteer staff and the Country Branches volunteer staff.
We are both the investors.

Action10 invests time, skills, knowledge, efforts…
and manages the link to financial investors.
Some of us are financial investors as well.

HR&S Country Branches Action10 invests time, skills, knowledge, efforts…
and manages the links to the loan-takers (RISEmembers)

Action10 and Country Branches volunteer staff are in this together, we depend on and support each other to reach and empower entrepreneurs offering social good in sub-Sahara African countries.
The Country Branches can inform Action10 about the amount that they will be able to manage, meaning they have found trustworthy entrepreneurs to give loans to. Country Branches manages the transactions on-site, visits and empowers the entrepreneurs, addresses challenges, and provide training.
For this they are not paid.

Action10 shall preferably be able to transfer the amount that the Country Branches inform that they are able to give out as loans, to keep the Action10 brand high, so that loan-takers trust Action10.
This is very serious matters, we raise expectations and we raise hope when we offer services to under-served communities. The people we reach out to, must be able to to trust us.

Each and everyone of us must be honest and trust-worthy about doing our very best to fullfill our assignments. Out of respect for the under-served people we have reached out to and agreed to empower.

HR&S Sweden offers management strategies designed to empower fragile infrastructures in sub-Sahara African countries and management strategy coaching.

Long-term
HR&S Sweden and HR&S Country Branches shall be able to employ staff, so that we will have the capacity to scale and manage the programme in a way that it creates significant sustainable impact and firm infrastructures.

Action10 will always remain Action10, an amazing volunteer driven organisation, and the ActionInvest capital will grow and grow and grow (never to be consumed) together with the cross-cultural awareness and respect that we create a platform for.

ROPE

Background

Social enterprising

Social enterprising is a powerful development institution; social enterprises offer products, services, employment and supplier opportunities requested for, they reach the under-served communities, and they generate tax income to the government. Despite this, it it is often very difficult to start and run social enterprises in Sub-Sahara African countries due to absence of fair funding opportunities and  logistical hurdles. Also, social enterprising experiences an unfair competition from the Aid Industry, which offers products and services for free, without empowering local structures, understanding the desires of the local communities, creating employment, strengthening local suppliers etc.

Mission
Breaking new grounds

Action10 is a non-profit organisation servicing the social business sector. The reflection is that also aid organisations have costs to cover and have to earn money. The aid business model is donations, thus the customers become the donors (and not the under-served communities). Their marketing efforts tends to build on wanting the donors to feel pity for the target partners and tend to want to picture the target partners weaker than they actually are. HR&S/Action10 seriously do not agree with that as it keeps a post-colonial social institution, patronising, pity, guilt  and disrespects our partners. So, HR&S/Action10 considers the social business sector more honest; servicing customers by providing social good, for which the customers pay.

HR&S Action10 vision

Our vision is two-fold, a shift of paradigm where aid dependency has been replaced with international equal partnership for global development and extreme poverty has been eradicated

Context

  • Action10 supports HR&S to empower social entrepreneurs in Sub-Sahara African countries.
  • We assign 20 volunteer staff and are structured into a working Board and three workgroups.

Ambition

CROSS
Cross-cultural Awareness raising

ActIn
ActionInvest

  • Enough funds are raised to meet the requests and thus create long term stability and trust.
  • Funds transferred are properly reported on.

ICap
Institutional capacity

Outcome Challenges

CROSS
Cross-cultural Awareness raising

  • Develop and implement a quality programme.

ActIn
ActionInvest

  • Enough funds are raised to meet the requests and thus create long term stability and trust.
  • Funds transferred are properly reported on.

ICap
Institutional capacity

  • Effective and efficient operations.
  • Branding
    • Getting our message through; TAct, 5 % admin

Activity

CROSS_Cross-cultural awareness raising

Action10 offers to cross-cultural awareness raising through:

  1. ActionTalks
    Monthly zoom meetings with presentations and discussion around different aspects of our programme. Invitees: Action10 volunteer staff and monthly givers, HR&S Sweden, HR&S Country Branches, RISE members.
  2. ActionEvents & ActionSeminars
    Invitation to social events and seminars in Sweden where we aim to raise cross-cultural awareness.
  3. Social media interactions
    LinkedIn, Fb, Insta
  4. CROSS testimonies
    Collecting & Compiling CROSS testimonies
  5. Opportunity to buy products by our African partners (HR&S)
    during the ActionEvents, and also to get to know their stories.

ActIn_ActionInvest

Action10 manages ActionInvest through:
  1. Identifying customer segment
    and ensure new customers
  2. Reaching out
    Benefit from the Lean models when reaching out to potential ideal supporters.
  3. Member Care
    Continuous programme up-date e-mails messages to Action10 members
    through e-mail, where we inform about recent achievements.

ICap
Institutional capacity

  • Develop and implement effective and efficient operations.

Fundraise

Action10 raises the funds for the ActionInvest programme. Action10 raises the funds for ActionInvest through donations. Maximum 3% shall remain in Sweden.  To cover the cost of the Bank account fee & money transfer.  Website hosting & virtual office platform.

  1. Monthly giver stewardship
    Monthly givers are invited to become members and benefit from programme reports & social events.
    Action10 arranges monthly events for the Action10 monthly givers and friends and well as sharing appreciation reports six times a year.
  2. Reaches out specifically to the African community,
    who we expect shall appreciate the Action10 approach.
  3. Posts campaigns on Global Giving crowdfunding page.
    Action10 runs five parallel campaigns at Global Giving and uploads programme status reports every third month.
    Action10 is also an active member of the Global Giving community and thus earns rewards in order to be one of the more visible partners. Ensures GG reward level so that action10 appears among the 100 first.
  4.  Action10 is running its own crowd-funding page.
    Empower the SEO.
  5. Frequently posting on social media
    Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
  6. Facebook donate button.
  7. Use advertising on social media
  8. Collaborate with influencers
  9. Customer surveys
    Action10 is managing continuous customer surveys in order not to lose the supporters we have and in addition, try to reach a larger number.

Estimating the effort of fundraising

A small reflection on the effort behind transferring for example EUR 2,000. A person may donate in average EUR 10. The success rate when fundraising is less than 1 % (if we ask 100 persons maybe one will actually decide to give). Thus, to raise EUR 2,000 we thus have to reach out to 20,000 persons with convincing arguments.
After donations we have to show appreciation, we invite for events and send messages, and after having invested the funds, we have to report back to all the supporters about the results (hopefully good results).
The people this side are busy and usually remains with Action10 for maybe 6 months, and Action10 recruits, introduces, motivates and coordinates around 50 new fundraiser every year. To empower our volunteers and donors, we have ten meetings, and one social event every month.
As a volunteer association registered with the Swedish government, we have a board with ten members, six board meetings per year, a website, professional bookkeeping of international standards, annual auditing by external auditor, annual reports, annual general assemblies for members (our highest governance body) and annual reporting to the tax authorities.

ActionInvest

Action10 manages the ActionInvest programme. ActionInvest provides:

  1. Loans to social entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
    The social entrepreneurs supported are carefully selected by HR&S and members of an HR&S RISE Support Centre.
  2. Guidance by local HR&S coaches.
  3. External auditing.
  4. State-of-the-art surveys.

The ActionInvest programme provides loans to social entrepreneurs who are members of an HR&S RISE Support Centre.

  • The loans are given out with 10% annual interest.
  • The profit from the programme remains with the social entrepreneur.
  • Paid back loans are reinvested in starting- or scale-up social enterprises.

The ActionInvest programme also includes guidance by local HR&S coaches and external auditing.

  • The coaches and the auditors are reimbursed with a minimum of EUR 300 per year and programme that they coach on.
  • The interest remains with the local RISE Centre in order to contribute to the reimbursement of the coaches and auditors.
  • ActionInvest shall also ensure  one functioning computer,  internet access and a cell-phone for the RISE Centre, do ensure easy communcation between Sweden and the coaches.

Sustainable economy

  • The profit from the programme remains with the social entrepreneur.
  • Paid back loans are reinvested in starting- or scale-up social enterprises.

Posting on social media

Action10 does not accept pity, guilt, a patronising attitude or disrespect. The problem, as the CEO sees it, is that we do not always know ourselves how deeply post-colonial we actually are. When we write about our programmes, we shall think of our partners as if they were close friends or colleagues. We shall aim to empower our partners, they must feel proud and strong and intelligent when they what we write. Just like if we would write a post about my children for example. And because we do not think about ourselves as post-colonial, though most of us are actually, we have to be overly careful.
Our task is delicate

Milestones

The three workgroups have different targets Africa, Social Media and Sweden.

  • The workgroup targeting Africa arranges virtual cross cultural awareness raising sessions with participants from Africa and elsewhere, as well as, seeks donations from African supporters.
  • The workgroup targeting Social media creates cross-cultural awareness raising through interactions on social media and also fundraises through social media. This workgroup manages the Action10 crowd-funding platform and is active with posting on FB, LinkedIn and Instagram.
  • The workgroup targeting Sweden arranges cross cultural awareness raising social events in Sweden and seek funding from Swedish supporters.  

INtput

  • Board meetings
  • Team meetings

Output

Operations – annually

  • General assembly in March.
  • Six board meetings.
  • ActionEvents & Seminars.
  • Monthly team meetings (approximately).
  • Recruitment & on-boarding
  • Accounting.
  • Auditing.

cross-cultural awareness raising

  • ActionTalks.

ActionInvest

  • Fundraising.
    • Action10 Crowdfunding site.
    • Posting on social media FB, LinkedIn, Instagram twice a month or more.
    • Parallel campaigns on Global Giving.
      Addressing the reward system on Global Giving.
  • Transfer of funds.

 

Outcome

  • Funds raised: EUR 10,000 per year during the past ten years.

Progress markers

  • Funds raised: EUR 10,000 per year during the past ten years.