GROWTH PLAN2011–2014

IDEX is very proud to announce the following international alliance of advisors to guide the implementation of this three year growth plan. The following extraordinary people are social change leaders who work in the grassroots, academic, public, private, philanthropic and non-profit sectors globally. These visionary and brilliant friends (and sometimes alumni) of IDEX will offer their wise counsel as we seek to manifest the goals and strategies within this plan. We are so grateful for their advice.

IDEX Alliance of Advisors

• Ravi Agarwal, Entrepreneur and Angel Investor• Nikhil Aziz, Executive Director, Grassroots International • Susan Beaudry, Program Director, Compton Foundation Fellowship Program • Becky Buell, Research Affiliate, MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab)• Gregg Biggs, Associate Director for Resource Development, World Neighbors• Karie Brown, Organizational Development Consultant • Jeffrey Campbell, Director of Grantmaking, Christensen Fund • Jeff Conant, Author, Journalist and Educator • Claire Hope Cummings, Environmental Lawyer, Journalist and Author• Kaushik Das, Director of Analytics, Greenplum Inc.• Jessica De Jesus, Director of Development, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights • Yael Falicov, Executive Director, EcoViva• Pilar Gonzales, Philanthropic Advisor• Rohini Gupta, Attorney and Co-Founder, Spark • Michael Hirshhorn, Executive Director, International Human Rights Funders Group • Sarah Hobson, Executive Director, New Field Foundation• Annie Holmes, Documentary Filmmaker and Writer • Renate Holub, Director, Interdisciplinary Studies Program, University of California at Berkeley• Balu Iyer, Director, Field Operations, The Asia Foundation • Judith Justice, Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology and Health Policy, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF)• Susan Kahn, Marriage and Family Therapist • Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Assistant Professor, Politics, University of San Francisco• Surina Khan, Vice President of Programs, Women’s Foundation of California• Nunu Kidane, Executive Director, Priority Africa Network• Melinda Kramer, Founder and Co-Director, Women’s Earth Alliance • Kate Kroeger, Director of Grants, American Jewish World Service • Anil Lal, Entrepreneur & Propreitor, India Arts • Joanna Levitt, Executive Director, International Accountability Project • Mutombo Mpanya, Lecturer, Sonoma State University • Whitney Mayer, Associate Director, Arabella Advisors• Bhupen Mehta, Co-founder, Indians for Collective Action • Shalini Nataraj, Vice President of Programs, Global Fund for Women• San Ng, Information and Communications Technology Consultant • Elizabeth Orlin, Chief Operating Officer, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Council • Colin Rajah, Program Director, National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (NNIRR)• Cynthia Ramírez Ríos, General Coordinator, Desarrollo Económico y Social de los Mexicanos Indígenas (DESMI)• Peter Rumsey, Managing Director, Integral Group• Erik Schnabel, Development Director, Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center• Jim Schorr, Co-Founder, Net Impact & Professor, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management• Chantal Sheehan, Executive Director, New Global Citizens• Jonah Silas Sheridan, Non-profit Technology Consultant • Pete Stanga, Executive Director, Grantmakers Without Borders• Paul Strasburg, Co-Founder, IDEX • María Elvira Sanchez Toscano, Executive Director, Instituto para la Superación de la Miseria Urbana (ISMU) • Coumba Touré, Regional Representative, Ashoka Sahel • Prakash Tyagi, Executive Director, Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS)• Lynn West, Founder and US Director, Esicabazini Girls’ Scholarship Programs• Katrin Wilde, Executive Director, Channel Foundation • Akaya Windwood, President and CEO, Rockwood Leadership Institute • Yasmina Zaidman, Director of Communications, Acumen Fund

01 | International Development Exchange

Over the next three years, and as guided by the attached growth plan, IDEX intends to expand programming and outreach so that: our proven model reaches additional community-based partners; more people across the U.S. are aware of and educated by our approach; and a greater number of donors and funders are able grant their funds internationally with confidence and assurance of direct community impact.

To achieve these goals, IDEX seeks to raise an initial investment of $150,000 from a small number of key funders to jumpstart our critical learning and evaluation work; public outreach and engagement; and invest in key infrastructure necessary for growth. With this investment, we will embark on a process of engaging our supporters, evaluating our long-term impact on the ground, making a concerted staff-board effort to increase our annual budget, strengthening our organization while increasing our grantmaking.

Our top three goals between 2011 and 2014 are to:

1. Evaluate, enrich and expand IDEX’s Grassroots Partnerships by 50%

2. Increase visibility to further engage and expand IDEX’s support base by 100%

3. Grow IDEX’s revenues from $1 Million in 2010 to $1.5 Million by 2014 to accomplish the first two goals.

Executive Summary

Growth  Plan

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$250,000

$500,000

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Annual  Budget Grassroots  Partnerships

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I’ve known IDEX since 1997 and your kindness, flexibility and love for the communities and poor people really characterizes you – you are one of the best social justice organizations that I know of.

—Gervacio Atz Jichá, Director, APROSADSE, Guatemala

This growth plan launches International Development Exchange (IDEX) into a significant phase of expansion as it deepens and spreads its proven model for democratic, community-based social change. This planned growth comes at an opportune time – the global economic downturn has increased the need for targeted, responsive philanthropy in grassroots communities; at the same time, donors and foundations are looking for an alternative to larger, top-down models to address persistent poverty.

This plan is the culmination of more than a year of effort, which true to IDEX’s values of integrity and transparency, has involved international partners (our long term grantees), board members, volunteers, and peer grantmaking and international development organizations. The resulting three-year plan is intended to: 1) help IDEX refine and expand its proven programs in our partner-based countries, currently India, Nepal, Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa and Zimbabwe; (2) significantly expand awareness of IDEX’s approach so that it becomes a leading “go to” organization for community-based grantmaking and alliance building support; and, (3) increase IDEX annual revenues by nearly 50 percent so it can sustainably achieve goals 1 and 2.

This document includes the following:

• An opening section describing IDEX;

• Background information including IDEX’s Mission, Vision, Values and Theory of Change;

• Three high level goals and supporting strategies which form the core of our growth plan; and,

• Conclusion and recommendations for next steps.

Introduction

Why Idex And Why Now?Sixty years ago, the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first international declaration for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all people regardless of national, ideological or cultural divides. However, gross inequities between the rich and the poor of the world – exacerbated by political crises, war, economic collapse and climate change – mean that the Declaration’s vision of individual freedom, social protection, economic opportunity and community development remains largely unfulfilled. Approximately one billion human beings live in poverty, unable to meet their daily needs for adequate shelter, food, health care, clean water, or education for their children.

Over the last fifty years, ending poverty has become a goal of many international organizations, political and business leaders, philanthropists and even personalities from popular culture, including rock singers and actors. We have learned, however, that more development aid, freer international trade, and higher foreign investments are in themselves insufficient to promote dignity in the lives of people in poverty. The UN Millennium Development Goals, which aim to halve poverty and hunger by 2015, have yet to fulfill their promise: to date the results appear disappointing in terms of the ability of large multilateral interventions to alleviate poverty.

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IDEX embodies partnership grantmaking: being in it for the long haul, building capacity, sharing power, and adding value.

—Prakash Tyagi, Executive Director, GRAVIS, India

GRAVIS is a longstanding IDEX partner working for grassroots rural development in the arid regions of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. Since it’s founding, GRAVIS has worked in over 900 villages in the Thar Desert focusing on water and food security, healthcare, education, human rights and community capacity building. GRAVIS has constructed 41 taankas (rainwater catchments tanks) in a region where frequent droughts lead women to spend approximately 6-7 hours fetching water a day. Fully filled, taankas hold 4-5 months worth of water. Water collection improves quality of life: community members save money ($7-9 for every 4-5 months) and are able spend time pursuing other activities to support the household, and households are incentivized to send their girl children to school as they are no longer needed for daily water collection.

While countries in the global south have experienced some economic growth over the last several decades, they have also seen growing inequities between the rich and the poor and the elites and rural peasants, as well as further marginalization based on gender, race, language, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Poverty is now widely understood not only as economic deprivation but more holistically as a lack of conditions that promote social, cultural and ecological balance and well-being.

IDEX was founded to partner with community-based organizations in the Global South to challenge powerlessness, exclusion and discrimination; to this end, IDEX created an alternative and responsive model to: (1) secure economic justice, (2) promote women’s rights, and (3) protect the natural environment. As part of a growing movement of non-governmental organizations, civil society networks, and alliances around the world, IDEX is working to address poverty at its very roots. For 25 years, IDEX has been supporting innovative, high impact programs and bottom-up practices that offer long-term solutions – building a track record and standing with our southern partners and progressive northern donors, not only for grassroots development, but for a vibrant and diverse global civil society.

Understandably, U.S. citizens concerned about an increasing global disconnect in development trajectories want assurance that their personal and financial support is channeled to programs that respect human rights and guarantee fundamental socio-economic and environmental sustenance in communities. Traditional large philanthropic organizations are often unable to grant to community-based organizations in the south. They lack long-term relationships on the ground and find it too costly to make small, direct grants at the grassroots where there is the greatest potential for fundamental change at the individual and community levels. IDEX’s niche, on the other hand, is exactly that: fostering problem solving and leadership at the local level. Our well-tested infrastructure will facilitate our planned growth.

GRAVIS helped Pushpa Devi construct a water-catchment ta-anka for her domestic water needs, saving her a 3km walk to fetch water. Pushpa Devi, shown here, now has more time to devote to her vegetable patch, where she uses bio-fertilizer to grow healthy vegetables to consume and sell.

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We feel proud and privileged to support IDEX’s approach of partnering with indigenous grassroots groups to understand and confront the larger conditions and mechanisms that create poverty, and begin to affect these issues in a more long-term way. IDEX puts a high value on participatory, self-sustaining models of development that yield measurable results and foster greater food and income security and well being among vulnerable people and communities around the world...making IDEX a powerful and effective force for social change.

—Mia Johnson, Grants Director at MAZON,

a long-term funder

IDEX’s partner in South Africa, Biowatch promotes seed saving and agroecology; it has enabled more than 500 rural community members to achieve greater food security in South Africa. Household gardens support economic development, as people no longer need to purchase seeds or produce in supermarkets, saving them both time and money. Community members are now aware of nutrition and other food security issues. Some members are able to generate income from the sale of surplus produce, contributing greatly to the improvement of their livelihoods.

IDEX has:

• Credibility and experience making grants to effective community-based organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia;

• Trusting and respectful relationships developed over long periods of time with our partners, and a contextual understanding of what works;

• Active participation in alliances and networks between civil society organizations in the United States, Latin America, Africa and Asia;

• The commitment to supporting our partners in carrying out their own innovative and high-impact projects that truly meet the needs of their communities; and,

• A results orientation that looks at the process of change as well as outcomes that are identified by our partners.

While IDEX is best known for its grassroots grantmaking, IDEX also plays an important role in advocating for grassroots development and social change within philanthropic circles. Our voice is heard even though our size is small. In 2010, IDEX staff, board and grassroots partners have participated and played leadership roles in such fora as the Africa Grantmakers Affinity Group, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy Forum, the Pacific Northwest Donors Conference, United States Social Forum and the Social Enterprise Alliance. Donors join a collaborative and educational effort when granting their international funds through IDEX.

IDEX is poised to build on our strong track record as an alternative model of international social justice philanthropy. Our organization is prepared for growth. We have a capable, talented and active board of directors and a dedicated and well-structured team of experienced staff members. Most importantly, we have the relationships and grantmaking infrastructure in place that can be scaled for broader and deeper impact.

Over the next three years, and as guided by this growth plan, IDEX intends to expand programming and outreach so that: our proven model reaches additional community-based partners; more people across the U.S. are aware of and educated by our approach; and a greater number of donors and funders are able grant their funds internationally with confidence and assurance of direct community impact.

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Background

MISSION

IDEX promotes sustainable solutions to poverty by providing long-term grants and access to resources to locally run organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

VISION

We envision a global community that embraces economic, social, and cultural rights in which all people may access resources, preserve their environment, and are empowered to live free from poverty and discrimination. IDEX manifests this vision by engaging in democratic partnerships with our grantees to build the capacity of locally run initiatives and by sharing the success of these grassroots organizing efforts with funders.

VALUES

• A participatory model of international philanthropy that addresses the power imbalance between the donor and grantee and prioritizes the voices of the communities

• Grassroots solutions free from agendas imposed by governments, corporations, or funding agencies

• Local knowledge and leadership that encourages sustained community development

• Equity, accountability, and integrity with our grantees and in all our relationships

• Open communication and transparency

THEORY OF CHANGE

IDEX’s theory of social change puts local people at the forefront, working in an organized way for better conditions and effective, alternative, practices that build towards democratic, equitable and environmentally sustainable solutions.

While development challenges for the twenty-first century seem more complex and demanding, it is clear to many that an essential, viable path to sustainability, lies in simple, healthy lifestyles, and efforts that are small-scale, locally-owned and respect communities, participatory processes, and our increasingly fragile ecology.

Most, and often large-scale development efforts are still, however, initiated and led by people external to the community, the results of which are often limited or short-lived in value. Local initiative ensures readiness for change and ownership of the change process; it usually ref lects cultural, social, political, geographic, and economic realities, a nuance of understanding that outsiders cannot possess.

IDEX respects and supports the initiative and priorities of our community partners and other allies that address local needs, and foster understanding of the rights and responsibilities of people to tackle powerlessness and exclusion. Addressing the root of these problems, and having deeper impact also necessitates the scaling-up of organized efforts, and linking with broader social change movements at the national, regional and global levels.

We believe that the most productive roles for IDEX and other grantmakers include: lending capacity-building expertise; linking to resources including from within the global south; leveraging U.S. good will, experience, and money; promoting alliances and collaborative efforts; and developing democratic relationships with, and advocating on behalf of, our southern partners.

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Goals And Strategies

With 25 years of rich experience, IDEX is poised to support and advocate for a small-scale, locally-oriented, rights-based model of social change; provide more effective assistance to our grantees and partners, and amplify their voices in local and global movements. To position IDEX to play a bigger role, we will refine and expand our grantmaking strategies, strengthen alliance-building and evaluation efforts, and grow our grassroots partnership budget by 50 percent.

Current StatusThrough our Partnership Development program, IDEX provides $50,000 or more in flexible support grants to select partners over three years; it also offers linkages to other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), access to information, and capacity building support. IDEX currently has 20 partners in India, Nepal, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mexico and Guatemala. Through our companion Catalyst Grants Program, we identify potential grassroots partner organizations and provide small introductory grants (up to $5,000) for a year before committing to a longer-term partnership. We currently have 10 catalyst grantees.

Over the last two years, IDEX has undertaken a stepped, region-based approach to expanding our programming. In 2009, IDEX acquired Seva Foundation’s Community Self-Development (CSD) Program. With it, IDEX inherited a portfolio of 20 organizations in Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. IDEX successfully distributed capacity-building grants and provided technical assistance to these groups, thereby contributing to their self-sufficiency. Our work with CSD has helped advance and enrich our efforts to build a stronger Mesoamerican program. Also in 2009, IDEX grew its grantmaking in South Africa threefold through research, relationship building and partner identification. In 2010, IDEX has emphasized growth in India through expansion of programs to the Northeastern States, where the confluence of militarization, drugs, unemployment and systematic neglect from central India has had a devastating impact on people’s livelihoods and well being. Also in 2010, IDEX joined the management committee of the Zimbabwe Alliance, a network of philanthropists dedicated to ensuring that local social change initiatives are supported and connected in Zimbabwean civil society. This alliance offers IDEX the opportunity to leverage expertise and influence, while co-funding initiatives with like- minded organizations.

GOAL ONE

ENHANCE LEARNING AND EVALUATION EFFORTS

IDEX is a learning organization; we adapt to our partners’ needs and learn with them about innovative strategies and practices that work. IDEX can leverage its grassroots-based learning to provide first-hand feedback to the international philanthropy sector. By focusing on learning and evaluation, we will enhance our visibility over the next few years and position IDEX as an important source of grassroots grantmaking knowledge. To further augment our knowledge base and share what we are learning, we will:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of IDEX’s decade-long partnership model, document our findings, and share the lessons learned.

• Further refine IDEX’s partnership model, goals and objectives, based on the above ten-year review, as well as site visits and partner feedback.

• Document and publish our findings, particularly in terms of what we have learned and how these learnings inform the larger movement for economic and social justice.

We will measure success based on the broad dissemination of and the reception to our documented findings and learnings.

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ENRICH ALLIANCES AND MOVEMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL CHANGE

The change we envision is rooted in the work of locally-led organizations that in turn are connected to a broader social change agenda. A globalized social justice network is needed to effectively respond to global challenges, so that progressive grassroots and other organizations are connected to and can better support one another. To contribute to this movement for social change, IDEX will undertake the following:

• Review and refine our strategy for alliance building in order to determine how to best connect partners and IDEX’s own work to resources, research and other organizations.

• Deepen our commitments to new partners in the countries where we already work, which is consistent with our multi-sectoral and participatory approach to poverty alleviation and social change.

• Provide additional grantmaking support to foster connections among IDEX partners and other groups at the frontlines of emerging social movements.

Our indicators of success will include: the increased ability of our partner institutions to advocate for long term change in their own civil societies; more numerous and effective south-to-south collaborations/alliances to further women’s empowerment, environmental justice and economic development agendas; and for IDEX, a more active role as a member of coalitions advancing fair and just global policies in the United States.

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EXPAND GRASSROOTS PARTNERSHIPS BY 50 PERCENT

IDEX is in a unique position to address and help transform conditions of poverty and inequality through partnership with our grassroots organizations. IDEX aims to grow its grassroots partnerships budget by 50% to more than $1,084,000 by 2014. We plan to deepen and expand our work in partner countries. This will enable us to: assist a broader group of organizations in carrying out their effective work; deepen our understanding of local and regional contexts; and facilitate connections between grantees and other intermediaries.

• Provide catalyst grants to carefully selected organizations and invest in additional partners.

• Explore new means of advancing existing partners’ sustainability and effectiveness through grants that fund collaboration and movement building.

• Grow our grassroots partnership budget to position IDEX as a stronger entity in global philanthropic circles.

We will measure our success by meeting our growth target of 50 percent and through our regular assessments of the impact of our grants and partnerships.

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3Prudence Mabele of Positive Women’s Network (PWN), discusses HIV/AIDS prevention with a youth group in Johannesburg. PWN encourages and creates support groups for HIV-positive women, and provides, information and counseling, as well as train-the-trainers programs to widen their network.

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For our loyal supporters, IDEX’s capacity to identify and fund high-impact grassroots organizations, combined with a respect for local knowledge, leadership and problem-solving, are considered key differentiators from other international grantmaking organizations. To further increase our visibility, we plan to retain and strengthen this loyal base while engaging new supporters through effective use of media and a variety of other opportunities.

Current StatusBased on a recent review, we know that, traditionally, people who have gotten involved in IDEX were most likely to be: women, people born before 1965, from the Bay Area, progressive, and seeking a high social return on their charitable dollars. We know that people do not engage with IDEX lightly: they invest their time and resources as volunteers, donors, staff, board and loyal friends. Our supporters seem to be attracted to IDEX’s core competencies of partnership, effective grantmaking, and long-term credibility.

Increasingly, with enhanced outreach efforts, we have been engaging people from demographics new to IDEX. Through our research, we know that young people are looking for alternative models that are more responsive and cost-effective than bureaucratic aid. We also know that people from the Africa, Asian and Latin American diaspora are committed to building civil societies in their countries of origin and are often interested in small-scale, high impact programs that have a track record.

In the last five years, we have invested in technology that allows us to better communicate our work. This has included a new database; increased web capabilities; a user-friendly website that vividly captures the value of our work; and marketing materials such as brochures and newsletters. Recently, we started providing all our partners with flip videos to further democratize storytelling. Further, we have begun to more effectively utilize our IDEX blog to share stories from the ground from the partner perspectives.

GOAL TWOINCREASE VISIBILITY TO FURTHER ENGAGE AND EXPAND IDEX’S SUPPORT BASE

RETAIN AND STRENGTHEN CURRENT LOYAL BASE OF IDEX SUPPORTERS

We plan to take our current, active and loyal supporters – who have been with IDEX for as many as two decades – to the next level of engagement through targeted campaigns. We also hope to reengage with lapsed supporters through this growth plan and increased outreach efforts. Our strength is our ability to share our partner stories in meaningful, direct and powerful ways that resonate with our loyal base. We plan to:

• Foster deeper relationships with long-term donors through regular communication by lead staff and Board Members. Include new opportunities for giving through membership circles; educational opportunities; volunteer opportunities; and highlighting donors in the IDEX newsletter and other print and online media.

• Develop a book of IDEX approach and stories that highlight the loyal support of established donors along with stories of grassroots impact.

We will measure our success in this area based on the number of new and returning Bay Area supporters engaged in IDEX activities and their level of involvement.

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Three women’s groups of ASHA-Nepal in Okharpauwa District.

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ENGAGE NEW DEMOGRAPHICS USING NEW APPROACHES AND MEDIA

We know IDEX’s work has broad appeal. We plan to target groups, such as young professionals, people in the diaspora and progressive people who are interested in local and global connections through such means as social media, donor trips, and informal networking events. We plan to:

• Intensify our media production and innovative content creation in a way that involves participation from our grassroots partners.

• Connect to a younger generation of socially conscious people; launch and build the capacity of IDEX’s “Young Professionals Group” – a group with the mandate to promote IDEX and engage Gen X and Gen Y supporters.

• Organize donor delegations and learning-based activities, customized to the interests of newly engaged audiences, depending on their level of interest in such ventures.

• Mobilize people in the diaspora from the regions where we work to invite their insights and involvement in IDEX’s work.

We will measure our progress based on the number of new audiences engaged in our activities, the scale and scope of our use of new media, and the successful development and participation of specially targeted groups, especially young professionals and people in the diaspora.

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UTILIZE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR TO BUILD AWARENESS AND MOMENTUM

We will plan and execute a comprehensive Jubilee year celebration and campaign as a basis for expanding and strengthening our base and enhancing our outreach activities. We plan to:

• Reach out to established IDEX supporters and alumni to reengage them meaningfully in this exciting stage of growth, through one-on-one meetings with lead staff and board members, invitations to special events marked for alumni, and regular phone and email contact.

• Engage in a public relations effort to disseminate our message through print media and local radio and television, highlighting partner stories, IDEX’s grassroots philanthropy model, and our planned growth.

• Create a short video that beautifully tells the IDEX story and can be disseminated virally on the Internet and through events.

• Increase our reach across the U.S. and beyond through effective and innovative use of social media platforms and build an even more engaged online IDEX community.

• Utilize the 25th year as a launching pad for future annual gatherings to increase momentum and engagement with our base of supporters – use our three main Jubilee events (one for alumni; one for the community; and one for major donors) to evaluate and learn about what works and attempt to make these an ongoing part of our outreach program.

We will measure success by assessing the creative activities we undertake, and tracking the level and type of participation they engender, as well as the number of new and old IDEX supporters who become involved.

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GOAL TWO

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While these are difficult economic times, we plan to grow our revenues substantially in order to strengthen IDEX’s position as a viable and sustainable social change organization. Staff and Board will work to secure large, multi-year grants and build a diverse funding base in order to sustain IDEX as a mid-size organization, enhance our program capacity and spread our expertise.

Current Status IDEX has enjoyed considerable growth in the past few years. Approximately 48 percent of revenue comes from individuals (compared to 38 percent five years ago), providing for significant flexibility and long-term sustainability. In recent years, several foundations have increased the size of their grants to IDEX, allowing us to fundraise with increasing efficiency. IDEX’s budget has grown from $589,000 in fiscal year 2005 to $1,007,000 in fiscal year 2010. This represents a 71 percent growth in revenues over a five-year period, primarily due to increasingly professionalized fundraising efforts and staff leadership. While the trend has been positive overall, the economic climate has taken its toll. In fiscal year 2010, a few of our family foundation contributors had to discontinue funding because of steep reductions in their assets. This has encouraged us to strategize in new directions for diversified fundraising, particularly with an eye toward multi-year revenue generation.

RAISE $150,000 TO LAUNCH THIS GROWTH PLAN

We plan to raise $150,000 in seed money to enable us to put the mechanisms in place to carry out this growth plan effectively and efficiently. To this end, we will:

• Implement adequate and appropriate staffing and professional development, and recruit pro bono professional services as appropriate, to ensure that our goals are reached.

• Seek special grants from some of our long-term supporters, who have been urging us to invest in the expansion and scaling of our model.

• Reengage any funders/donors who have not been involved in recent years – supporters at the cutting edge when IDEX began, who would be excited about this next dynamic and forward- thinking phase at the organization.

We will consider ourselves successful if we raise this investment capital over the course of 2011 from a mix of new and old donors.

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GOAL THREEGROW IDEX’S REVENUES FROM $1 MILLION IN 2010 TO $1.5 MILLION BY 2014

Refugee members from Whole World Women’s Association’s Giemoh group – South Africa. This group’s name is Giemoh, which means “one voice.” The women chose this name to highlight that though the group members come from diverse backgrounds, they speak with one voice. The members all come from different countries: Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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DEEPEN EFFORTS TO TARGET AND GROW MAJOR GIFTS

IDEX plans to cultivate current major donors to give at higher levels and identify new major donors. Of our current base, more than 20 donors have and/or continue to give $5,000 and above; another 50 donors can give at $1,000 and above. This pool of donors offers real potential for increased and sustained giving to IDEX. We will:

• Harness the capacity of donors with the capacity to give over $5,000 annually, using this growth plan as the impetus for their increased investment; and, encourage these savvy donors to get involved with IDEX beyond their financial support, through such means as hosting house parties, disseminating IDEX information to their networks, and engaging in substantive discussions about international development and IDEX’s grassroots model.

• Energize donors who give at the $1,000 dollar level and above through innovative small group events in such locations as the Pacific Northwest, Los Angeles, Boston and New York.

• Strategize to grow our donor base in locations where there has been an expressed interest – an untapped market for IDEX-like organizations – including such locations as Austin, Atlanta, Chicago and other cities.

• Use our website and newsletter to feature donors and their giving to recognize their role and participation in creating social change.

• Facilitate learning opportunities for supporters through film nights, panel discussions and other events highlighting issues facing our partners and the communities they serve.

Through these efforts, we plan to increase the annual giving level of at least 25 percent of our current major donors and lift at least 25 other mid-size or recent donors to the major donor level. We hope to raise an additional $150,000 per year by the year 2014 through major donor efforts.

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TRANSLATE THE OUTREACH STRATEGIES FOR EXISTING AND NEW AUDIENCES INTO INCREASED AND DIVERSIFIED FINANCIAL SUPPORT

In addition to increased participation in and education through IDEX, it is our intention that our increased and broader outreach efforts translate to new revenues for the organization. We will:

• Engage young people through the marketing/outreach strategies listed in Goal Two and encourage them to become IDEX donors.

• Organize planned giving and bequest opportunities for IDEX’s mature donors.

• Maximize opportunities through the 25th anniversary to retain and grow commitments from IDEX’s loyal donors and new supporters.

• Increase IDEX’s visibility in the Bay Area and beyond through co-sponsoring events such as relevant film festivals, forums, and conferences.

• Increase online fundraising through our existing partnership with online portal GlobalGiving, and investigate and develop partnerships with other online fundraising partners.

If we are successful, we will generate significant, diversified new revenues through segmented efforts that will serve to support our mission into the future. In particular, we plan to raise $100,000 yearly by 2014 through our segmented efforts.

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GOAL THREE

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POSITION IDEX AS A PARTNER TO STRATEGIC INSTITUTIONAL DONORS

Many foundations are looking for ways to decrease their administrative expenses. At the same time, interest is growing in effective international grantmaking. IDEX can take advantage of this opportunity, while further developing this revenue stream (which currently accounts for about 45 percent of our annual revenues). To this end, we plan to:

• Design joint proposals for funding with peer grantmaking organizations, with the aim of securing multi-year revenue for IDEX partners.

• Explore the possibility of funding from European Union organizations that are committed to grassroots development through effective north-south partnerships.

• Position IDEX as a learning resource and “go-to standard for grassroots development” for large institutional donors through strategic white papers, evaluations, and presentations; target foundations that are interested in supporting grassroots action at the intersection of gender, ecology and economy.

We will consider ourselves successful in this area if we are able to bring in three new institutional funders that give at a level of $50,000 or above. We hope to raise an additional $250,000 per year by the year 2014 through our institutional funder efforts.

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PROJECTED GROWTH

GOAL THREE

FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13

Total Projected Revenue 1,100,000 1,270,000 1,360,000 1,550,000

Grassroots Partnerships 610,000 640,000 720,000 950,000

Learning & Evaluation - 40,000 42,000 42,000

Alliance Building - 30,000 32,000 34,000

Fundraising 21,000 22,000 22,000 22,000

Public Engagement - 30,000 25,000 22,000

Personnel 410,000 420,000 430,000 430,000

Infrastructure 46,000 55,000 52,000 47,000

Total Projected Expenses 1,087,000 1,237,000 1,323,000 1,547,000

13 | International Development Exchange

Conclusion And Next StepsOver the last quarter century, IDEX has played a significant role in building civil societies in the countries where we work. While our model has evolved and we have begun to grow our programs in earnest, we have remained true to our commitment to building transparent and supportive partnerships, enabling appropriate capacity building assistance, and providing responsive funding to grassroots communities. We have consistently taken the “exchange” part of our name seriously. We connect people in the north – participants, donors, funders, and volunteers – to the issues and organizations in our partner communities in the south. This growth plan will enable us to build on our strong track record and proven model to significantly expand our programming and our reach.

As mentioned, the development of this plan has been an extensive and participatory endeavor. Everyone involved is pleased with the outcome and ready to begin living up to the aspirations laid out herein.

Biowatch promotes biodiversity, biosafety and food sovereignty in South Africa and works with small scale farmers in Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape on food security. Here, a community group plants a tree during Arbor Week.

I have seen the limitations of large-scale, old school development projects and they continue to draw attention to the profound need to support community-driven development initiatives that are genuinely responsive to local needs. The impact of alternative mechanisms like IDEX, that directly support community leaders, highlight the way forward.

—Jennifer Lentfer, Development Professional, San Francisco, CA

I see IDEX as a bridge to effective international giving. They partner with knowledgeable and competent grassroots groups who are developing and disseminating practical solutions to building a sustainable world.

—Ralph Alpert, Activist and Academic, Santa Cruz

Growth Plan 2011–2014 | 14

827 Valencia Street, Suite 101 San Francisco, CA 94110

Tel: 415-824-8384 Fax: 415-824-8387 Email: info@idex.org Website: idex.org

GROWTH PLAN2011–2014

The IDEX Strategic Planning Task Force made this plan possible. It was comprised of board and staff members and has worked consistently since February 2010 under the able guidance and facilitation of Karie Brown to produce this document. Without the sincere hard work of our board members – Molly Hoyt, Paula Morris, Caitlin Stanton, Ken Tamura and Aaron Zukoski -and staff members – Rajasvini Bhansali, Deborah Goldberg, Greg Hunt, Anne Mawdsley, Yeshica Weerasekera, Gillian Wilson and Katherine Zavala – we would not have such an exciting new strategic document to guide us. Our graphic design intern, Soniya Rajwani, brilliantly brought this document to life with her creative talent. Thank you all for ushering in a new phase at IDEX.

We also want to acknowledge and appreciate the dedication of all the IDEX grantees, partners, staff, board members, donors and volunteers since 1985 who have worked with the utmost integrity, accountability, and personal investment to develop and grow strong equitable grassroots partnerships. All the folks over the last 25 years who have gone on to live and work from IDEX’s principles are a living testament to an enduring model of social transformation. Thank you.