Presentation at the KM4Dev workshop: Online collaboration, dialogue and interaction - what works in international development, 3 July 2020

1. • KM4Dev event: Session 9 – Online collaboration, dialogue
and interaction
• 3 July 2020
Trust and safety in online communities
Saskia Hamsen
Charter for Change Initiative
Oxfam International

2. Charter for Changeinitiative and network:
An initiative, led by both National and International NGOs, to
practically implement changes to the way the Humanitarian System
operates to enable more locally-led response
+ 370 Endorsers
(mainly local and
national NGOs/CSOs

3. Online groups (Dgroups)
• C4C Signatories (101, INGOs only)
• C4C Endorsers (138, LLNGOs only)
• C4C Advocacy (138, joint INGOs & LNNGOs)
• C4C Capacity (27, joint INGOs & LNNGOs)
• C4C Coordination (23, joint INGOs & LNNGOs)

4. What works
Sense of belonging/purpose:
- A collaborative movement that can demonstrate change by example
- Build pressure through collective voice (e.g. UN GHRP COVID19, Grand
Bargain, donor advocacy)
- Save time and resources to participate, therefore ensures wider
participation
- Endorsers and signatories to come together on equal ground
- Facilitate cross-learning and taking up advocacy at global level
- The endorsers group has started coming strongly together without many of
them having met physically ever
Type of info/exchange:
- Ongoing: Intelligence from the sector, feedback from meetings, transparent
sharing back of collected info
- Spikes! #LocalActorsMatter campaign through C4C endorsers – sign on,
visibility, impatience

5. What hinders?
Endorsers and some signatories have less time to engage because they do not
have funded advocacy or policy positions who work full time on these things,
so often their voices go unheard in email exchanges and other online forums
Front line responders’ finite time and capacity and internet connection.
Covid19: workload has almost doubled in difficult conditions, putting additional
pressures on them affecting their wellbeing and ability to engage
Too much information coming through, with too much jargon,
sophisticated language or concepts at short intervals and with tight timelines for
comment, can be overwhelming
 psychological safety: self confidence vis-à-vis info/dialogue overload among
highly informed people
 only some endorsers and signatories engage, leading to lack of diversity of
voices both signatories and endorsers