GISF invites the input of members to inform a new tool to standardise self-assessment for NGO security risk management
About the project
Self-assessment is vital for good security risk management (SRM). It involves reflecting on your security practices and seeing how your organisation measures up to the targets you have set.
Many organisations regularly audit their SRM function. But there is currently no standardised way to measure SRM capacities and capabilities consistently across NGOs.
To address this, GISF is developing a new SRM Self-Assessment Tool for our members. The tool will be issued to GISF members once a year, enabling them to undertake a self-assessment using standardised indicators. The resulting data will help organisations see how they measure up against their peers.
Get involved
To support the development of GISF’s SRM Self-Assessment Tool, we are looking for:
- Six members to participate in a working group for the design process (December 2024- February 2025). This will involve reviewing indicators, questions, and scoring.
- Up to 20 members to pilot the tool (March 2025). This will involve completing the self-assessment and providing feedback.
If you would like to be involved, please contact GISF’s Senior Data and M&E Specialist, Rosie Frost, at rosie@gisf.ngo.
Please note, to participate you must be a GISF member. Participants in the working group must be different from those in the pilot. If members are interested in supporting one particular element of the process, please specify this in your email.
Benefits of the Self-Assessment Tool
“We believe this tool will add real value to our offering for members,” explained Frost, who is leading the project. “The data generated from the annual self-assessment will yield insights that we think will be highly beneficial for GISF’s members.”
Some benefits of the data include:
- Enabling GISF members to benchmark themselves against their peers.
- Allowing members to track their SRM development year-on-year.
- Providing an evidence base for members to advocate for SRM resources within their own organisations.
- Complementing existing internal audits.
“This project will also have a wider-reaching impact,” Frost added. “The information generated will help GISF identify the most pressing security needs for NGOs. With this crucial evidence base, we will be better positioned to target our resources and services to the needs of GISF members and the NGO community.”