We accompanied the NGO in a process of organizational transformation in a collaborative and horizontal way
BACKGROUND:
Economía Femini(s)ta (EF) is an Argentine-based interdisciplinary non-profit organization that, through the dissemination of data, statistics and academic content, aims to shed light on gender and economic inequalities in Argentine society.
In 2018, the organization decided to transform itself: from a social collective composed of feminist activists to a formal and organized civil association, capable of quantifying and explaining different sources of economic and social inequality that were scarcely studied in the past.
UNDERTAKING THE CHALLENGE:
Economía Femini(s)ta approached Kubadili in 2019 with a clear challenge: they needed tools that would allow them to address the two challenges that arose from this transformation: the drawbacks in agenda prioritization and the lack of processes for joint decision-making.
METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN:
Therefore, Kubadili and Economía Femini(s)ta began a process of accompaniment that lasted more than 6 months, during which we generated different spaces for honest and open conversation that allowed the Economía Femini(s)ta team to review their past work agreements and generate new ones. Moreover, we coached Mercedes D'Alessandro, EF's Executive Director, and provided her with techniques and tips that empowered her to lead the organization as an agent of change.
"My role in Economía Femini(s)ta came about without a decision or vote. Because of my personality, I ended up coordinating most of the organization's tasks. It was a great challenge on a personal level to find out what my role was and how I could carry it out. I was never trained for that. The work with Kubadili was very important on a much more basic level than I even expected: to lead this space and take a little more control over how I and my colleagues could make the best use of it. The sessions were useful to reflect on my work, listen to tips and experiences from other organizations, and to move forward with a more organized dynamic in my daily work" Mercedes D'Alessandro, former Executive Director of Economía Femini(s)ta
THE EVENT AND RESULTS:
In these spaces, we addressed different topics: from sessions to reflect on the purpose and vision of the organization to retrospectives that would allow the team to understand its opportunities for improvement. Although it was challenging to find room in the team's schedules to have these monthly conversations, the presence of our facilitators helped the Economía Femini(s)ta team challenge themselves and discuss sensitive topics - such as the financial sustainability of their organization. The honesty and openness with which they faced these issues (and their commitment to discuss them in the first place) was something that we at Kubadili felt was extremely remarkable and valuable for the team’s growth.
IN THE VOICE OF THE PROTAGONISTS:
We share the testimony of Candelaria Botto, current Director of the organization, where she tells us in first person how was the experience of working with us and what was its impact on Economía Femini(s)ta: