The Challenge
The Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiative (CISDI) started out in life as the President’s Special Envoy Office for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which transitioned into what it is now; an organization specializing in producing innovations in the sector of health development, youth engagement, and socialization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In lieu of this, CISDI’s limited portfolio in the beginning naturally became a barrier for them as it became a frequent limitation factor. CISDI composed of smart, vibrant, young talents which would benefit much from insights regarding how to properly navigate the organization. This meant that there was an apparent knowledge and experience gap between CISDI’s Board of Advisors with the staff; and this became one of the obstacles that did not allow CISDI to move at a pace they are potentially able to.
Our Approach
When approaching ID COMM, CISDI expected our assistance which primarily starts with bridging the gap between internal actors within CISDI as to ensure fluidity of communication and coordination internally, we were also expected to stand in for CISDI in several strategic meetings, and that ID COMM became a strategic partner to help CISDI build reputation and position under its current running portfolio at a strategic level. This meant that we needed to invest heavily in order to be able to promote CISDI’s program strategically.
During our engagement, ID COMM’s biggest role was to become a major strategic partner for CISDI, where were the source for comprehensive communication plans that cater to the stakeholders CISDI wishes to engage with, we also helped devise and implement the organization’s communication plan, and that we spearheaded the promotion of CISDI’s flagship programs; Pencerah Nusantara, Penggerak Nusantara and tobacco control campaign. Beyond that, we also helped CISDI maintain rapporteur with current partners and strategize in order to acquire new partners. ID COMM also acted as a mentor for team development that helped staff develop skills in communication and development of key documents.
The Result
When we started working with CISDI, it felt like all the raw materials were there, but there was a gap between CISDI’s team which hindered them to harmonize those materials into an actual meal. ID COMM’s engagement resulted in a more robust and structured working situation among the staff and the board, specifically in communications-related issues. A regular discussion forum now takes place which helps visibility of CISDI among relevant stakeholders. The media are now more aware of CISDI’s presence, and thus this overall contributes to building CISDI’s positive reputation among relevant existing partners.