This document summarizes the agenda and discussions from the 2017 Dgroups Partners meeting held on November 30th. The meeting included presentations on Dgroups' nine work areas covering progress in 2017 and plans for 2018. These work areas focused on strengthening the partnership, platform improvements, service reliability, user support, engaging partners, marketing, governance, finances, and monitoring and evaluation. The meeting also provided an introduction to Dgroups and an overview of its governance structure and partnership model.

1. Dgroups Partners
Meeting 2017
30 November 2017

2. Meeting overview
Dgroups case study - 30’
Using Dgroups at RWSN -
Sean Furey and Saskia
Harmsen
Intro & Business meeting - 60’
About Dgroups
Dgroups nine work areas:
Progress 2017
Plans for 2018
Technical developments - 30’
Latest and future
platform developments -
Damir Simunic and Joe
Canda (WA-Research)

3. About the meeting room

4. About the meeting room

5. Ground rules
● Keep the allocated time - for presentations and discussions
● Be brief - in comments and questions
● Mute/unmute your mic
● Raise hand - to ask for the floor
● Use chat - to comment or ask questions during presentations

7. An introduction
to Dgroups
Dgroups Partners Meeting
30 November 2017
Neil Pakenham-Walsh (chair)

8. Full
partners
Associate Partners:
1. Access Agriculture
2. Alfa Redi
3. cinfo
4. Euforic Services
5. Ricardo Wilson-Grau
Consultoria em Gestão
Empresarial Ltda
6. Savana Signature
7. The Broker Online
Project Partners:
1. Personas Facilitadoras
PT
2. Charter for Change

9. Dgroups vision: “A world where every person is
able to contribute to dialogue and decision-
making for international development and social
justice”

10. Dgroups Partnership -
Governance and management
Dgroups Board - entrusted with the management of
the Foundation
Participants Council - convened annually at the
Annual Meeting of Members, comprises Dgroups
Full Partners
Euforic Services - Pier Andrea is contracted for
communications and support to the Board

11. Dgroups Board
Benjamin Abugri (FARA)
Adrian Bannister (IDS)
Krishan Bheenick (CTA) Treasurer
Hapee de Groot (Ind [prev. Hivos])
Sean Furey (RWSN)
Saskia Harmsen (Ind [prev. IICD])
Neil Pakenham-Walsh (repr. INASP)
Karima Wardak (UNCDF, observer)
Rob Witte (Ind [prev ICCO])
Pier Andrea Pirani (Euforic Services, comms support)

12. Objectives/Progress 2017
&
Plans 2018
Dgroups Partners Meeting
30 November 2017

13. Work area 1: Strengthening the partnership -
Neil Pakenham-Walsh
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Launch the Dgroups Directory/Not yet
functional
Plans for 2018
1. Carry forward

14. Work area 2: Platform improvements -
Saskia Harmsen
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Maintain [redesign] and Functionality
spreadsheet / Achieved
2. Get Search function working/Not achieved
3. Prepare guidance on APIs for Partners/Not
achieved
Plans for 2018
1. 2-monthly review meetings with WA-Research
2. Dgroups Functionality Improvement tracking
sheet
3. C/F Search function
4. C/F Guidance on APIs
5. Public view

15. Work area 3: Service reliability -
Hapee de Groot
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Maintain service reliability at or very
near to 100% / No downtime reported
in 2017
Plans for 2018
1. Maintain at or very near to 100%

16. Work area 4: Users’ support - Pier
Andrea Pirani
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Develop and provide at least one
Dgroups educational video / In
progress, to be available by end of the
year
Plans for 2018
1. Develop and provide two Dgroups
educational videos

17. Work area 5: Engaging current partners -
Pier Andrea Pirani
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Continue to have 1-to-1 conversations with
members / Achieved 1-to-1 exchanges with 16 of
25 full members
2. Develop survey and interview series to
assess views of Partners re Dgroups and
future development of the Partnership / On
hold
Plans for 2018
1. Develop survey and interview series
1. Promote [DG-Partners] as discussion space
(currently used mainly for announcements)

18. Work area 6: Marketing & outreach -
Benjamin Abugri
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Encourage all Dgroups Partners to display
Dgroups logo / Done - three Dgroups
partners display logo
2. Two presentations on Dgroups / K4D,
Geneva (April); ZEF, Bonn (July)
Plans for 2018
1. Increase number of partners displaying
Dgroups logo
2. At least 2 presentations on Dgroups

19. Work area 7: Governance & admin -
Neil Pakenham-Walsh
Objectives/Progress 2017
Strengthen board, including gender and
geographical balance / New board member:
Benjamin Abugri, FARA
Board overview:
● Gender balance - M:F 7:2
● Partner representation: three independents
● Lacking representation from FAO, DFID, SDC,
UNISDR and others
Plans for 2018
Strengthen the board:
● Gender balance
● Partner representation

20. Work area 8: Finance
- Krishan Bheenick
Total Income 2016 104,554 Euro
Total Expenditure 2016 105,992 Euro
Results in 2016 -1,438 Euro
Projected income 2017 80,000 Euro (around 16 Full Partners)
Projected expenditure 2017 80,000 Euro (approximate)

21. Work area 8: Finance
- Krishan Bheenick
Comments/Priorities for 2018
1. Maintain current Full Partners and attract more (one or two at least)
2. Marketing to associate and project partners
3. Integration of Dgroups into websites (API) for more visibility

22. Work area 9: M&E - Sean Furey
Objectives/Progress 2017
1. Improve availability/usefulness of Dgroups
statistics (overall & individual groups) / Stats
menu working
2. Develop 3 case studies to demonstrate
benefits of Dgroups membership / One case
study (RWSN)
3. Share 1 example of a Dgroups user survey
and results / RWSN member survey shared -
Dgroups compares favourably to other
RWSN online platforms
Plans for 2018
1. Continue to improve availability/usefulness
2. At least two new case studies (FARA, HIFA,
other?)
3. Other?

23. Time for discussion

24. Dgroups Partners
Meeting 2017
30 November 2017