1992 - 1995: Pruning

When funding cuts did begin in 1991 and even more in 1992, SPEAR was forced to downsize and plan more strategically for the future. The painful retrenchment decreased the staff to10 by 1995. The financial realities initiated an intensive period of strategic planning and re-organizing that had been long overdue. Staff, board and members evaluated SPEAR's work, analysed the national context and developed a more realistic long-term plan for the future of the organization. This planning was also facilitated by two comprehensive external evaluations by HIVOS throughout the period. In 1994 we revised SPEAR's mission to "empower people to struggle for justice, democracy and sustainable development."

Starting in 1992, SPEAR made the decision to shift emphasis from the micro to the macro levels with the belief that there was more benefit in activities that impacted on national policies affecting the entire society. However, community development work did continue in fewer rural villages and with a different focus. Between 1994 and 1996, the SPEAR programme placed more emphasis on "the promotion of democratic practice and the strengthening of civil society's capacity to participate in national development."
This period also saw several changes in the leadership of the organization. Dennis Jones replaced Shoman as Executive Director in 1991 and Dylan Vernon, who had joined SPEAR's staff in 1988, replaced Jones in 1994. At the board level SPEAR's chairpersons during the period would include Wilfred Elrington, Alexander Bennett, Dennis Jones, and Evan Cayetano.

1996 - 1999: Sharpening the SPEAR

By 1996 it was time again for SPEAR to comprehensively evaluate its work and engage in long-term planning. In the second half of that year there was both an external assessment of SPEAR's organizational systems and operational efficiency, and a focused strategic planning process. The result was SPEAR's Programme of Work and Budget, which guided the organization™s work during the period 1997 to 2000. In 1998, Diane Haylock took over as Executive Director.

Administrative re-organizing was an important first step to get the new programme of work going. Programmes had to be re-designed, policies had to be revised, staff positions and job descriptions had to be changed, a new accounting system was established, and plans to diversify SPEAR's funding base were implemented. This re-organizing work resulted in an organization that was able to operate more smoothly and efficiently.

 

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