2003 Annual report
Inter Pares, Day by Day
Inter Pares was created to work for social change by collaborating with activists and social change organizations around the world, including in Canada. The founders saw their actions as an ethical response to the world, choosing to act in their own name and their own interests, as well as in the interests of those living in the communities whose efforts they supported. Today, we continue to base our work on this belief and on the values of justice and common cause. We continue to build relationships with activists around the world, create opportunities to share experiences and learning, and engage our supporters and the public in important social justice issues.
Our values are reflected in the organizational structure of Inter Pares. We have one office in Ottawa with a full-time staff of 15 people. Staff members are responsible and accountable to each other, to our Board, our counterparts and our supporters. Though there is a division of labour, all positions are considered equal and all staff receive the same base salary. Major institutional decisions are made by consensus.
Staff at Inter Pares work collaboratively and with a great deal of interdependence while organizing ourselves in 'clusters' and working groups to focus on programs and tasks. For example, the programming work in Africa, Asia and Latin America is carried out by teams of 3 or 4 program staff who manage programs in these particular geographic areas. In the same way, the donor relations team works on our in-house fundraising program, ensuring that the way in which we relate to our donors and raise funds meets the highest quality and ethical standards possible. Certain staff members are also dedicated to particular functions such as Executive Director, Finance Director and Office Manager. In addition to their core responsibilities, staff committees oversee different aspects of Inter Pares' management. All staff engage in raising funds and are involved in the programming and financial management of the organization, assuring a high degree of transparency and rigour. This internal structure reflects the democratic values we share and is the most efficient and effective way to work.
Inter Pares staff share a myriad of tasks in our day-to-day work. These may include contacting counterparts in different countries about programming, calling supporters to discuss a question they've posed, writing articles, organizing educational seminars, developing policy briefs, meeting with government officials or participating in coalition meetings with Canadian civil society colleagues. We write program proposals and reports. We may stuff envelopes, or take turns answering the phone. Travel is also an important part of our work. Visits to our counterparts allow us to receive thorough updates on their work and the local context, share with them our own activities, and discuss future plans. We meet with people who live and experience the everyday realities that we are working to change.
Listening, learning and sharing dilemmas and experiences - these are the day-to-day tasks of social justice activism at Inter Pares that form the building blocks of common cause with our counterparts around the world.
| Reviewed June 1, 2004 |  |
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