Meet our member
Who we are
Relief International (RI) is a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to reduce human suffering. Founded in the US in 1990, RI responds to natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and chronic poverty by providing immediate relief and long-term development though empowering communities. RI has been a LINGOs member since 2014.
What learning means to us
Learning and staff development contribute to internal growth which helps us achieve our organizational goals including improving staff engagement, promoting local capacity building, increasing staff satisfaction and improving retention. We focus on individual needs and link training to performance so that staff can perform better in their current roles as well as achieve their future professional goals.
Since joining LINGOs we have had the support we need as an NGO to ensure capacity-building and staff development. The resources, partnerships, networking and tools that LINGOs offers have been a critical part of our learning and development achievements.
How we learn at RI
The RI Academy allows our staff to benefit from the PMD Pro courses, English language learning, budgeting and management lessons that LINGOs provides. We’ve also produced an orientation program that gives a high level overview of RI and helps us meet compliance and regulatory requirements.
The Learning Management System (LMS) is really what’s allowed RI to disseminate information and track compliance training. Through it we can provide standardized orientation as well as create targeted and relevant training for technical and functional areas. Our staff benefit from over 900 courses published by industry learning and development champions like SkillSoft, HBP and Last Mile Learning.
Finally, our Organizational Development and Training Unit has benefitted from networking and exchanging ideas and techniques with other NGOs and partner organizations. We’ve used these proven methods, resources and tools to continuously improve the way RI provides and tracks staff development opportunities.
The difference learning has made
We’ve found that new staff joining RI have a better understanding of their role within the organization and also perform better if they complete our Orientation and Onboarding program, which is delivered through the LMS. A survey of newcomers from January to December last year found a statistically significant difference between those who completed the program and those who didn’t. The survey also found that the number of staff who reported that they received training ‘at least once a year’ also improved as a result of completing the orientation program.
One member of staff said, “The RI Academy is the best resource and every time I visit, I read more. I’ve also joined some of the groups in the RI Academy. It has everything that new staff need to learn; the rest depends on the staff making the most of the opportunity provided.”
Our future learning plans
Looking forward, we hope to increase learning opportunities to include more technical training and management development. We would like to see all staff, from the CEO and Board members to our cleaners and drivers, engaged in development activities. We want to continue to engage and grow our workforce, increasing their capacity to provide greater support to the communities we serve.
We believe that enabling the learning and development of all staff improves our ability to respond in emergency situations and provides the most efficient and effective support using the most relevant and timely methods and techniques. NGOs operate in continuously changing and challenging environments—from shifts in climate to politics, social structure to economics—so ensuring that staff have adequate resources and knowledge available to them enables us to meet those ever evolving needs.
Our advice to you
Your staff is the heart, lungs, hands and feet of your organization. Keep them strong and healthy by providing them with knowledge, skills and abilities not only to perform their roles but to continuously improve their performance and grow as professionals. This will enable your organization to not only meet its goals and objectives, but to grow as a reputable and trusted contributor to the NGO sector.
Dr. Diane Barish
Director of Organizational Development and Training, Relief International