FAQS
Who runs Integral?
Integral is governed by its Board, which is made up of the CEOs of all of its Member Agencies & helps set the strategy for Integral. A smaller Board committee called the Executive Committee (ExCo) works with the Secretariat to implement the strategy.
Who makes up the Secretariat?
The Secretariat is headed up by the Director (based in South Africa), who co-ordinates the Secretariat team – a part-time Communications Officer (based in the UK) & a part-time Office Manager (based in Germany).
What does the Secretariat do?
The Integral Secretariat
o works with the Board to set the strategy & direction for Integral
o implements & outworks Integral’s strategy
o facilitates & runs the face-to-face meetings of all its groups
o oversees collaborative projects
o provides virtual sharing platforms for its Members especially after disasters
o provides a space for learning & reflection
o co-ordinates prayer for the work of Integral & its Members.
When did Integral start?
Integral was launched as an alliance in October 2004 in Toronto. Prior to the start of Integral there was a 2-year consultation period in which the desire & will to model a new collaborative way of working was discussed & tested.
What are the reasons Integral started?
The rationale for Integral is to encourage, support & co-ordinate the efforts of the 14 Christian relief & development agencies who make up its’ membership. Integral provides opportunities for Members to maximise their efficiency & effectiveness particularly following a major disaster. A core belief of Integral is that more poor people are helped by collaborative working, which includes sharing best practice, learning, personnel, projects & resources.
What is the most important aspect of Integral’s work?
The main focus of Integral is Disaster Management. This means looking at ways for our Members to work together in disaster mitigation & preparedness, when disasters happen, relief & rehabilitation responses, & all the way through to development interventions.
What else does Integral do?
Integral Members are involved in more than 850 community development projects in over 80 countries. Currently there are over 90 bilateral & multi-lateral projects that have arisen because of Integral relationships. Integral is also pioneering countrywide collaboration, beginning with a 5-year commitment to Ethiopia concluding in 2010.
What do Integral Member Agencies have in common?
Integral Members are very different, varying in size, operational capacity & culture. The single unifying factor is strong underlying Christian values & a belief that more people can be helped by working collaboratively.
Can any organisation working in relief and development join Integral?
Membership in Integral is by invitation only. New Members must meet the following criteria:
1. Proven quality in relief & development work.
2. Proven operational capacity or proven relationships with institutional donors with some evidence of ability to access relief funding.
3. Organisations, as above, that accept Integral’s philosophy of work, its shared core values, vision, quality standards & any other Integral Board agreements.
4. National Christian relief & development organisations which fund projects beyond their national borders.
Relief Priority:
In addition, priority will be given to potential new members who can actively support Integral’s relief strategy, including strategies & actions to build on relief work toward longer-term development.
Does Integral fund projects?
No. Integral only works through its Members. Integral Members run & support projects in over 80 countries around the world in a broad range of sectors.
How is Integral funded?
Integral is funded through Membership fees.
What would you do in the event of an unexpected major disaster?
Integral would organise a teleconference to establish lines of communications & decide on the response model. The Integral Relief process has 2 models of response – a Lead Agency (operational) model & a Communications model (sharing information, photos & stories). The aim of Integral in times of disasters is to co-ordinate responses to ensure Members don’t duplicate efforts, making sure all aspects of the disaster are covered & acted upon.
What is the difference between Integral & the Micah Network?
Integral is a close alliance of international relief & development agencies raising funds in their headquarter countries to support their own work, or work with partners in over 80 countries around the world.
The Micah Network (www.micahnetwork.org) is a group of over 330 Christian relief, development & justice organisations from 81 countries.
Integral, the Micah Network & the World Evangelical Alliance are working together on developing disaster mitigation & relief strategies for a more effective mobilisation through the church in times of emergency.
