One of the best socially responsible funds I have come across with is the Enterprise Challenge Fund (ECF) where I have worked as part of a team in its web-based system from concept to completion. The development of ECF website is in partnership with the Challenge Fund champions in international development and can be considered as a great example of a social responsibility globalization program.

Enterprise Challenge Fund Components

Enterprise Challenge Fund has been defined as the innovative means of sharing risk with business to achieve pro-poor growth. Its primary objective is to maximize contribution to private sector development in each of its targeted countries namely Cambodia, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, PNG, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The main components of the Enterprise Challenge Fund web-based system are as follows:

1. Concept Note (CN). Contains details of the submitted concept notes based on eligibility criteria. This section also contains information about the Concept Note review and assessment.

2. Full Grant Proposal. This contains the details of the full grant proposal which includes the grant review and assessment as well.

3. Grant Fund Proposal. Contains details of the grant projects comprising its profile, financial details, project plan and monitoring and evaluation reports. Contracted grants are monitored and managed in this component to track the grant holder’s fund, claims, project activities and milestones and the M&E reports.

4. Facility Reports. This is the report mechanism where Project list, progress reports, activity cost and variance, Annual reports and other adhoc reports can be generated in various formats such as HTML, MS Word and MS Excel and portable document format.

5. Discussion Board. This enables users to communicate and collaborate with each other through the system. Authorised users can define main topics for discussion, discussion threads or sub-topics and even respond to comments or messages online. Users can be defined by topic or interest group. Also, users are allowed to attach documents to their messages or postings.

6. Document Management. This serves as the simple knowledge management tool to consolidate all the documents related to the operation of ECF.

ECF Solution Serves...

The development of ECF web-based system addresses some but not limited to the following advantages in its international operation management.

• Operational Improvement.

  Some of the operational improvements include the following:

  1. Improved global advocacy showcasing

  2. Communication and partnership strengthening with targeted countries and its private sectors

  3. Improved transparency

  4. Improved processing time and report generation

  5. Improved Document Management

• Savings

  Some examples are the following:

  1. Reduce cost in printing and paper products

  2. Reduce time in processing and report generation

ECF with its web-based business system is indeed an example of a socially responsible solution. ECF has widened its reach to its targeted partner countries thus improving private sectors and improving the lives of men and women within its sponsored communities.