National Society Development

The IFRC supports our 191 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world to fulfil their full potential as effective local humanitarian actors. We are committed to supporting their long-term development and programmes. And we tailor our support to each National Society's contexts, needs and priorities.

Our work

Our 191 National Societies are trusted, locally-led and principled humanitarian organizations. Thanks to their networks of local branches, they are present in virtually every community on earth and can reach people others cannot.

National Societies work in a diverse range of contexts and cultures and face many and differing challenges. Each one of them varies in its capability.

One of the IFRC's biggest priorities is to improve the ability of all National Societies to support vulnerable communities, no matter the context in which they work. This is clearly outlined in our Global Plan and in our Strategy 2030.

What does National Society Development (NSD) involve?

Getting the foundations right

We support National Societies to improve their governance and leadership. This in turn helps them improve their organizational culture and integrity.

Building core capacities

We provide support to all the core functions National Societies need to work in an effective and accountable way.

Programmes and services

We support National Societies to design and deliver long-term programmes that help the most vulnerable people in their communities.

Watch: What is National Society Development?

NSD impact on local action

Study: Localization of Humanitarian Action in the Red Cross Red Crescent

This study examines the effectiveness of support forNational Society Development(NSD) and its relevance for localization in five Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (in Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico and Turkey).It demonstrates that long-term purposeful investment in NSD increased humanitarian impact in challenging, diverse and complex environments. Why was this study needed? The World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 agreed a new agenda for the localization of aid, with participants committing to agreement called the “Grand Bargain” that would increase international investment in the leadership, capacity and delivery of local humanitarian organizations.Investment in long-term institutional capacity of local actors is a critical piece of the Grand Bargain – based on a shared understanding among those with long experience in the humanitarian community that it will lead to more effective and less costly aid. This study aims to back up this understanding by documenting how sustained investment and support to NSD has resulted in the profound and positive transformation of five different National Societies. Scroll down to download the full study report as well as the five individual country case studies. And click here to learn more about National Society Development.

Mattresses, blankets and non-food items are loaded on to a truck in Erbil by Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers to be transported to Mosul.

Photo: Finnish Red Cross/Heli Pekkonen

Emergency response can be a challenging and hectic time for National Societies. Their first priority is to quickly assist communities in need. But emergencies also present an opportunity to help National Societies build their capacity in real-time and support their longer term institutional development.

The IFRC has therefore developed an approach to support National Society development in emergencies. We can offer remote advice during ongoing operations. And if requested by National Societies, we can also provide rapid response capacity in the form of:

National Society Development in Emergencies Coordinators
Volunteer Management in Emergencies Officers

Find out more on the IFRC Go website.

Our volunteers

Our millions of volunteers worldwide are the beating heart of the IFRC. They save lives and change minds every day.

Find out more about our volunteers

Branch development

Through our network of 197,000 local branches we are firmly rooted and present within virtually every community around the world.

Learn more about branch development

Funds for National Society Development

Together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), we provide financial support to National Societies through several different funds.

Learn more, apply and support

Reference centres

Our many reference centres provide specialized knowledge and services to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Discover our reference centres

Financial sustainability

Mexican Red Cross and American Red Cross volunteers stand in a circle and discuss their joint response to the Puebla earthquake in 2018

Photo: Mexican Red Cross

The IFRC is supporting National Societies to be financially sustainable so they can continue to provide effective local humanitarian action long into the future.

For a National Society to be financially sustainable, it needs:

To attract and manage the financial resources needed, particularly long-term funding, in a transparent and accountable way
To effectively manage financial risks and opportunities and include this knowledge in decision making
A strong mission, strategy and core services, as well as a flexible organizational structure

This work should be supported by high-quality leadership engagement at all levels.

If you are from a National Society and are looking for more information on this topic, download the National Society Financial Sustainability Framework and visit the financial sustainability page on Fednet or contact [email protected]

Key documents on National Society Development

11/07/2024

pdf (5.99 MB)

Watch: National Society Development case studies

Discover more videos about National Society Development

Available partnerships for National Societies

A volunteer delivers a community preparedness session in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Photo: IFRC/Shourov Sobahan/Gennike Mayers

The IFRC is currently partnering with the World Institute for Action Learning (WIAL) to help National Societies address urgent and complex NSD related challenges. WIAL professional coaches can help your National Society come up with solutions for probono. Their ‘action learning’ approach involves leading teams through a process of:

Asking questions to clarify the exact nature of the problem
Reflecting and identifying possible solutions
Defining actions National Societies can take to overcome challenges

You can discover more about action learning by reading this introductory document and by watching this video. And you can find more information about the partnership and how to get involved by emailing [email protected]

Notifications