Annual Report 2009

Annual report 2009

2009 was a remarkable year for MDF; we became 25 years (1984 – 2009).
This milestone will be celebrated on July 2 with a seminar on Rhineland entrepreneurship in international collaboration. Uncertainties about the effects of the global recession in the end did not negatively impact our results in 2009 professionally or financially. This meant that MDF could face 2010 with a boost of confidence and creative space to continue to improve our services for our clients. Customer services remain a top priority for MDF which is also why we decided to get ISO certified during 2010 to maintain our high standards.

Within the development sector, the increasing attention toward Aid Effectiveness and Management for Development Results continued in 2009, also for MDF. But there were several other important events which made the year a particularly exciting one. This includes: more long term engagements, new alliances and the development of several new courses.

Consultancies

Consultancies in 2009 constituted about 50% of all our business in the Netherlands and abroad. This clearly demonstrates how MDF more and more complements its traditional training institute profile with a strong emphasis on consultancies for a wide variety of clients ranging from small NGOs to Government institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors. The trend illustrates our success in linking training with practice; one of the original ideas at the start of MDF in 1984. In 2009 MDF also offered several interim management services to Dutch development organisations undergoing change, which seems to be a growing sector. For a full overview of our diverse consultancy assignments, please refer to our website.

Our partners and alliances

2009 saw a strengthening of partnerships and alliances and the entering into competitive consortia. As many short and long term assignments increase in complexity, so do the demands for effective alliances with other development partners to effectively address the challenges ahead. MDF, more than ever, invested in building new partnerships and alliances while paying consistent attention to maintaining existing ones. These contacts also ensure that MDF challenges its own views and assumptions about development and is enriched by exposure to perspectives from partners.