Cash transfers have moved from a niche option to a mainstream way of delivering assistance. Donors set targets for it, governments connect it to social protection, and affected people increasingly expect to choose how they spend support. For senior managers this raises a different set of questions than for field teams: where the programme sits within the wider response, how much risk the organisation will carry, and whether the systems behind the transfers can be trusted.

The Executive Cash & Voucher Assistance Training Course gives leaders a structured view of the whole programme cycle. It starts with the evidence for cash and the analysis that justifies a modality, then moves through market and feasibility assessment, transfer design, targeting, delivery mechanisms and the selection of financial service providers. Later sessions turn to governance: budgeting and cost efficiency, risk registers, fraud and diversion controls, data protection, and monitoring that captures both outputs and outcomes.

Learning relies on executive briefings, decision exercises and anonymised case files from several emergency and recovery settings. Participants finish with a draft decision framework for approving cash proposals and a leadership action plan for their own organisation or portfolio.

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Judge when cash, vouchers or in-kind aid is the most appropriate response using response analysis.
• Interpret market assessments and set transfer values against a minimum expenditure basket.
• Evaluate delivery mechanisms and financial service providers on cost, reach, security and inclusion.
• Direct targeting and registration approaches that are fair, transparent and defensible.
• Establish risk management, fraud prevention and internal control arrangements for cash programmes.
• Safeguard beneficiary data and set accountability and feedback channels people can use.
• Lead coordination with cash working groups, donors and national social protection systems.
• Review programme performance using cost efficiency and outcome measures.

The programme is aimed at senior people who approve, oversee or fund cash-based assistance, including:

• Country directors and deputy directors of humanitarian organisations
• Heads of programmes and heads of operations
• Programme managers moving into senior cash roles
• Finance directors and heads of compliance in NGOs
• Donor programme officers and grants managers
• Social protection and disaster management officials in government
• Heads of monitoring, evaluation and accountability
• Risk, audit and internal control managers
• Mobile money and banking partners working with aid agencies

Participants return to their organisations with:

• A decision framework for approving or challenging a cash and voucher proposal.
• A checklist for governing financial service provider selection and contracts.
• A risk register template with fraud and diversion controls ready to adapt.
• Clear approaches for explaining transfer values and targeting choices to donors and communities.
• A set of oversight questions for programme, finance and data protection teams.
• A leadership action plan with priorities for the first ninety days.

The programme is designed for senior participants who need to decide, not operate. Learning formats include:

• Executive briefings on each stage of the cash programme cycle
• Decision exercises where participants approve, amend or reject sample proposals
• Anonymised case files from drought, conflict and urban settings
• Panel-style peer exchange on provider and donor negotiations
• Individual action planning with facilitator feedback

Vision Reach Global Consultancy awards a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion to leaders who attend the full programme and complete the decision exercises and action plan.