Why capacity building is needed

Email required Address never made public. Name required. Search Blog Search for:. Follow Blog via Email Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address: Follow. Join 17, other followers. Follow Following. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! A key outcome of this outreach was the decision to fund the creation of a center — Co.

The center opened in November, and as additional programs and services are created, it will work to infuse the same spirit of collaboration in everything from the physical design of the space to the center's services and offerings. Strengthen the ecosystem. Ask any nonprofit or foundation leader about the challenges they encounter in efforts to strengthen capacity, and chances they'll tell you how difficult it can be to find the right service provider. Ideally, all nonprofits should operate in an ecosystem with a diverse network of support available, including consultants and technical assistance providers.

Through our work, we are finding that a growing number of foundations, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr.

Fund among them, are considering how they can best support such an ecosystem as part of their capacity-building strategy. For more than a decade, the Haas Jr. Fund has invested in supporting nonprofit leadership.

When the foundation learned that fundraising challenges were a significant driver of burnout among nonprofit leaders, they convened a range of fundraising, strategy, and financial management consultants to explore what they could do to help build a culture of philanthropy within the nonprofit sector. One outcome of that convening has been increased coordination and collaboration among the service providers who participated — all with an eye to providing better support to the nonprofits with which they work.

Support both technical and adaptive capacities. When nonprofits are working to address a complex problem, some of the capacities they need are adaptive. Adaptive capacities are things like the ability to collaborate, to influence others, and to share leadership. At the same time, research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy shows that the areas in which nonprofit leaders say they need the most support are technical capacities — things like fundraising, staffing, and communications.

While an organization may not necessarily need to be strong in every aspect of capacity, healthy organizations need a mix of both technical and adaptive capacities, and funders should investigate approaches that take into consideration both types.

The Annie E. Its vision is to change the world by nurturing and maximizing the talents of both students and professors. HGU has uniquely contributed to the advancement of undergraduate education by creatively using global human resources for a holistic education that develops both character and knowledge.

To achieve that, HGU relies on a practical curriculum that is based on active learning and problem-solving in the current context of globalization. Capacity-building is the process of developing an organization's strength and sustainability. More than just important, it is essential for your nonprofit's health and longevity. Capacity-building enables you to focus on your mission—not simply on survival.

By definition, capacity-building is a measurable improvement in an organization's ability to fulfill its mission through a blend of sound management, strong governance, and dedication to assessing and achieving results. Imagine a food bank that improves its inventory management system so it can deliver more food, more quickly, to more people. The food bank boosted its performance by enhancing its internal management. That is capacity-building in action. Improving management practices is a well-accepted tenet in the business world.

The practice traditionally has received short shrift in the nonprofit realm, however, where the focus has more often been on projects rather than infrastructure. Without capacity-building, you risk focusing all of your energy and attention on providing services and expanding projects.

This lack of a strong foundation may lead to organizational instability, which might appear in old and deteriorating equipment, poor communication between leadership and staff, and "mission drift"—a loss of focus on your nonprofit's founding principles. Don't make the mistake of being so absorbed in seeking support for your signature program that you fail to assess whether the program is functioning as well as it could—or even if it's the best vehicle to achieve your nonprofit's goals in the long run.

With capacity-building, you will maintain focus and determine the best ways to deliver your vision and mission. You will create and maintain strong foundations for projects, measure internal effectiveness and external impact, and plan and cultivate strategic relationships.