Note from Beth:My long-time colleague, Teresa Crawford, Executive Director, Social Sector Accelerator, shares some thoughts about nonprofit capacity building programs based on extensive research. Her answer to the question about capacity building programs leading to better impact will surprise you. If you know me or have worked with me before you know I like to plan. It is so part of my personality that even on vacation my kids wake up in the morning and ask what's the plan for the day. So, … [Read more...]
Creating A Global Network of Capacity Builders for Social Change
I've always benefited from learning from colleagues who do nonprofit technology training and capacity but often we come from the same perspective. I've always dreamed of accessing a diverse network of people who do nonprofit capacity across different disciplines or what Nancy White has described as "learning from adjacent practices." This would be a network or community of practice that freely shares and learns from one another about training and capacity building that is participatory, … [Read more...]
Can You Measure the Impact of Capacity Building for Nonprofits?
Capacity building is about improving organizational (or network) effectiveness. Capacity building includes both money (grants), consultants/technical assistance, peer learning/communities of practice, and collaboration. According to the survey of funders about capacity building completed by GrantCraft, the top five areas of capacity building that funders most likely support include: leadership, strategic planning, financial management, governance, and fundraising. Other areas include: … [Read more...]
Two Must Read Reports on Nonprofit Capacity Building
Two reports have been released on the topic of capacity building: "Supporting Grantee Capacity: Strengthening Effectiveness Together," from GrantCraft, a service of the Foundation Center and "Strengthening Nonprofit Capacity" from GEOfunders. This post summarizes gems from both reports. While the reports are guides to funders, if you do work as a capacity builder, you will find some useful insights for your practice. . Supporting Grantee Capacity: Strengthening Effectiveness Together This … [Read more...]
Organizational Amnesia, Accountability Buddies, and Other Things I learned at the Grant Managers Network Conference
March was the "Iron Woman Multi-Conferencethon" for me and I'm just catching up. In mid-March, I had a whirl wind day at the Grant Managers Network Annual Conference where I did the following: Panel Session: Outcomes, Impact, and Communication with Roberto Cremonini and Danette Peters. The session was about why it is important to track outcomes, some examples, and discussion. Keynote: Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Be Networked, Use Measurement, and Learn from Your Data - I … [Read more...]
