|
||||||||||||
|
CAPACITY BUILDING Capacity building involves strengthening nonprofit organizations
so they can better achieve their missions. Types
of capacity building include: These services can enhance nonprofit functioning
in many areas, such as administration, finance, human resources,
technology and facility management.
Publications Achieving Diversity Step by Step: A Step by Step to Diversity and Inclusion is a guide for nonprofit organizations, written by Third Sector New England’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative Director Tyra Sidberry and writer Pat Dixon. It provides a step-by-step approach - in seven phases - to achieving diversity and inclusiveness in the nonprofit workplace. To access this guide, visit the website at www.tsne.org/site/c.ghLUK3PCLoF/b.4245353/k.200/Publications__Seven_Ste ps_to_Achieving_Diversity_and_Inclusiveness_in_the_Nonprofit_Workplace.htm.
Convergence: How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector highlights five key factors that will shape the social sector of the future. Based on extensive review of existing research and in-depth interviews with thought leaders and nonprofit leaders and activists, it explores the trends (Demographic Shifts; Technological Advances; Networks Enabling Work to be Organized in New Ways; Rising Interest in Civic Engagement and Volunteerism; and Blurring of Sector Boundaries) and looks at the ways nonprofits can successfully navigate the changes. The monograph is by La Piana Consulting. To access the report, click here.
Creative Disruption: Nonprofit Sabbaticals Improve Organizational Capacity is a new study by CompassPoint that counters the myth that an executive sabbatical will be a chaotic disruption for a nonprofit, finding instead that the creative disruption of a well-planned sabbatical can be productive for the entire leadership of an organization. To access all or part of this study, click here. Cultural Competency: Concepts and Definitions is an information sheet that compares three definitions relevant to capacity building in the nonprofit sector, including the definition generated by the Alliance People of Color Affinity Group. To access the sheet, click here.
Fostering Sustainable Collaborative Relationships is an article by John Vogelsang, Associate Director of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management which was published in the Journal of Nonprofit Management. It presents the experiences nonprofits have with collaboration efforts. To access this article, visit the website at http://www.supportcenteronline.org/images/fostering_sustainable_collaborative_r elationships.pdf.
Grants for Capacity Building, Management & Technical Assistance 2010 is a publication helpful for identifying prospective funders for general support or specific projects of nonprofits. Published by the Foundation Center, it has descriptions of over 12,000 grants worth almost $2.5 billion from over 900 foundations. It includes grants for fundraising assistance, developing marketing plans, leadership development and staff training, etc. For more information and to purchase the guide, click here. What Helps Leaders Grow: Highlights from the Fund for Leadership Advancement presents key insights from Irvine Foundation’s Fund for Leadership Advancement, an initiative to improve the leadership abilities of executive directors of selected grantee organizations. Based on an evaluation of the first 20 participating organizations, it finds that relatively small investments in leadership support can yield important gains in organizational effectiveness. And it suggests that the fund’s approach, which includes executive coaching and consulting on organizational development, is an effective one, although it identifies some areas for improvement. The evaluation was conducted by BTW informing change, a firm that provides information-based services, including evaluation, to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. To access the report, click here.
Events Gems for Grassroots is a workshop sponsored by the Flintridge Operating Foundation, and will be held on March 13, 2010 at the Flintridge Retreat in Pasadena. It will provide executive directors of small nonprofit organizations with the tools and techniques needed to develop an organization that is sustainable with impactful programs. Organizations will be introduced to principles necessary to launch and operate a nonprofit organization; proven tools to effectively operate or develop the organization; and techniques to provide quality services under financial restraints. For more information, click here. Grantseeking Basics is a free workshop presented by Flintridge Operating Foundation. Beneficial for beginning grantseekers, this session provides key information and definitions from the world of philanthropy, elements that should be in place before grantseeking, what funders are looking for, and how to identify organizations that are likely to provide funding. There will also be an introduction to what resources are available in the Flintridge Philanthropy Resource Library, to help with grantseeking and other nonprofit needs. The workshop will be held in Pasadena on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 10 to 11 am, and again on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 9 to 10 am. To register, click here. Hitting the Social Media Trifecta: Integrating Facebook, Twitter and YouTube/Vimeo will be held in Northridge on Thursday, April 1st from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Many nonprofit staff are on Twitter and Facebook, and either posting or watching content on YouTube and Vimeo. But how does this mesh with promoting the organization's mission? How does it fit in with the overall communication strategies nonprofits use for fundraising, community outreach and client recruitment? This Valley Nonprofit Resources workshop will include an opportunity to share best practices with other participants, and to learn how to integrate it all, led by Edward Headington of Headington Media Group. For more information and to register, please contact Diana Medina Wiley, VNR Project Coordinator, at (818) 990-0176 or via email.
Third Annual MENDing Poverty Conference will be held Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 8 am-2 pm at the MEND Center in Pacoima. The conference is for leaders of the Southern California nonprofit, funder and business communities, focused on challenges of poverty services. This year's theme is “Getting People Out of Poverty - Programs, Policies and Collaborations That Work!” Conference keynote speakers are Forces for Good author Heather Grant and community leader Connie Rice. Three break-out workshops will focus on the conference theme, with an opportunity for audience feedback to shape an action paper for wide circulation after the conference. The conference is co-hosted by MEND and Valley Nonprofit Resources; co-chairs are Carmel Sella of Wells Fargo Bank and Florence Green of IdeaEncore. For more information and to register contact Maggie Torres at MEND, (818) 688-7350 or via email. Providers Collaborative of the San Fernando Valley meets on the second Thursday of each month to share resources and information about issues facing the San Fernando Valley, including homelessness, health, and mental health. The group also discusses opportunities for advocacy around legislation and local issues around homelessness. The next meeting will be on Thursday, March 11, 2010 For more information or to get involved in this work, contact Dennis O’Sullivan at (213) 384-6689.
Other Resources Communications Resources for Nonprofit Organizations is a section of The California Wellness Foundation’s website, which examines the role of communications and tactics that can help further the missions of nonprofit organizations. Included are resources on developing a strategic plan, advancing policy and advocacy issues, working with the media, creating advertisements and framing issues. To access this section of the website, click here. YOUTH SERVICES NEWS - Resources for Youth-Serving Agencies in Los Angeles County Publications Youth Speakers Share Their Hopes for The Future features comments from seven youth speakers at the recent Innovative Collaborations to Promote Positive Youth Outcomes: A Federal, State, and Local Dialogue conference. They shared their experiences as youth at risk – as well as how they were able to get their lives on track. For these seven youth, the keys to successful outcomes included strong programs with high expectations; the ability to develop and showcase talents; and long term relationships with caring adults. To access this article, click here.
Events
Other Resources Young Senator’s Program was developed by State Senator Gilbert Cedillo as a leadership training seminar for high school students who exhibit a commitment to their community and who live in the Maywood, Alhambra, Vernon, Los Angeles, San Marino and South Pasadena areas. The goal is for the students to develop skills that empower them as community leaders. The Young Senators Program will educate students and encourage them to participate in community service. To learn more about it, click here.
REFERRAL RESOURCES Capacity-building services are available from various organizations and individuals throughout Los Angeles County. Some are offered on a fee-for-service basis. Other services are offered at reduced cost or free of charge to nonprofits (often because they are underwritten by a third party), or are offered directly by a funder (foundation, business, individual donor, religious institution or government agency) that pays for them. One critical step for any youth-serving nonprofit wishing to build its capacity is identifying the right resources. A referral resource for this purpose is: Los Angeles County Now in its sixth (2009) edition, the Resource Directory for Nonprofit Capacity Building in Los Angeles County describes a number of resources youth-serving nonprofits may find useful in meeting their capacity building needs. To download a free copy of this Directory, click HERE.
ASSESSMENT RESOURCES To build capacity, nonprofits first need to do a careful needs assessment, looking at the organization as a living system and figuring out a strategy for how to strengthen it. Basic questions about capacity building, which any nonprofit might use to start a discussion among staff or board, are the following: 1. What kinds of needs for improvement do we
have at the present time? Specific subject areas in which capacity building may be needed
include:
To download a PDF of this tool, click HERE Other Assessment Tools
NOTE: Appearance of activities, publications or organizations in these website listings does not constitute any type of endorsement from the Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation. These listings are provided solely for informational purposes. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
