Capacity building involves strengthening nonprofit organizations
so they can better achieve their missions. Types
of capacity building include:
1. Helping nonprofits assess their needs for capacity building
- so they can receive the services that will most help them meet
current challenges and grow healthily,
2. Providing consultation, technical assistance and access to
information or other resources needed to meet challenges and grow,
and
3. Offering direct financial support, to increase fiscal stability
and build the organization's infrastructure.
These services can enhance nonprofit functioning
in many areas, such as administration, finance, human resources,
technology and facility management.
DSYF'S INITIATIVE
In 2007 Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation began a Capacity-Building Initiative, whose grantmaking functions are described in our Grantmaking section. In this section we present Capacity Building News and Youth Services News (updated quarterly), and a set of information resources to help local youth-serving nonprofits.
Publications
Capability Company e-Newsletter is for nonprofit professionals. The newsletter provides information for people seeking employment in the nonprofit sector. It also includes announcements and information on publications of interest to the nonprofit sector.
The Nonprofit Quarterly e-Newsletter provides information for nonprofits. This e-newletter includes announcements, articles, and listings of relevant publications.
What Steps Can Nonprofits Take in the Current Economic Climate: This article is in the Spring edition of the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s Western Region Quarterly. It is based on a recent talk by NFF President Clara Miller, which introduced five recommendations to help nonprofits prepare for periods of recession. The recommendations are part of a recent study where NFF analyzed financial data from 6,500 mid-size nonprofits.
A Leader’s Guide to Executive Coaching: The Nonprofit Quarterly has published this overview by David Coleman of the goals and process of executive coaching, which has become increasingly population in the nonprofit as well as in the business sector.
Root Cause Solutions is a bi-monthly e-newsletter covering key issues and topics facing problem solvers working in nonprofits, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. It includes leading-edge strategies for building enduring solutions to social problems, and recommendations of important articles and tools on the featured topic.
Events
The New IRS Form 990: "What Nonprofits Need to Know.” This live, 60-minute audio conference will be held on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The IRS recently released the first major overhaul of the nonprofit reporting Form 990 in almost 30 years, and this event will help nonprofits learn how to respond. It will be hosted by Progressive Business Publications, and the cost is $199.00. Presenter is Rosemarie Steeb, Executive Director, Ernst & Young’s Personal Financial Services & Exempt Organization practice.
2008 Annual Alliance for Nonprofit Management Conference will be held in Dearborn, Michigan, July 9-11. Topics covered include Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Board Development, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Fundraising & Financial Management, Cultural Competency & Community Development and Evaluation.
Grantsmanship Training: The Grantsmanship Center’s basic training program is designed for both the novice and the experienced grantseeker. This intensive 5-day workshop combines expert instruction with practical exercises through all the stages of planning programs, locating funding sources, and writing grant proposals. The next 5-day workshop will be held on August 25 - 29th at the Grantsmanship Center’s downtown Los Angeles location. For more information and/or registration contact Joan Sullivan at 213-482-9860 or joan@tgci.com
Other Resources
Trend Tracker. This is a free search tool available on the Foundation Center’s website. It is part of Fact Finder, a suite of tools that also includes Foundation Finder and 990 Finder. These provide access to information on foundations in the United States. For more information go to the Philanthropy Journal website.
Help 4 Nonprofits/Community Driven Institute. This is a free e-Newsletter which provides information for the nonprofit sector. To subscribe, visit their website.
Nonprofit Neighborhoood. This bimonthly newsletter, published by the California Association of Nonprofits, provides information resources and events listings for California nonprofits. To subscribe, visit their website.
California Nonprofits Career Center. This service of the California Association of Nonprofits offers job listings for the nonprofit sector in California. For more information, visit their website.
Publications
The Essence of Youth Protection: Rules, Reporting and Consequences, by
John C. Patterson. The theme of this article is that youth service organizations are focusing too much on ferreting out sexual predators and not enough on the safety of the children they want to protect.
Events
Other Resources
Youth Today:
Best-known as the leading “national newspaper” presenting information about youth services and issues affecting youth in America, this publication’s website also offers a number of other resources - access to stories in the current issue of the newspaper, and a variety of articles and announcements about events relevant to the youth nonprofit services sector.
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 fifth (2008) 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?
2. Are we ready to build capacity to meet these needs better?
- Do we have the resources (financial,
personnel, etc.) to undertake capacity building?
- Are we agreed among staff, board and
executive director about the need for capacity building
and the right way to do it?
- Is anything else happening in our organization
or in the community that we should take
account of in planning for capacity building? (other major changes
or
capacity-building efforts happening
at the same time, a crisis or problem that
is absorbing all our energy, etc.)
3. Who will lead the capacity-building work inside our organization?
4. How will we find the capacity-building information or technical
assistance to help us?
5. How will we know when we succeed?
Specific subject areas in which capacity building may be needed
include:
DSYF's Quick Assessment Tool
To start the process of self-assessment
about capacity-building needs, youth-serving agencies in Los Angeles
and Orange Counties can download a brief assessment device DSYF
created, based on the above questions and subject areas. The DSYF
Tool can be used to focus staff discussion, lead a board meeting,
or begin constructing a funding proposal, among many other purposes.
To download a PDF of this tool, click
HERE
Other Assessment Tools
Other tools can help a nonprofit assess
its needs for capacity building, develop a plan of action to do
so, and measure progress over time. Some of these assessment tools
are free of charge and relatively easy to use. Others must be
purchased from their developers, are more complex, and may require
a substantial financial and time investment.
This roster contains 18 self-assessment tools nonprofits may use
as part of planning for capacity building. Information on cost,
level of complexity (low-medium-high) and estimated time to complete
are included for each. Most can be used by any type of nonprofit,
though a few were constructed specifically for one area, such
as the arts (titles indicate clearly which these are). To find
out more about a tool, click on its title and you will be connected
to the developer's website.
No endorsement is implied for any of the tools listed below in
alphabetical order, and there are many other valuable capacity-building
assessment tools that are not mentioned here.
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.