What is Capacity Building?
Capacity building refers to activities that strengthen an organization and help it better fulfill its mission. Capacity building can occur in every aspect of an organization, including programs, management, operations, technology, governance, fundraising and communications.
The types of capacity building activities needed by a watershed organization vary within each organization. Capacity building activities are not limited to:
- Strategic planning: The process of developing a three to five year strategic plan stating the organization's goals and objectives with measurable outcomes allows an watershed organization board and staff to map out the future direction of the organization in order to accomplish strategic priorities efficiently.
- Board development: Board development may include activities such as leadership training, defining the role of the board, and strengthening governance which increases the effectiveness of a board's operation and uses the individual skills of board members strategically to advance goals.
- Financial management: Improving financial management through activities such as upgrading financial management software, performing annual audits, and increasing understanding of nonprofit accounting can allow organizations to practice sound financial management and grow its resources.
- IT Improvements: IT capacity through upgrades to hardware and software, networking and staff training can strengthen data management, expand donations, membership, and volunteers and expand the communications and outreach.
Click Here for information and materials from recent Capacity Building Initiative events.
Communications and IT Development
Green Media Toolshed is a national nonprofit that builds and strengthens the communications infrastructure for the environmental movement. GMT provides its members with online training, online resources, media contact software, online artwork and other tools vital to effective public communication.
Innovation Network is a national nonprofit working to share planning and evaluation tools and know-how. Innonet provides consulting, training, and online tools for nonprofits and funders.
Power, Greater D.C. Region is a local nonprofit providing technology support across the Washington, D.C. region to a broad range of nonprofit organizations to ensure they have access to the best technology resources and know-how. Power offers assessments, discounted hardware and software, web site design, training and much more.
Fundraising Assistance
Environmental Support Center is a national nonprofit promoting the quality of the natural environment, human health and community sustainability by increasing the organizational effectiveness of local, state and regional organizations working on environmental issues and for environmental justice. The Environmental Support Center offers small capacity building grants to nonprofit organizations.
Foundation Center is a national nonprofit that strengthens the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy. It does so by providing public and online access to information about philanthropy, including a database of foundation and corporate grantmakers, by conducting and facilitating research on trends in the field, and by offering education and training on the grantseeking process.
GuideStar is a nonprofit organization promoting a transparent and accountable nonprofit sector. They offer a ranking system commonly used by donors searching for reliable and effective nonprofit organizations. GuideStar offers additional online resources and articles for nonprofit groups.
General Capacity Building Information
Alliance for Nonprofit Management is a national organization that supports nonprofits, state associations and consultants with research and education about nonprofit management issues. They publish a monthly e-newsletter, PULSE! and convene a national meeting on nonprofit issues.
Canaan Valley Institute is a nonprofit, non-advocacy organization committed to helping communities in the Appalachian highlands of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and all of West Virginia build their capacity to address environmental or economic problems by implementing locally determined solutions. CVI provides assistance to watershed and other volunteer groups.
Clearinghouses and Links to Online Resources and Websites
University of Wisconsin Nonprofit Management Education Center offers wide range of links to topics and resources on such topics as cultural diversity, planned giving and grantwriting, strategic alliances and collaboration, and others.
Washington Area Grantmakers provides an excellent website on organizational effectiveness that provides their "top fives" for a variety of capacity building tools and topics such as resources on organizational development, journals, capacity building reports, and research-to-practice information and additional resources.
Leadership and Board Development
Board Source is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by strengthening their boards of directors. Board Source offers publications, training and consultation for nonprofit boards in the areas of board development, fundraising and leaderships.
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits is a California based organizations dedicated to fostering highly effective leadership through best practice exchanges focusing on board training and leadership development, a Leadership Institute, Executive Director Roundtable, and offering resource library.
Regional Associations of Nonprofit Agencies
Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies is committed to the strengthening of the nonprofit sector in Delaware for the benefit of the whole community. DANA offers trainings, information and referrals, advocacy and cost saving programs for items like D&O Liability Insurance.
Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations is dedicated to strengthening individual nonprofits, as well as the entire nonprofit sector. MANO offers assistance to all nonprofits in the state of Maryland in organization development areas through training and consultation.
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania. PANO provides training, insurance, advocacy and a host of other services for Pennsylvania nonprofits.
Virginia Network of Nonprofit Organizations is a statewide organization working to help Virginia nonprofits pool their expertise, energy and experience to meet common challenges. VANNO offers training, technical assistance and group purchasing.
Washington Council of Agencies is a local nonprofit that has as its mission to strengthen, promote and represent nonprofit organizations in metropolitan Washington in order to help them better meet the diverse needs of their communities. To do this, the Center provides the region's nonprofit community with the information, tools and resources they need to succeed, including education and training, networking, advocacy, and group buying programs.
Waterkeeper Alliance is a national nonprofit that strengthens the impact of individual water keepers by providing a centralized source of scientific, legal, media and capacity-building resources. In the Chesapeake Region, a full-time Coordinator helps local water keepers 1) enhance public awareness of individual and common presence; 2) create a common and consistent Water keeper voice for Bay-related issues; and 3) share and learn from each other's work.
Organizational Development
Institute for Conservation Leadership is a national nonprofit that strengthens leaders, organizations and networks that protect the Earth. ICL offers assistance to environmental nonprofits in organizational development through training, consulting, research and meeting facilitation.
Compass Point Services is a consulting, research, and training organization that provides nonprofits with management tools, strategies, and resources to lead change in their communities.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations is a membership based organization that offers networking opportunities through an annual conference, list serve with member publications, research, and tools focusing on organizational learning and leadership development.
River Network is a national nonprofit that helps people organize to protect and restore rivers and their watersheds. RN specializes in helping river and watershed-based nonprofits with organizational development as well as with technical subjects such as monitoring and assessment and using the Clean Water Act. Service delivery is through publications, a website, trainings, one-on-one consulting, an annual meeting for partners and peer sharing.
TCC Group is a consulting firm based in New York that assists non profit organizations in services areas of planning, evaluation, grantmaking assistance, program and strategy development, needs assessment, and organizational development.
Program Evaluation Training * January 9 – 10, 2008
Nearly 50 participants from the groups participating in the Capacity Building Initiative convened at Northbay Adventure Center in North East, MD for a comprehensive training on Program Evaluation. OMG Center for Collaborative Learning provided the training and facilitated very constructive work sessions with participants to help integrate evaluation into their organizational decision making. Training topics included why evaluation is important, developing a Theory of Change for your organization and/or programs, designing and implementing evaluation tools and putting the results to work for you!
Copies of the presentations are included below:
Theory of Change PP
Why Does Evaluation Matter PP
Putting Evaluation to Work for You PP
Outcomes & Indicators PP
Method Selection PP
Evaluating Advocacy PP
Capacity Building Initiative Kickoff Proceedings
The Chesapeake Bay Funders Network hosted the first meeting of the Watershed Network on June 27 & 28th at the Rockwood Manor in Carderock, MD. Watershed orga nizations and Riverkeepers from Maryland and Virginia met for two days to review the results of their organizational assessments, learn about new strategies in organizational capacity building and evaluation, and to meet and learn from other groups in the watershed who protect and restore local streams and rivers.
Highlights of the Kickoff event include:
- Presentation on the Evaluation and the Role of Organizational Learning with Jared Raynor of the TCC Group
- Presentation on the Capacity Building Initiative grant program and opportunity to learn more about individual organization's online assessment scores
- Open Dialogue and Listening Session with the Jeff Lape of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
- Workshop with Cindy Schwartz of the League of Conservation Voters and a federal policy update with Pat Stuntz of the Chesapeake Bay Commission
- Interactive break out sessions and networking opportunities with Fran Flanigan and Terry Cummings of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Power Point presentations and handouts are provided below:
Program Agenda
CBI Recommendations Summary presented by Jamie Baxter with the Chesapeake Bay Trust
CBI Evaluation Plan Overview presented by Jamie Baxter with the Chesapeake Bay Trust
Organizational Learning and the Role of Program Evaluation and the handout of the Four Core Capacity Description presented by Jared Raynor with the TCC Group
Beyond Politics Training presented by Cindy Schwartz with the League of Conservation Voters
Capacity Building Initiative Timeline presented by Kerri Bentkowski with the Chesapeake Bay Trust
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