Capacity Building for Non-Profit Organizations:

Even if there is vast literature on capacity building in the non-profit world there is a lack of specialist publications on capacity building within foundations. Here we present some general and introductory resources to capacity-building. In the case-study section we will make the attempt to gather best-practices and capacity building examples from the specific foundation sector.

• General Guidebooks
• Resources on Capacity Building

General Guidebooks

De Vita, Carol J. and Feling, Cory. Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations. Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2001. 96 p.

Capacity building is a popular term these days - too popular and extensive a term, in fact, to mean much to individuals making specific decisions about programmes and grant strategies. As a result, everyone - from practitioners to foundation CEOs - is calling for increased attention to the capacity building needs of nonprofit organisations. So far, however, the rhetoric is ahead of the work. In this report, which is a result of a collaboration among the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Human Interaction Research Institute (HIRI), and the Center on Nonprofit and Philanthropy (CNP) at the Urban Institute, the authors try to define capacity building as the ability of nonprofit organisations to fulfill their missions in an effective way. Moreover, they examine capacity building from a new perspective, as it relates to the overall quality of life in the communities nonprofit organisation serve.

Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations (2001) (853 KB) 

Light, Paul C. and Hubbard, Elizabeth T. "Practice Matters: The Improving Philanthropy Project." The Capacity Building Challenge. vol. 7. New York, NY: Foundation Centre, 2004. 81. p. ISBN: 1545-6781

Investments to enhance the organizational capacity and performance of nonprofits have increased dramatically in recent years. Yet, despite the popularity of the concept, relatively little research is available that clearly demonstrates the value of nonprofit capacity building or links it to improved program outcomes. What is needed are more comparable and comprehensive findings about the outcomes of capacity building, both to ensure the ongoing commitment of funders to support this work and to demonstrate what kinds of capacity building efforts have the greatest effects and when. This paper proposes a system for understanding the various approaches to capacity building and a strategy for measuring the outcomes of capacity building activities.

The Capacity Building Challenge (2004) (664 KB) 

 

McKinsey & Company. Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organisations. Washington, DC: Venture Philanthropy Partners, 2001. 116. p.

Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organizations brings some common language to the discussion of capacity building and offers insights and examples of how nonprofits have pursued building up their organizational muscle. The report contributes to the growing conversation about how to help nonprofits become stronger, more sustainable, and better able to serve their communities. McKinsey & Company prepared the study at the request of Venture Philanthropy Partners.

Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organizations (2001) (1.02 MB)

 

James, Rick and Wrigley Rebecca. Praxis Paper 18. Investigating the Mystery of Capacity Building. Learning from the Praxis Programme. Oxford: INTRAC-International NGO Training and Research Centre, 2007. 33 p.

Bolton, Margaret and Abdy Meg. Foundations for Organisational Development: Practice in the UK and USA. The Baring Foundation and The Northern Rock Foundation, 2007. 56.p.

Simister, Nigel and Smith, Rachel. Praxis Paper 23. Monitoring and Evaluating Capacity Building: Is it really that difficult? Oxford: INTRAC-International NGO Training and Research Centre, 2010. 36 p.

Whilst few doubt the importance of capacity building, and the need for effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to support this work, the M&E of capacity building is as much a challenge now as it was two decades ago. This paper examines both theory and current practice, and aims to promote debate on some of the key barriers to progress. The paper is primarily concerned with capacity building within civil society organisations (CSOs), although many of the lessons also apply to commercial and state organisations. It is based on a literature review and interviews with capacity building providers in the North and South.

Resources on Capacity-Building 

Overview of capacity building resources