Capacity Benchmarking Tool
For Faith- and Community-Based Organizations
Table of Contents | Preface | How To Use Tool
Introduction
What type of organizations should use this tool? This tool is intended for newly established and emerging community-based nonprofit organizations – including faith-based groups – that want to work toward greater stability and effectiveness.
How does this tool help organizations? Staff and board leaders use this tool to establish priorities for strengthening the organization’s infrastructure (organizational capacity) and identify the most important next steps needed to build capacity. This tool can be re-used to track progress and focus the organization on achieving new capacities.
What capacities does this tool cover?
1. Board of Directors
2. Strategic Planning and Decision Making
3. Program Monitoring (monitoring effectiveness)
4. Community Linkages and Partnerships
5. Fundraising and Grant Writing
6. Technology
7. Managing Staff and Volunteers
8. Financial Management
Which capacity areas are most important? This tool recognizes that while some capacities may need urgent attention, others can be addressed at a different pace that makes sense given the organization’s other needs, abilities, challenges and opportunities. An appropriate combination of capacity building strategies for one organization may not be an effective combination for another organization. Your organization decides which and how many areas to focus on at a time. A variety of factors, such as funding, leadership, staffing, reputation, and public policies will influence which capacity building strategies are best at a given time.
What is a benchmark? The benchmarks in this tool are descriptive and measurable indicators of capacity. They are classified as “basic” or “enhancement.” Basic benchmarks are for nonprofits focused on stabilization. Enhancement benchmarks are generally for more established organizations ready to focus on increased effectiveness and efficiency.
A familiarity with enhancement benchmarks can help organizations working toward stabilization by providing a vision or framework for future operations and, in some instances, by helping to clarify stabilization priorities.
Please note that throughout this tool, the term “organization” includes organizations, programs, and informal groups. Please also note that “executive director” is generally interchangeable with program director, Pastor, or other staff or volunteer position with authority for the activities addressed by the tool. For some faith-based organizations, oversight may be provided by a Church Council or Board of Elders rather than a Board of Directors. |
Table of Contents | Preface | How To Use Tool