Increasing the Capacity of Individuals, Families and Communities

Identifying and Promoting Best Practices

Identifying and Promoting Promising Practices Overview | Identifying Best Practices

Understanding Best Practices

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The Definition of a Practice
When identifying a best practice it is important to begin with a clear understanding of what qualifies as a practice. We have already established that a practice can be defined as a program, activity or strategy. A practice can also be a:

• System
• Methodology
• Process
• Formula
• Technique
• Tactic
• Approach

What is important is that the practice has clearly defined parameters that can be assessed for effectiveness and compared against other similar practices.

The Dimensions of Best Practices
A second factor to keep in mind is that for purposes of nonprofit, social service organizations, there are six key dimensions where practices reside. Each of these dimensions is equally valid and equally important to the long term success and effectiveness of organizations. Therefore, it is important to identify and incorporate best practices from each of these six dimensions. Following is a brief description of each of the key dimensions for best practices.

One: Programmatic Practices
The programmatic dimension includes those parts of an organization involved in responding to an issue or problem through providing some type of service. Areas for best practice use within the programmatic dimension can include, but are not limited to:

• Needs assessment
• Program design
• Work plans
• Project management
• Information or reporting systems
• Community organizing
• Volunteer recruitment
• Evaluation

Two: Organizational Practices
The organizational dimension includes those areas of the organization that impact the effective implementation and management of programs. Areas for best practice use within the organizational dimension include, but are not limited to:

• Governance
• Human resources management
• Financial management
• Grant acquisition
• Grant management
• Strategic planning
• Partnerships and collaborations
• Outcomes and quality improvement
• Informational technology management
• Fundraising
• Marketing

Three: Generalizable Practices
Generalizable best practices are those practices that apply broadly to most nonprofit organizations regardless of the sector they serve. An example of a generalizable best practice would be board development, as this applies to almost any nonprofit serving all sectors.

Four: Context Specific Practices
Context specific best practices apply only to organizations working in a specific context such as those running after-school programs or homeless shelters. Practices developed for use within a specific program context may be specifically valid for another similar program context, but they probably are not generally valid across a broad range of applications.

A best practice that works well for one FBCO may not necessarily work well for all FBCOs. Each organization is different and has is working within its own context and sector. What is a best practice for one organization may in fact be a very poor practice for another organization.

For example, the majority of FBCOs may have a need for best practices in public sector funding. However, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work as each organization will have its own particular context and needs within the arena of public sector funding. Instead, the general principles underlying acquiring and managing public sector funding will need to be adapted to fit the particular context of the FBCOs served. You will want to make sure that best practices appropriately fit the context in which they are being applied.

Five: Present Need Practices
Present needs are those areas of current programmatic and organizational operations in which FBCOs are in need of identifying and incorporating best practices to increase and enhance capacity. You will want to work with FBCOs to identify those domains that are vital to current operations and then to further determine the specific areas within each domain in need of best practices. The list of present needs may appear to be mundane, but this can be very positive. It will help you focus on building strength into the basics of programmatic and organizational operations in the organizations you serve. Present best practice needs may include areas such as:

• Program design
• Project implementation
• Strategic planning
• Human resources management
• Volunteer management
• Private sector fund development
• Partnership development
• Program evaluation

Six: Future Need Practices Present needs are important in terms of ensuring that the basic programmatic and organizational practices of FBCOs are sound. However, it is vital to the capacity-building effort to identify those needs that will impact areas of future operations. You will want to engage in a discussion with the organizations you serve to determine the best practices they need in order to be able to move into new areas of programmatic and organizational operations.

Six Key Dimensions of Best Practices Programmatic Practices Organizational Practices Generalizable Practices Context Specific Practices Present Need Practices Future Need Practices

For example, while many FBCOs may not currently receive any public sector funding, they may have a strong desire to pursue public sector funding opportunities in the future under the new government guidelines for faith-based and community initiatives. This becomes an area of need for best practice identification and incorporation affecting the future capacity of the organization.

Some additional areas of future best practice needs may include:

• Acquiring public sector funding
• Grant management
• Outcomes measurement
• Developing and managing partnerships and collaborations
• Developing and managing cross-sector partnerships
• Research design

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Identifying and Promoting Promising Practices Overview | Identifying Best Practices