Technical Assistance
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Learning Priniciples
Glossary
Capacity – Capacity and capacity-building are relatively new terms for nonprofit leaders. The whole point of intermediaries providing training and technical assistance is, in fact, to build capacity. But exactly what is capacity and how do you build it? Capacity, very simply, is the ability to perform or produce. So to build the capacity of an organization, you do something that increases its ability to perform or produce. As a result of your capacity-building activities, the nonprofit organization can accomplish more than it could before. Although outside the scope of this guidebook, a well-designed sub-award program can also build capacity among FBCOs. (For more information on redirecting grants and sub-award programs, see the Designing Sub-Awards guidebook, part of the National Resource Center’s Intermediary Development Series.)
T/TA – This is an abbreviation for training and technical assistance. It is used in a generic sense to describe all of the non-financial services that an intermediary provides to nonprofits. When an intermediary receives a grant and makes sub-awards to other organizations, it may also provide training and technical assistance to support the sub-award.
Training – Training is imparting knowledge and skills to people in a group setting. Training is sometimes differentiated from education. While education creates learning experiences to help people develop, training is usually more results-oriented. Training should include behavioral objectives, opportunities to practice and result in improved performance. Seminars, workshops, presentations and conferences are all examples of training experiences. These terms are often used interchangeably. The term “seminar” implies a smaller group with ample opportunities for interaction. “Workshop” implies a smaller group with opportunities such as drafting copy for a brochure, writing an annual plan, etc. “Presentation” implies teaching in a large group setting. “Conference” implies a series of presentations or seminars in one location.
Technical Assistance – Technical assistance is a term used in many different ways in business and government. For our purposes, we mean providing information and support to another organization. Technical assistance is another word for help. Organizations will call asking you for help. You respond by offering to provide technical assistance. While training is “one to many,” technical assistance is usually “one to one.” Technical assistance is imparting knowledge or skills to people one organization at a time. Like training, technical assistance should also be results-oriented. You should have a specific purpose that goes beyond doing a general organizational “check-up” or encouraging weary staff and volunteers.
T/TA Pool – Your pool is your network of resource people to provide training and technical assistance on your behalf. The pool includes your own staff, nonprofit leaders with expertise to share, college or university professors and professional trainers or consultants specializing in particular skill areas. You will need to identify your pool of resource people, invite them to join you, train them in how you want training and technical assistance delivered, perhaps tell them how to work with FBCOs and keep in touch with them. You can build your T/TA pool over time to include resource people with expertise across diverse areas of need.
Tools – Tools are anything you develop that helps nonprofit organizations do their job better. These can include printed worksheets, checklists, software templates, planning calendars or any other job aid.
Resources
| Adult
Learning Priniciples