Capacity Building Project Final Report - Buffalo State College · sustain the vision, inspire,...

Preparedby:Dr.AttaCeesay(SUNY-BuffaloStateCollege)&Dr.EllenSzarleta(IndianaUniversityNorthwest)

CapacityBuildingProject–FinalReport

MARCH2016

ContentsIntroduction................................................................................................................................................2

SummaryofCapacityBuildingProjectDeliverables...............................................................................4

CapacityBuildingProgramComponentsandCompletedActionSteps................................................5

StepOne:FoundationsofEastChicagocapacitybuildingassessment.............................................5

StepTwo:Nonprofitcapacitybuildingassessment.............................................................................9

StepThree:Grouptraining/facilitationonkeycapacityissues.........................................................16

StepFour:Peernetworksbasedonneedsofcommunityandorganizations..................................20

ProcessSummary......................................................................................................................................21

FinalEvaluationSurvey............................................................................................................................22

NextSteps:MeasuringPerformance......................................................................................................24

Appendix1:FECBoardandStaffInput...................................................................................................26

Appendix2:WorkshopEvaluationQuestionnaire................................................................................38

Appendix3:AuthorBiographies..............................................................................................................41

IntroductionIn2013,theFoundationsofEastChicago(FEC),throughastrategicrealignment,

implementedaprocesstoexploretheissuesoflong-termsustainabilityofitsgrantees.As

stated,thefoundation’smissionis“tostrengthenandimprovethequalityoflifeinEast

Chicagothroughstrategicgrantmaking,providingleadership,andservingasa

communityresource”(FEC,2016)i.Themaintenetsofthestrategicrealignmentfocused

onhealth,educationandpublicsafety.TheFoundationengagedinmultipleconversations

withkeystakeholderstodeterminehowbesttoaddressthemaintenets.Itbecame

apparenttothefoundationthatgranteesrequiredsupportinfourareasinorderto

sustainablyimplementprogramssupportiveoftheFECmission.Theseareasare:

• CapacityBuilding

• ProgramMeasurementandReporting

• PublicRelations

• Technology

TheEastChicagoFoundationcapacitybuildingandreportingandmeasurement

challengesandopportunitiesarethefocusofthisreportbytheIndianaUniversity

NorthwestCenterforUrbanandRegionalExcellence.Theprojectteaminitiallywas

contractedtohelptheFoundationsofEastChicagoachieveitsprogramgoalsby:

• Determiningwherethenonprofitsareinthedatacollection,dataassessment,

analysissoftwareuse,reportdevelopmentandreportpresentationstages

• Evaluatingthecapacity/potentialoftheorganization’sstaff,board,facilities,

programs/services

CapacityAssessment:PhaseI

TheIndianaUniversityNorthwestteamwouldtakeonthispartoftheassessment,by

examiningtheorganizationalcapacityandlifecyclestagesofthechosenproviders.

ThroughtheuseofTheCoreCapacityAssessmentTool(CCAT)ii,anelectronicsurveywas

administeredtotheparticipatingorganizations.Thistoolallowedproviderstoselectand

reporttheirviewsonleadership,technology,organizationallearning,andmanagement.

Participantsreceivedasummaryoftheresultsthatcontainedanassessmentoftheir

strengthsandchallengesbasedontheiranswers.Theindividualorganizationreportsalso

containedrecommendationsforimprovementineachoftheareasassessed–leadership,

technology,organizationallearning,andmanagement.Althoughthetoolwasnot

establishedtorankorganizationsaccordingtotheiroverallcapacityscore,itwasableto

suggest,basedontheirresponses,infrastructureareasofstrengthandareasofchallenge.

Threesessionswereheldwithproviderstodistributetheresultsoftheirsurveys,discuss

thepurposeoftheexercise,andexplaintheresultsandhowtoprocesstheinformation.

Thiswasanimportantopportunityforproviderstobegintoexamine,basedonaself-

assessment,thesustainabilityoftheirorganization.

CapacityBuilding:PhaseII

InMarch2015,theIndianaUniversityNorthwestteamsignedanagreementwithFECto

takethenextstepinbuildingasustainablenonprofitcommunity.Inthisnextphaseof

theprojectstepsweretakentoincreasetheefficiencyandeffectivenessnotonlyofthe

nonprofitorganizationsgranteesbutalsotheFoundationsofEastChicago.The

foundationalsoconductedanenvironmentalscanofitsoperations.Theinformation

collectedfromthecapacityassessmentstage(CapacityAssessment:PhaseI)wasusedto

informthisphaseofthestudy.

TheobjectivesoftheCapacityBuildingProject(PhaseII)wereto:

• WorkwithFECtoinventorythetypesofcapacitybuildingsupportalready

providedtononprofitsandtoidentifythemosteffectivewayforFECtodevelopits

capacitybuildingcapability;

• Workdirectlywiththenonprofitorganizationsidentifiedinthepreviousstudyto

buildapeersupportnetwork;

• Anddevelopanddelivergroupand/orindividualizedtrainingthatisspecifictothe

needsoftheorganizationsandthecommunity.

Toaccomplishtheprojectobjectives,theteam:

• WorkedcloselywithFECandtherelevantstakeholders

• Utilizedseveraldifferentmethodsofbuildingcollaborativerelationshipsbetween

thenonprofitorganizationsincludingcommunityofpracticemethods.Todothis

weusetheresultsoftheCCATsurveyandanassessmentofcommunityneedsto

comeupwithaframeworkforthenetwork

• Usedbestpracticestodeliverhighqualityknowledgetothenonprofitsintheareas

mostneededsotheyareabletoadvancetothenextlifecyclestage.

Dr.AttaCeesayandDr.EllenSzarleta,leadinvestigators,completedthisphaseofthe

projectandElizabethLaDukeandMaryJarrettgraduateassistantsprovidedinvaluable

assistance.

Theaimofthissectionofthereportistoprovideanoverviewoftheproject’sactivities

andresults.Lessonlearnedwillbepresentedalongwithrecommendationsforthefuture.

SummaryofCapacityBuildingProjectDeliverables• TheFoundationofEastChicago’sboardandstaffmemberscompletedaCore

CapacityAssessmentTool.

• Theprojectteamconductedananalysisoflifecyclestagesandindividual

organizationcapacityoftheselectedgrantees.21outof26completedthesurvey.

• Acapacitybuildingtrainingplanwasdevelopedfromtheassessment.

• Fivetrainingsessionscoveredvariousaspectsofoperationalskills.

• The21agenciesthatcompletedtheinitialassessmentattendedthetraining

sessions.

• Peer-to-Peernetworkingsessionswerefacilitatedbytheprojectteam.

• Anonprofitresourcedirectorywasdevelopedbytheprojectteamandcirculated

toalltheparticipatingagencies.

• 3resourcetools(referencebooks)weregiventotheparticipantsuponcompletion

ofthetraining.

CapacityBuildingProgramComponentsandCompletedActionSteps

STEPONE:FOUNDATIONSOFEASTCHICAGOCAPACITYBUILDINGASSESSMENT

FoundationsofEastChicagoprovidesastrongbasisfornonprofitsustainabilityinthe

community.ToenhancetheabilityofnonprofitsfundedbyFECtosustaintheir

operationsandservices,theprojectteamworkedwithFECtoidentifythetypesof

capacitybuildingsupportalreadyprovidedandtoidentifyforFECwhatisthemost

effectivewaytoexpanditscapacitybuildingcapability.Theprojectteamparticipatedin

meetingswithotherconsultants,FECstaff,andmanagementtodiscusscurrentinitiatives

andtoidentifyneeds.

TheprojectteamorganizedtheadministrationoftheFoundationCoreCapacity

AssessmentTool(FCCAT)iiiforFECstaffandboardmembers.TheFCCATwas

administeredtoFECduringthemonthofJuly,2015.Theassessmentlooksatfourkey

capacities:1.LeadershipCapacity;2.AdaptiveCapacity;3.ManagementCapacity;and4.

TechnicalCapacity.

LeadershipCapacityfocusesontheabilityofallorganizationalleaderstocreateand

sustainthevision,inspire,model,prioritize,makedecisions,providedirectionand

innovate,allinanefforttoachieveorganizationalmission.

AdaptiveCapacitymeasuresanorganization’sabilitytomonitor,assess,respondto,and

createinternalandexternalchanges.

ManagementCapacitymarkstheorganization’sabilitytoensuretheeffectiveand

efficientuseoforganizationalresources.

TechnicalCapacityassessestheorganization’sabilitytoimplementallofthekey

organizationalandprogrammaticfunctions.

Thetoolalsolooksattheorganizationalculture.Organizationalcultureconsistsofa

foundation’sabilitytoempowergrantees,itsbeliefingrantees,anditscapacityforre-

energizing,andunifying.Thisaspectmarkstheenvironmentandcontextinwhichthe

fouraforementionedcapacitiesoperate.

Results

15participantscomprisingallboardmembersandmanagementstaffcompletedthe

survey.Assessmentofeachcorecapacityanditssub-capacitiesisbasedona300point

scale.Ascoreof230orgreaterisconsideredtobeshowingstrongcapabilities;ascoreof

190to229issatisfactory,andascorebelow190indicatespotentiallychallenging

capabilities.FEC’soverallcapacityscoresdemonstrateastrongcapabilityinleadership,

management,andtechnical(244,231,and245).Thefoundationscoredsatisfactoryin

adaptiveandorganizationalculture(scoresof229and226respectively).Whilethe

foundation’sassessmentdepictsanexemplaryoperation,anindepthanalysisofthe

differentcomponentsidentifysomepotentialchallengesandareasofimprovement.Here,

wewillprovideasummaryoftheresultsbutseeAppendix1foranaggregatecompilation

ofthesurveyresponsesofall15participants.

Leadershipcapacitymeasurementsincludeadvocacy;boardleadershipandstrategy;

internalandexternalleaderinfluence;leadervisionandstrategy;andsupportingdiversity,

equityand/orinclusion.Thefoundation’scapabilitiesinthisarealieinitsabilityto

formulateaclearvisionwhichnotonlyoutlinesthetrajectorythatthefoundationwants

totake,butincorporateshowtheorganizationrelatestoitslargerenvironment.The

foundationalsohaspoliciesandprogramsinplaceinsupportofdiversity,equity,and/or

inclusion.Somepotentialchallengingareaswithinleadershipcapacityspeaktothe

foundation’slackoforminimalinvolvementincommunitydecisions;involvingstaffin

thedecisionmakingprocess;boardpoolconsideration;andun-willingnesstogetridof

programsthatarenotworking.

Sub-capacityscoresinadaptivecapacityrangedfrom209to245withthehighest

performingaspectsspeakingtothefoundation’sabilitytocreatenetworksthrough

connectionswithpotentialpartnerstodiscussorsolveproblemsandtodevelopand

implementastrategicplan.Environmentallearningseemstotakeplaceoccasionally,

leavingroomforthepotentialtolearnandadapttosomeindustrybestpractices.This

showsthatthefoundationcouldpotentiallybenefitfromamorestreamlinedprogram

evaluationprocess.

Managementcapacityscoresrangefrom212to246.Internalcommunicationsand

problemsolvingareareasthatboththeboardandstaffagreedtobeonpoint.

Communicationisopen,clearandconstructivefeedbackexchangesoccuroften.All

participantsfeltthatrolesandresponsibilitiesareclearlydefined,alongwiththerequired

knowledge,skills,abilitiesandothercharacteristics(KSAOCs).Whilejobdescriptionsare

welloutlined,thestafflacksbenchmarksforperformanceassessment.Grantmaking

processandgrantstrategyweretwoareaswhereparticipantswouldliketoseemorework

done.Keythemesincludedthefoundation’sinabilitytoeffectivelymanagethebudgetfor

long-termsustainability,andthelackofmissionalignmentwithgrantmakingstrategies.

Thefoundation’stechnicalcapacityscoresof231to257allfellwithinthestrongcategory.

Thissectionoftheevaluationassessestheorganization’sabilitytoimplementallofthe

keyorganizationalandprogrammaticfunctions.Theresultsshowthatthefoundation

doeshaveadequateinfrastructureandtechnologicalcapacitiesforoperationalefficiency.

Theboardandstaffseemtohaveagoodhandleonthemission,governance,andpolicy

directivesoftheorganization.Oneareaofimprovementliesinthefoundation’sabilityto

provideexternalcommunicationsthatareconsistentwiththeorganization’smissionand

vision.Theinternalgrantmakingprocesscurrentlyservesitspurposeofasmoothgrant

administrationbutthefoundationisnotlinkingitsgranteestootherpotentialfunders.

Theoverallorganizationalculturescoreof226(satisfactory),whichisaseparatemeasure,

demonstratesanotablehandleoftheenvironmentandcontextinwhichthecore

capacitiesofleadership,adaptive,management,andtechnicaloperates.Specifically,this

areaoftheassessmentlookedat:

Empoweringpromotesproactivity,learning,andabeliefinthevalueandabilityofstaff

andclients.Thefoundationscoreof242(strong)speakstotheorganization’sabilityto

promoteanenvironmentoflearningandbeliefinthevalueandabilitiesofitsstaffand

grantees.

Theboardandstaffbeliefingranteesabilitytosucceedscoreof214showsapotential

gapincommunicationandcapacity.

Theabilitytore-energizetheworkenvironmentbysupportingstaffreflectiononthe

workathand,socialization,andinteraction,seemstobeanareaofpotentialimprovement

forthefoundation.Whilethefoundationhasenactedpoliciesandprogramsinsupportof

diversity,equityandinclusion,itsneedstoensurethattheyareimplementedproperlyso

thatnoonegrouporindividualisgettingpreferentialtreatmentoverothers.

FEC’soverallcapacityscoresof229to245showasatisfactorytoastrongcapabilityin

leadership,adaptive,management,technical,andorganizationalculture.Theseresults,as

discussedabove,showthattheoveralloperationofthefoundationiscommendablebuta

fewrecommendedchangescanmaketheoperationexemplary.

Recommendations

Recommendedleadership,programmaticandoperationalchangesincludes:

• Thefoundationshouldseektobuildstrongercommunityrelationshipbygetting

involvedandparticipatingincommunitydecisionmaking.

• Increaseboardtrainingandseektodiversifyfutureboardmembershipbasedon

valueaddedskills.

• Empowerandinvolvestaffinbrainstormingandprogrammaticchangeswithinthe

organization.

• Improveitsprogramevaluationtooltoeffectivelyweedoutprogramsthatarenot

meetingthegoalsoftheorganization.

• Takeintoaccountresearchandindustrybestpracticesintheirprogrammaticand

decisionmakingprocesses.

• Re-vampitscurrentprogramevaluationandmonitoringsystemtoallowfor

meaningfullearningandacting.

• Re-evaluateandredesignthegrantmakingstrategyandprocess

• Ensurethatitsexternalcommunicationmessageanduseofsocialmediais

consistentwiththemissionandvisionoftheorganization.

• Fosteraworkenvironmentwhereallemployeesfeelequallytreated.

TheFCCATexerciseallowedthefoundation’sboardandstafftoevaluateitsleadership,

adaptive,management,andtechnicalcapacities.Furthermore,italsoassessedtheoverall

organizationalculturalenvironmentinwhichthesecapacitiesoperate.Ithelpsthe

foundationidentifyinternalandexternalstrengthsandweaknessesandofferssome

recommendedchanges.

STEPTWO:NONPROFITCAPACITYBUILDINGASSESSMENT

In2014,26granteesofFECwereselectedtoparticipateincapacitybuildingassessment.

DrawingupontheoriesonCapacityBuilding,fourlifecyclestageswereidentifiedforthe

study:1.ImpactExpansion;2.InfrastructureDevelopment;3.CoreProgramDevelopment;

and4.Stagnation.

Withinacompanylife-cycle,theImpactExpansionstageexpressestheorganization’s

abilitytolead,manage,discover,adapt,andfundactivitiesthatareembeddedinbothits

missionandvision.ThroughouttheImpactExpansionstagethefocusisonthechanges

thatoccurwithinthecommunityinwhichtheorganizationoperates.

ThestageofInfrastructureDevelopmentmarksanorganization’sabilitytoprimarily

lead,manage,explore,adapt,andfundtheoperationandinfrastructuretotakethecore

programtoscale.

Withinanorganization’slifecycle,CoreProgramDevelopmentphaserepresentsthe

organization’sabilitytolead,manage,explore,adapt,andfunditsowncoreprograms.

Withineachlifecycle,organizationsmustfocusonfourcoreareasofcapacity:Adaptive

Capacity,Leadership,Management,andTechnology.

AdaptiveCapacityreferstoanorganization’sabilitytomonitor,assess,respondto,and

createexternalandinternalchanges.Leadershipcapacityreferstotheorganization’s

leader’sabilitytocreateandsustainthevision,inspire,model,prioritize,makedecisions,

providedirections,andinnovate,allinanefforttoachievetheorganizationalmission.

Managementcapacityreferstotheorganization’sabilitytoensuretheeffectiveand

efficientuseoforganizationalresources.Technologycapacityistheorganization’sability

toimplementallofthekeyorganizationalandprogrammaticfunctions.

Results

Amongthe26non-profitorganizationsselectedbytheFECforthestudy,21completed

thesurvey.Table1summarizesthelifecycleoverallscoresforthe21organizationsthat

completedthesurvey.Theorderoftheorganizationsisbasedontheirstagesof

developmentwithintheirlifecycle,color-codedasintheoriginalCCATreportsprovided

totheFECforeachorganizationthatcompletedthesurvey.

ThelifecycleofanorganizationbeginswiththeCoreProgramDevelopmentStage.It

continueswiththeInfrastructureDevelopmentanditculminatesintotheImpact

ExpansionStage.Theimpactexpansionstageoftenleadstochangesthatallowthe

organizationtosurviveinacontinuouslyevolvingenvironment.Insomecases,

organizationsthatfailtoexpandandchange,succumbtotheexternalchangesofthe

environmentfacingwhatisidentifiedasastagnationstage.Aglanceatthesurveyresults

suggeststhat,amongthe21organizationsthatcompletedthestudy,4arenowfacingthe

impactexpansionstage(seeTable1colorcodedbrown).Eightarestillinthe

infrastructuredevelopmentstage;and,theremaining9(43.0%ofthetotalrespondents)

arestillintheCoreProgramDevelopmentStage.

Table1:NonprofitOrganizationsbyLifecycleStage

Number

Organization CoreProgram

DevelopmentInfrastructureDevelopment

ImpactExpansion

DidNOTCompleteSurvey

1 BethanyRetreatHouse X

2 WeCarefromtheHeart X

3 CatholicCharities X

4 CommunitiesInSchoolsofLakeCounty X

5 IndianaParentingInstitute X

6 EastChicagoCarnegiePerformingArtsCenter,Inc. X

7 HolisticCommunityCoalitionNFP X

8 EastChicagoUrbanEnterpriseAssociationInc. X

9 FoodBankofNorthwestIndiana X

10 MissionofJesusChristChurch X

11 NorthwestIndianaFederationInterfaithOrganizations,Inc. X

12 SalvationArmyEastChicagoCorps X

13 St.Joseph’sCarmeliteHome X

14 HealthyEastChicago,Inc. X

15 EastChicagoEducationFoundation,Inc. X

16 HolyTrinityCroatianChurch X

17 St.StanislausChurch X

18 ITooSingAmericaOrganizationofNWI X

19 TeensinAction X

20 Boys&GirlsClubofNorthwestIndiana,Inc. X

21 WorkforceDevelopmentServices,Inc. X

22 FaithTempleChurchofGodinChrist,Inc. X

23 SociedadCivicayCulturalLaReforma X

Xel-HaEscueladeDanza X

24 CommunityFellowshipOutreachMinistries X

25 JuniorAchievementofChicago/NorthwestIndianaarea X

Recommendations

ImpactExpansionNonprofitOrganizations:Basedontheresponsestothesurvey,the

organizationsthatareintheImpactExpansionstagearedoingwellinCoreProgramand

InfrastructureDevelopmentshowingthattheyhaveasolidbaseuponwhichtobuild

furtheractivitiesandexpandthemissionandvisionoftheorganization.Theirprograms

seemtobewelllinkedtothemissionandvisionandtheseorganizationshavesystemsin

placethatallowthemtooperatesmoothly.Thefollowingrecommendationsapplytoall

theorganizationsthatarecurrentlyintheImpactExpansionstage:Weencouragethese

organizationstoconsidertheirImpactExpansionincludingbroadeningtheorganization’s

approachtoachievingimpactexpansionbeyonditscoreprograms.Thismayinclude

strategicalliances,partnerships,policy/advocacyworkorfurtheroutreachinthe

community.

InfrastructureDevelopmentNonprofits:Forthoseorganizationsthatarecurrentlyinthe

InfrastructureDevelopmentstage:werecommendafocusonImpactExpansion,including

aspectsofcapacitybuildingthataddressbroadeningtheorganization’sapproachto

achievingimpactexpansionbeyondtheorganization’scoreprograms.Thismayinclude

strategicalliances,partnerships,policy/advocacyworkorfurtheroutreachinthe

community.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatthedevelopmentofanorganization’s

effectivenessisanadditiveprocess,soacontinuedfocusonmoreeffectiveandefficient

InfrastructureandCoreProgramDevelopmentwillalwaysbeimportanttoconsider

throughouttheorganization’slifecycle.

CoreDevelopmentNonprofit:ForthoseorganizationsthatarestillintheCore

developmentstagewerecommendthattheLeaders/administratorsconsiderthe

organization’sCoreProgramDevelopment.Closealignmentbetweentheirprogramsand

mission/vision–andclaritywithintheorganizationastohowtheyrelate–arecriticalto

thefoundationofeachorganization’seffectiveness.Iftheorganizationisjuststartingout,

leaders/administratorsmaywanttothinkmoreabouthowtoclearlyarticulatethe

missionandvisionandapplyittodevelopingtheirprograms.Forthoseestablished

organization,webelieveitisbesttogobackandensurethatthereisastrongconnection

betweentheorganization’sprogramsanditsmission/visioninordertobuildthecapacity

ortheorganization.Theprioritizedsetofrecommendationsthatweprovidetoeach

organizationrepresentsomeofthestrategiesforenhancingtheircoreprogram

development,basedontheresultsoftheirorganization’scapacityassessment

participationandourresearchonwhichareasaremostcriticalfororganizationsattheir

stageofcapacitybuilding.

Whilewewereabletoprovideoverarchingrecommendationstothenonprofit

organizationsbasedontheirlifecyclestages,theprojectteamconductedamicr0analysis

ofthefourareasofcapacitytogainmoredepthintothecapacityissuesfacingthe

organizations.Regardlessoflifecyclestagesomecommonthemessharedbyall

organizationsemerged.Table2depictssuchthemes.

Table2:MicroanalysisofCCATCoreCapacityAreas

CCATCoreAreasofCapacity SharedCapacityIssues

OrganizationalResourceSustainability

• Improvefinancialsustainability• Fundingstreamdiversification

ProgramResourceAdaptability

• Scalebackprograms• Hiremorestaff

Leadership LeadershipSustainability

• Successionplanning• Staffpreparedness• Reduceorganization’srelianceonasingleleader

Management Programstaffing

• Staffalignment/restructuring/changes• Crosstraining,retentionandvolunteermanagement

Financialmanagement

• Fundraising/grantcapacity• Stafffinancialskilldevelopment

Supportingstaffresourcesneeds

Carefullyconstructedjobdescriptions

Keepingemployeeswell-informed,dedicatedandadaptable

• Well-definedrolesandresponsibilities• Performanceevaluation• Diversity

Employeemotivation

• Providingrelevantbenefit• Employeedevelopment

Technology Outreach,advocacyandmarketing

Staffskilldevelopment

Legalexpertise

Fundraising/grantcapacity

Communication

Facilitymanagement

Additionally,theorganizationsalongwithFECstaffmemberswereinvitedtoameetingto

gooverthesurveyresultsandbrainstormonwhattheorganizationsmightneedmoving

forward.Themeetingwasheldatthefoundation’sfacilityonMay12,2014.Thegeneral

discussionofgoalsandconcernscenteredonthefollowingissues:

• Workshopisencouragingorganizationstoevaluatetheirinternalstrengthsandchallenges–mightbebeneficialforthemtoconductSWOTanalysis

• Promotingthinkingdifferently• Collaborationisvital–leadstogrowth• Differencebetweenpartnershipandcollaboration• Organizationshavegoalofadvancingfundraising• Needtocreateandmaintainauthenticconnections• Requestforknowledgeofservicesthatallorganizationsprovide-andthedepthof

thoseservices• Sustainabilitythroughconnections• Referencemanual/userguide–includecontactinformationforallorganizations• Requestforknowledgeofotherorganizations’missions• Concernoftimerequirement–takestimetobuildrelationshipsanddeveloptrust

–manyorganizationshaveonlyone(orsmall)staffandcannotdedicatethetime• Sizeoforganizationcanleadtodifferentproblems–notsameissuesforall

organizations• Sustainabilitynotequaltofundraising• Becomingbetterorganizationismoreimportantthanfundraising• Networkingopportunitiesarekey–cannotoperateasislands–musteliminate

silos• Changeanddevelopingpartnershipsdoesnotleadtoloss(lossofcontrol,

standing,etc.)• Trustisparamount• Educateothersonwhatorganizationscanandcannotdo–challenges,restrictions,

etc.

Aseparatemeetingwiththeboardtheirperspective,thoughtsandgoalsmainlycenteredonthesekeyissues.

Leadership/management

• Mobilizeorganizationsthroughadvocacyatcityandstate• HowcanFECprovidehelpneededtobeaneffectivecollaborator• HowcanFEChelpeachproviderworksuccessfullywithFEC’smission?• Referto(orlookat)theexperienceofprovidersandtheirservicesandsuccessesin

meetingcommunity’sneeds

Sustainability/long-termviability

• Organizationneedstobeabletobuildlong-termsupport• Thinkoutsidethebox• Howwilltheplanmakethecommunitybetterovertime

Impact

• Impactthatismeasureable• Cleargoalsforimpact• Meaningfulrequestorprojectthataddressesthemission• Howisprojectororganizationimpactingthecommunity• Bestpractices–historyofsuccessfulprojects(perorganization)• Investmentthatmakeslong-termimpact• Trueinvestmentinthegrowthofcommunityanditsresidents• NotinterestedinBand-Aidsorquickfixes–butratherchangesinthewaythe

populacethinksand/ordoesthings• Howarelivesbeingimproved

Funding/grantmanagement

• Currenttrackrecordofgrantfidelity• Demonstratehoworganizationhassuccessfullyusedfundspreviously• Fundraisingtoolsthatbuildorganization’scapacity/sustainability

Advocacy/communityrelations/marketing/collaboration

• Improvecommunityperception• Istheorganizationmeetingobjectives• Whatmakesorganizationeffective

Itisfromthisconversationwiththefoundationboard,staff,nonprofitorganizationand

ourmicroanalysisoftheCCATsurveyresultsthattheprojectteamderivedsomegroup

trainingandfacilitationonkeycapacityissuesasoutlinedinstepthreebelow.

STEPTHREE:GROUPTRAINING/FACILITATIONONKEYCAPACITYISSUES

Afteritwasdeterminedwhatleadershipskillsareneededtoenhancenonprofit

performance,theteamdevelopedanddeliveredworkshopsonkeycapacityissues.The

grouptrainingbeganwithanorientationandtrainingsessiononthevalueofcreatinga

peernetwork.AllnonprofitsthatcompletedtheCCATevaluationinphaseonewere

invitedtoparticipateintrainingsessions.Onthisdatethenonprofitsorganizationswere

informedthatcapacitybuildingtrainingsessionswouldbeheldintheareasof

organizationalculture,leadership,operationalmanagement,adaptivecapacity,and

sustainability.Theorganizationswerealsointroducedtotheconceptsofknowledge

sharingandpeernetworks.Theywereencouragedtothinkofallparticipatingnonprofits

aspeerresourcestosupportfuturecapacitybuildingefforts.

FourcapacitytrainingsessionswereheldinJune2015andtwoinFebruary2016.The

topicscoveredwerechosenaftercarefulreviewoftheCCATresults.Thetopicswere

chosentomeetthecoreneedsoftheFECnonprofitsandtobuildthenonprofitpeer

network.Thefinalsessionsweredevelopedtointegrateallthedifferentaspectsofthe

previousfoursessions.Table3outlinesthescheduleofsessionsalongwithabrief

descriptionofeachsession.

Table3:CapacityTraining

CapacityTrainingTopic

Purpose WhoAttends? Date

OrganizationalCulture

Introductiontothecapacitybuildingprocess;assessmentofnonprofitorganizationalculture

Allnonprofits

June1,2015

LeadershipSustainability

Trainingonstaff/boardleadershipbestpractices

Allnonprofits June10,2015

ProgramStaffing&StaffResources

Trainingfocusedonstaffalignment,crosstrainingandskilldevelopment


ResourceSustainability&Adaptability

Trainingonchange,managingchangeandcreating/maintainingsustainableorganizations


HallmarksofaSustainableNonprofit

Trainingonstrategictoolstoachievesustainability

Allnonprofits February18,2016

BecomingHighlyImpactful

Discussiononwhatistakestobeimpactful

Allnonprofits February18,2016

Inallsessions,thenonprofitorganizationsusedtheresultsofthepreviouslyadministered

CCATasareferencepointfordevelopingtheirplansforimprovingcapacity.All

participantsbeganwithareviewoftheirorganizationalculture.Thentheparticipants

developedstrategiesforadvancingimprovementsinthecriticalareasofleadership

sustainability,managementofstaffandresources,resourcesustainabilityandadaptability.

Thenonprofitsusedtheinformationprovidedinthecapacitybuildingtrainingsessionsto

guidethedevelopmentoftheirstrategies.

AttheendofthefourthtrainingsessionheldonJune24,2015,alltheparticipantswere

askedtowriteamemotoFECoutliningthetoptwoorthreeprioritiesthatwillbe

addressedasaresultofthecapacitybuildingtrainingandCCATassessment.The

organizationswereaskedtoreflectonthefollowingthreequestions:

• Whatdoyouthinkisthemostimportantchangeyourorganizationhasto

gothroughtoremainsustainable?

Createclearercriteriaandmeasurementtoolstousetodeterminetheeffectivenessofthe

organization’sprograms.

Culture:Communicationontheoperationalandorganizationallevel.Wehavetomakesurethat

allgroups/departmentsunderstandandcanarticulatethemissionwithinthecontextofthework

thatisbeingperformed.Soimportantsinceeveryoneisinvolvedinthecommunitiesinwhichwe

work,atvariouslevels.

Thateveryonehasthesameinformationatthesametime,sothemessagingcanbeclearand

everyoneisabletoperforminthesamedirection.

• Howareyougoingtocreatethecapacitytoadapttochange?

Oftentimeswedowhatwedobecausewehavebeendoingitforyears.Theassumptionismade

thattheprogram/serviceisusefultotheEnterpriseZoneresidentsandbusinesses.Enhanced

betterdefinedmeasurementtoolsandcriteriaforprogramswillyieldmoremeaningful

assessmentinformation;whichwillallowfordevelopmentofprogramsandservicesthatare

bettersuitedforresidentsandbetterassistbusinesses.

Duringthepastseveralmonths,actionshavemovedusintoaperiodofchange.Wewillestablish

astrategicteamthatwillworkcollectivelyand/orindividuallytobrainstormwaysinwhichour

communicationsystemissolidandthereforehelptofosterthedesiredcultureofthe

organization.Weneedtherightpeople,attherighttime,intherightplace.

Increasingourboardengagementiscriticalifwearetomoveforward.Increasingmeeting

attendanceandeveryone’sunderstandingofourgoalsisimportanttogetthingsdone.

Strengtheningworkingrelationshipsbetweenboardmemberswouldhelpreinforceoureffortsby

havingeveryonefeelaccountabletoeachotherandmorelikelytofollow-throughwithtasks.

• Howareyougoingtoembedthisprocessinyourdaytodayoperations?

Createannualtimelinessothatprogramsaren’tjustongoing.Thiswillestablishbaselinenumbersandalsoallowoneperiodtobetobemeasuredagainstanother.

Overtimecollecteddatacanbeusedtoevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheprogramorserviceandtheorganizationcanadaptasnecessary.

Createtrackingmechanismssothattheorganizationcanassesslongtermsuccess.

Annuallyrevisitthemissionoftheorganizationtoensuretheprogramsandservicesareremainingtruetothemission.

Instillinleadershiptheneedtoadheretothecriteriaincarryingoutprograms.

Whenapplicable;sitevisitsshouldincludeallsegmentsofleadership.

Annuallyevaluateprogramstoensureorganizationisbeingfiscallyresponsibleinallocatingfundstotheprogramorservice.

Createandconductapre&postsurveywithourstakeholders

Brainstormwaysinwhichwecansuccessfullymeasureourresultswithintheparametersofaspecifictimeline.Thenfinallysharetheresultswithourstakeholdersandimplementationresults.

Weneedtobringonmoreboardmemberssowecanlightentheloadoncurrentmembers.Wealsoneedtomakeexpectationsclearuponbringingonnewboardmembers

Byhavingasetonboardingprocessandstayingloyaltoit,creatinganorientationmeetingfornewmembers,andholdingastaffretreattohelpbuildrelationshipswithinourgroup

TheanswersabovewillgiveFECanideaofwhattheorganization’sseeasthemost

importantchangestheyhavetomaketoremainsustainableandhowtheyaregoingto

createthecapacitytoadapttochange.

Tocomplementtheaforementionedtrainingsessions,theprojectteamintroducedand

facilitatedtheprocessofbuildingpeernetworksamongstthenonprofitstofurtherengage

theminacollectivelearning,sharingandcollectiveimpacteffort.

STEPFOUR:PEERNETWORKSBASEDONNEEDSOFCOMMUNITYANDORGANIZATIONS

TheresultsoftheCCATsurveyadministeredtothe26nonprofitsinthefirstphaseofthe

projectprovidedcriticalinformationfordesigningthepeernetwork.UsingtheCCAT

results,theprojectteamwasabletoidentifyandgroupthenonprofitsaccordingtotheir

stageofdevelopmentandtheirstrengthsandchallenges.Thisinformationservedasthe

basisfordesigningthepeersupportnetwork.Oncetheframeworkwascreated,weused

theresultstohelpdesignthetrainingsessions.Forinstance,inatrainingsessionon

leadershipcapacitybuildingweplacedthenonprofitorganizationswithstrongleadership

capacityinamentoringposition.Throughsharedstoriesandexperiencesthenonprofit

organizationslearnedbestpracticesfromoneanotherandbuiltrelationshipsbasedon

trustthatwilllaterserveasavaluablepeerresource.

Whilenotpartoftheoriginalproposedwork,theprojectteamdeterminedthataPeer

NetworkResourceGuidewouldbebeneficialtotheparticipatingnonprofits.Theteam

preparedaresourcethatwillprovidecriticalinformationincludingcontactinformation

andmissionstatements.Thenonprofitscanusethisguidetomaintaincontactwiththeir

peers.Table4outlinesthepeer-to-peertrainingschedule.

Table4:Peer-to-PeerTraining

TrainingTopic Purpose WhoAttends? Date

Governance Reinforceconceptsdeliveredinleadershiptrainingsession;guidepeer-to-peerdiscussionsongovernance

Allnonprofits

June10,2015

Staff&VolunteerManagement

Reinforceconceptsdiscussedinmanagementtrainingsession;facilitatepeer-to-peerdiscussionsonbestpractices


OrganizationalLearning

Reinforceconceptsdiscussedonorganizationalsustainabilityincludingfundingpresentation,discussionandfinancialsustainability


ProcessSummaryThroughouttheprojectwe:

• WorkedcloselywithFECandtherelevantstakeholders

• Utilizedseveraldifferentmethodsofbuildingcollaborativerelationshipsbetween

thenonprofitorganizationsincludingcommunityofpracticemethods

• Usedbestpracticestodeliverhighqualityknowledgetononprofitsintheareas

mostneededsotheyareabletoadvancetothenextlifecyclestageifadecisionis

madetodoso

• Webringallorganizationsinaparticularlifecyclestagetogethertodiscusshow

besttoincreasetheircapacitybysharingideasand/orresources.Intheend,the

nonprofitorganizationswouldhaveawaytosharetheirexpectationsandlearn

bestpracticesfromoneanotherleadbytheprojectteam.

FinalEvaluationSurveyAttheFebruary18,2016projectwrap-upandtrainingmeeting,12participatingnonprofits

completeda21-questionsurveybasedonthetopicsandconversationswehadduringthe

capacitybuildingtraining.OnLikertscaleof0(stronglydisagree)to5(stronglyagree),

thenonprofitswereaskedquestionsregardingthestructureanddeliveryofthetraining

program.Thegraphbelowshowstheresponsestothequestions.

00.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.55

ParticipantEvaluation

StronglyDisagree Disagree Neither Agree StronglyAgree

Theparticipantsalsoprovidedfeedbackonfouropen-endedquestions.

Howwouldyouimprovethisworkshop?

• Providebetterinformationbeforetheworkshop.• Clarifytheworkshopobjectives.• Increasethecontentcoveredintheworkshop.• Maketheworkshopmoredifficult.• Shortenthetimefortheworkshop.• Makeworkshopactivitiesmorestimulating.• Addmorevideototheworkshop.• Speedupthepaceoftheworkshop.

Whatotherimprovementswouldyourecommendfortheseworkshops?

• MonthlyworkshopsprovideCEU’satendofthesession.• Beclearaboutwhoistoattend.• Providemoreresourcestotakebacktotheorganization.• Morestats.• Buildinmoreinteractionbetweenparticipants.• Don’tbelievetherightpeopleforourorganizationareintheroom.• TherewereanumberofPowerPointpresentations.Iwouldhavelovedtohaveacopy.• Beginatstatedtime,not1.2hourlater.• Giveorganizationthefreedomtoattendtopicsofhelptothisparticular

organization.Itisaterriblewasteofourveryprecioustimetobe‘mandated’toattendcomponentsthatarenotrelevant.

• Someofthematerialwastoorepetitiveandsometoobasic.• Beginontime.• Ilearnedalot.UsedwhatIlearnedtoimprovemanyaspectsofourNPO.• Perhapssplittingupnon-profitsbysize.Asalargerorganization,someofthethings

discussedarenotinmycontrol,andthereforewerenotrelevant.

Whatistheleastvaluableabouttheseworkshops?

• Asistypicalmanyoftheorganizationsdifferinsignificantwaysanditishardtogeneralizeparticularlyasifrelatestoboards.

• Mostofthecontentdoesandapplytoourorganizationandyetwewere‘mandated’toattend.

• Bothbenefitsandvaluesvaluable.• Onlythosetopicsthatdidnotapplytomyrolewithinmyorganization,suchas

strategicplanning,leadershipandgovernance.Thoseareimportantforsmallernon-profitsthough,soIunderstandtheneedtocoverthem.

Whatisthemostvaluableabouttheseworkshops?

• Knowingtheorganizationinthecommunity.• Realizationonwhatelementsconstituteahealthyorganizationandhowtobebetter

fortheorganizationandself.• Makingconnectionsthathavebeenoverlookedandunder-utilized.Alsoitmademe

gobackandcleanupsomeunresolvedissues.• Becomingmorefamiliarwithotherorganizationsandthepeoplerunningthem.• Thecommentsoftheparticipants.• Formeboardengagementtheirimportance,andhowtogetthemactivelyengagedin

anaturalway.• Toheardifferentperspectives.• Networking,boardmanagementinformation,funding,diversification,information,

theresourceguideandbooksprovided.SittingdownwithDeniseDillardfora1on1.

NextSteps:MeasuringPerformanceTheFoundationsofEastChicagocapacitybuildingchallengesandopportunitieshave

beenthefocusofthisproject.ThemainpurposewastoassisttheFECinitsefforttoassess

itsgranteeinordertoimprovethefoundation’sgrantmakingcapacityandresource

allocation.TheteamadministeredtheCoreCapacityAssessmentTool(CCAT),a146-

questiononlinesurveythatmeasuresanonprofitorganization'seffectivenessinrelationto

fourcorecapacities—leadership,adaptability,management,andtechnicalcapacities—as

wellasorganizationalculturetothe26selectednonprofits.Thetoolhelpsorganizations

identifytheirlifecyclestageandprovidesareal-timefindingsreport,aprioritized

capacity-buildingplan.

TheresultshelpedtheprojectteamandtheFECmakeseveraldeterminations:(i)

determinethelifecyclestageoftheorganizations,(ii)identifycapacitygapsand(iii)the

makerecommendationsonthecapacityareastobeaddressed.Furthermore,thedata

helpedtheprojectteamevaluateandmakestrategicrecommendationsintheareasof

institutionalandprogrammaticcapacity.Capacitybuildingtrainingandpeer-to-peer

networkingwasprovidedtothedifferentorganizations.

Atthisjunction,thenonprofitswillbenefitfromstrategicobjectivedevelopment,

programplanningandmanagement,leadingtotheimplementationofkeyperformance

measuresthatareoutcomeoriented.Thiswillgivethemtheabilitytocomparetheir

deliverablestoasetofkeyperformanceindicatorsorsetofbenchmarksovertime.

Appendix1:FECBoardandStaffInput

LeadershipCapacity

Advocacy:

• developingendowmentplan• Wecandomoreinregardstopromotingourcorefocusareas.AstheFoundation

continuestodefinewhatwewillconcentrateourfundingon,weneedtoidentifymoreorganizationsand/ormovementsthatarealignedwiththeseareas.Oncetheseareidentified,wecanlookforwayswecanbecomemoreinvolvedwiththem.Tothispoint,wehavenotgoneoutofourwaytoassociateourselveswithagenciesand/orcausesthatreflectourcorevaluesoutsideofjustawardingthemfunding.Thisisanarearipeforimprovement

BoardLeadership:

• Rethinkingandadaptingtochange• UpdatingpoliciesandproceduresandgoalssincethebirthofFoundationsofEast

Chicago18yearsago,FEChasfollowedthe"GovernanceandBestPractices"modelsofthe"CouncilonFoundations"whichiscomprisedofnumerousFoundationsandentrepreneursworldwide.

• Usingthesemodelsandtheknowledgeofcommunityleadersfromallprofessionalbackgrounds1FECcreatedamissionstatementandastrategicplanforsustainability.

• TheBoardcandomoretolearnabouttheworkthestaffdoesandhaveabetterunderstandingofwhattheydo.Thiswillassisttheminmakinggovernancedecisionsthatmorealignwithwhatisoccurringonaday-to-daybasis.ThiswillalsoenablethemtospeakinmoreauthoritativetonesregardingtheworkoftheFoundationandmakeinformativedecisionsaboutthefutureoftheorganization.

• Allthenecessaryinformationforeffectivegovernance".Learnourpoliciesandcontinueddiscussiononthemformoreeffectiveness."All'thenecessaryinformationallthetime.

ExternalLeadersInfluence:

• peopletalktous;weareonthestreetsofEC• Need:establishbettercommunicationwithcommunityleaderstakinginto

considerationtheirmainintentions• FECidentifies(external)leadersoftheE.C.communityandwhereappropriate,

seekscollaborationandattemptstopartnerwiththemtobetterthecityanditsresident

• Boardandstaffmembers(internalleaders)areveryvisibleinthecommunityandareencouragedtoengagewithyoungandoldforidea

• Weneedtodomoreinregardstointeractingwithstakeholderassociationsintheregion.Weneedtodevelopstrongerrelationshipswiththemsotheyknowmoreaboutusandwhatwedo.Thisway,theywillbeabletospeakupinpublicandprivateforumsinwhichtheFoundationsarebeingspokenaboutorshouldbebroughtintotheconversationevenifnoonedirectlyassociatedwiththeFoundationsispresent.Thiswillincreaseourvisibilityandstrengthenourbrand.

• Establishingbettercommunicationwithcommunityleaderstakingintoconsiderationtheirmainintentions

InternalLeaderInfluence:

• WecandoabetterjobinallowingthenaturalleadershipqualitiesofourstafftobeutilizedinregardstoactivitiesoftheFoundation.Therefore,itwillnotfallonlyononeortwoindividualstobetheleaderandpublicrepresentationoftheFoundation.

LeaderVisionandStrategy:

• ThevisionanddirectionthattheBoardhasfortheFoundationdoesnotatalltimesappeartobeincompleteharmonywiththeStaffandGrantcommittee.Whiletheymaynotbeoppositeofeachother,thereneedstobemoreopportunitiesfortheBoardtocommunicateitsoverallvisionfortheFoundationtothestaffandcommitteemembersandviceversa.

• WhiletheBoard'svisionisthefinalword,havinginputfromstaffandcommittee'swillhelpstrengthentheoverallFoundationstrategies.

LeadershipSustainability:budgetedmoniesforboard/staffattendanceatseminarsorCE;

• Need:makestrongereffortstocultivatestaffmembersandothercandidatesaboutleadershiptransitions.

• Therecouldbemoredoneregardingencouragingmorestaffandboardmemberstoattendlearningopportunities(Conferences,webinars,seminarsetc.)Thisiswherethetruelearningregardingthefieldofphilanthropyoccurs.Aspeoplelearnmoreaboutthisfield,theywillbemoreinclinedtotakeonleadershiproleswithintheFoundationandinareastheynormallywouldnotworkin.

• Makestrongereffortstocultivatestaffmembersandother"candidates"aboutleadershiptransitions.

SupportDiversity:

• grantcommitteeisdiversegroupofindividuals;retired,extensivebackgroundinworkforceandcommunity;boardstaffandgrantcommitteearediverse

• TheGrantCommitteeneedstobringmorediversevoicesonthecommittee.Needyoungerindividualswhocurrentlyworkintheeducationandhealthfields.Thereisalsoaneedformoreprofessionalsonthecommittee.Thereisadangerfortoomanylike-mindedindividualstobecomethemajorityofdecisionmakers.CultivatingandencouragingmoreindividualswithdifferentthoughtsandviewpointswillhelptheFoundationsmakebetterinformeddecisionsforall.

AdaptiveCapacityScores

CreatingNetworks

• Aswecontinuetodevelopadatabasedemonstratingtheneedsofourgrantees,Ibelievetheopportunitytoincreaseourscoreinthiscategorywillincrease.Aswelearnmoreabouttheneedsofourgrantees,wewillthenbeabletoreachouttoorganizationsandindividualswhoareexpertsintheseareas.Wewillthenbeabletoconnectnotonlyourgrantees,butBoardmembers,Committeemembersandstafftotheseresourcesaswell.Asthisprocesscontinues,weasstaffandBoardmembersneedtolookforopportunitiestonetworkwithindividualsandorganizationsthatwefeelwouldbeofcurrentorfuturebenefittoourgrantees.

Decision-MakingTools

• Thedevelopmentofagrantapplicationrubricwouldgreatlyincreaseourabilitytoimproveinthisarea.Byhavingarubrictoevaluatethestrengthofapplications,thegrantcommitteewouldhaveauniformtooltousetoscoreapplications.Thiswillassistthecommitteeinmakingfundingdecisionsbasedmoreontheoverallmeritoftheapplicationandnottheirpersonalfeelingsabouttheauthorsofthegrant.Thisrubricshouldalsobemadeavailabletothegranteespriortotheircompletingtheapplication.ByknowingwhattheFoundationwillvaluewithintheapplication,theyhopefullywillwritebetterproposals.

EnvironmentalLearning

• Weneedtocontinuetakingadvantageoftheinformationthatismadeavailabletousthroughthevariousfundingnetworksandassociationsweareapartof.Thefieldisconstantlyreleasingnewinformationaboutbestpracticesregardinghowtodophilanthropy.Weneedtopaymoreattentiontotheseresourcesandintegratethemintoourpractices.Thisalsooccursbyattendingmoreconferencesandwebinars.

• Needtomakebesteffortslearningaboutwhatisgoingoninourcommunityprograms,agencies,communitystrategies.

InnovationandExperimentation

• Ibelieveasweworkonimprovingtheotherareaswithinthissection,wewillnaturallybecomemorecomfortablewithbeingmoreinnovativeandopentotakingmoreriskswiththewaywecurrentlyinvestingrantees.Thethingtokeepinmindiswemustbemoremindfulofwhatthepotentialrisksarewithnon-traditionalprograminvestmentstrategiesandconductdue-diligenceinensuringwedon'tendupdoingmoreharmthangoodbynotthinkingthingsthough.Wealsomusteducatethecommunitythatwecandomoretobehelpfulthanjustfundprograms.

ProgramEvaluation

• Wearebeginningtotakestepstocorrectthisareaofweakness.Aswebegintobecomemorefocusedonthetypesofoutcomeswewanttoseefromourgrantees,wewillbeabletodeveloptheappropriateevaluationtoolsandmeasurementsystemsforourneeds.Thiswillcomefromimprovingthewayweconductsitevisitsandrestructuringourinterimandexitreportssotheybetterreflectthetypeofinformationweneedtoevaluateourgivingdecisions.

• Attentiontothequalityofevaluations.

StrategicPlanning

• TheprocesstoimprovethiswilltakeplacelaterthismonthwiththeBoard'sstrategicplanningretreat.Thekeyfromthisdevelopmentwillbehowcloselywealignourdailyoperationstotheguidelinesdevelopedthroughthenewplan

ManagementCapacityScores

GrantmakingProcess

• Improvementisneededofcurrentgrantproceduresandpolicieswhichshouldincludetherevampingofgrantapplications/evaluationprocess.

• Applybetterskillsreviewinggrantapplicationsasweshouldpaymoreattentiontoneedandmerit.

GrantmakingStrategy

• FEC'sPillarsaretoobroad;discussionisneededtonarrowfocusanddeterminewhatarea(s)FECwantstomakegreaterimpactandhoworwhatpathtotaketoensureourgranteesunderstandourgoalsandobjectives.

• FEChasbeguntheprocessofcapacitybuildingthroughsharedlearningactivitieswithaselectgroupofgrantees.

• Thisprocessshouldbeexpandedtoincludeothernonprofits.TheSocialMediaTrainingworkshopwassuccessfulwithover40localprovidersattending.FECshouldcontinueasaconvener,organizingmeetingsandeventswheresimilarlearningopportunitiesareoffered,providingfundsandfree/lowcosttrainingtoboosttheabilitiesofthegrantee'scapacityandtheopportunitytoshareinformation.It'snotallaboutProgramsandGeneralOperatingfunding,butjustasimportantprovidingtrainingopportunitiestoourgranteestobetterunderstandFEC'snewdirectioninfunding.

InternalCommunications

• Whenemployeesbecomemorespecializedandfocused,theyoftenlosesightofthebigpicture.That'swhenhavingeffectiveinternalcommunicationbecomesvital.AswemovedintotheTransitionPhase,theInterimExecutiveDirectorhasemphasizedtheimportanceofweekly/biweeklystaffmeetings.Thishasprovensuccessfulandprovidedemployeesanexcellentplatformtoexchangeideas,informationandquestions.Thisalsoempowersstafftoseekanswersfromtheirpeers,strengthenconnectionsamongeachotherandtransferknowledge.

• Itwouldbeofbenefitthatallstaffgetinvolved(tosomedegree)inthegrantmakingprocessandinattendingsitevisits.Soscholarshiporadmindivisioncanunderstandthesitevisitprocessandgetanunderstandingofwhatsomeofthegrantsareallabout.SamewithGrantdepartmentlearningaboutthescholarshipapplicationandselectionprocesses.Allowingstafftoparticipatebooststheirself-confidence,makingtheirworkexperiencebetterandopensthedoortobetterinteractionswithcurrentandfuturegrantees.Thisimprovesstaffknowledge,participationandtheopportunitytoprovideinputfromadifferentperspective.It'saboutlearningtogetherandidentifyingwaystoworkbetterandsmarter.

ManagingStaffPerformance

• Thereisaneedtofinalizethestaffprocessesmanual,andencouragecross-trainingamongstaff,soifsomeoneleavesorisoffsomeonecanfillinuntiltheindividualreturnstoworkorpositionisfilled.Continuetoencouragestafftraining,workshops,webinars,etc.,notonlywithintheircomfortzone,butinotherareasofnonprofitprocesses

ProblemSolving

• HRconflictsareusuallyresolvedbytheexecutivedirectorwhohasanopendoorpolicy.ItisalsoimportanttoengagetheBoardPresidentintheHRproblem-solvingprocess.

TechnicalCapacityPart1

EvaluationSkills

Beforewecanmakeimprovementsonourcurrentevaluationskills-staff,committeemembersandtheExecutiveBoardfirstneedtobetrainedontheevaluationprocess.However,thefirststepishavingpreciseandwelldefinedpillarsalongwithcreatingasharedvision.

Oncethishasbeendeterminedaskingtherightquestionsiskeyintheevaluationprocess.Thefollowingquestionsarejustafewexamplestoaidusinimprovingourevaluationskills.

• ·Whatistheevidencethatthistypeofprojectcanbeeffective?• Doproposedgrantactivitiesmeshwithlogic/theorysupportedbypastevidence?• Isthisthemostefficientwayofachievinggoals,oristhereabetteralternative?• Isthisthe.bestuseoffoundationmoney?• Aretherealternativeusesofresourcesthatwouldyieldgreaterbenefits?• Whathavewelearnedwhatworks?

ExternalCommunicationSkills

• ProvidingeducationalWebinarsonFEC’swebsite,forwardpromotionalmaterialsformgranteestoSMDG,placethelistofcurrentgrantsonthefrontpageofFEC’swebsite,distributenewslettertothecommunity,providespecificdirectionstoourclientsonhowtosendaPressReleasetoourlocalnewspapers,andcontinuetodevelopaProviderDirectory.

Facilities

• FEC’sconferenceroomsandHealthyEastChicago’sclassroomsoneandtwoappeartohaveamplespace,equipmentandamenitiestoprovideaconducivelearningenvironment

FacilityManagementSkills

• AssignonlyoneFECstafftoscheduleallexternalmeetingswithoutsideorganizations.ThiswilleliminateduplicationandRSVP’swillbegiventojustoneperson

GrantmakingAdaptability

• Ourpastflexibilitymaybelookedatasahindranceduetothefactwewereopentonewopportunitiesbutwelackedspecificdirection.

TechnicalCapacity–Part2

GrantmakingBudgetSkills

• InregardstomanagingourGrantmakingbudgetfromaFoundationstandpoint,weareimproving.AswecontinuetoeducatetheGrantCommitteetheyarenotobligatedtoawardeverydollarallocatedpergrantround,welessenthechancesthatwewillgooverbudget.Inaddition,asweeliminatespecial,outofcycle,lineitemgrants,wewillbeabletostaywithinasetbudget.OneadditionalareaweneedtocontinuetoworkonisforcingtheScholarshipcommitteetostaywithinbudgetandnotoverspend.Onewaytoassistinthisareaistodoabetterjobinforecastingthenumberofpotentialscholarshipapplicantsatthebeginningofeachyearandallocatetheproperamountoffundstocovertheneed.

GrantmakingSkills

• Wewillcontinuetoimproveinthisareaasstaffgoesaboutlearningadditionalbestpracticesfromthefieldandweincorporatethosepracticeswithinourdaytodaygrantmakingprocess

KnowledgeofNonprofitOrganizationEffectiveness

• Aswelearnmoreaboutthenon-monetaryneedsofourgrantees,wewillbeabletocreatemoreassistanceprogramstoaddressthisissue.Thekeywillbeourwillingnesstoprovidetheseservicesandencourageourgranteestotakeadvantageofthem

LegalSkills

• StaffandBoardmembersneedtobecomemoreeducatedinbasicnonprofitlegalmethodologiesandterminologiessowecanmakeeducatedevaluationsoflegalsituationsthatdonotcallforengagingourlegalteam.WeshouldalsolooktobringonmoreindividualsbothontheBoardandstafflevelwhohavelegalbackgroundstoimproveourexpertiseinthisarea.

Mission-RelatedInvestingSkills

• WecanchargeourInvestmentcommitteetoengageourmoneymanagerstolookforandsuggestopportunitiesthatwecouldinvestincompaniesthatalignwithourGrantmakingfocus.Thiscouldbeespeciallyusefulwithcompaniesthatarelocalorhaveanimpactonourcommunity.

• Checkonadaptabilityandflexibilitywhengrantingmonies.

Technology

• WeneedtocontinuetoencourageourBoardmembersandgrantcommitteememberstotakeadvantageofallthevariousformsoftechnicalcommunicationavailable.Weshouldeventuallybecome_apaperlessorganizationinallaspectsofGrantmakingandgrantevaluation.Thiswillbeassistedwithupgradingourgrantmanagementsoftware(MicroEdge)

TechnologySkills

• WeneedtocontinuelookingfortrainingopportunitiesforBoardandStafftobeasknowledgeableabouthowtomaximizetheoperationalcapabilitiesofthetechnologyweutilizeintheoffice.Similartowhenweparticipatedintheoffice-wideGiftstrainingandthesocialmediaclasses.

OrganizationalCulture

Organizationalcultureisthebehaviorofhumanswithinanorganizationandthemeaningthatpeopleattachtothosebehaviors.Cultureincludestheorganization'svision,values,norms,systems,symbols,language,assumptions,beliefs,andhabits.

Ourgranteesarestuckintheirorganizationalways.Astheirsourceoffundingitisuptoustoensuretheyaresuccessfulthroughtraining(capacitybuilding,socialmedia,etc.)Providingcontinuedcapacitybuildingopportunitiesforstaffandgranteesisimportant.FECbelievesintheirgranteesandwantsthemtosucceedthereforeprovidingthemwiththenecessarytraininganddevaluationtoolsisvital.WewantourgranteestobeabletobetterthecommunitybutFECrealizestherearechangesthatneedtobemadewhichiswhythetrainingswereimplemented.Ifagrantee'sprogramiswellstructuredandimplementedcorrectlythisinstillsabeliefinthegranteefromthepointofviewofFECstaff.

BeliefinGrantees

• FECbelievesinthecommunityitserves.Asstaff,weneedtobemoreinvolvedandlearnasmuchaswecanaboutourgranteesandtheservicestheyprovide.Wedon'tonlywanttoprovidefundingforthesegranteesbutwewanttoprovidealevelofcomfortaswell.WewantthemtounderstandthattheycancometoFECstaffbeforeandwhenaproblemarises.GranteesneedtoknoweverymemberofFECstaffsothattheyfeelcomfortableaddressingconcernssothatwemayoffersupportordirection.

• Tothispoint,wehavebeenfundingorganizationsmoreforwhoisassociatedwiththemratherthanwhattheydo.Thishascausedthestafftonothavethegreatesttrustthattheorganizationswillbeableaccomplishwhattheystatedtheywilldo.

Theyalsodamagetheirrelationshipwithstaffwhentheydonotfollowthroughwithprovidingtheproperreportingasrequested.Aswetakemorestepstoimprovetheoperationalcapacityofourgrantees,andbecomemoreselectiveinwhowefund,thisrelationshipwillimprove.

Empowering

• BecauseofthemanagementstyleofourpreviousExecutiveDirector,ourProgramStaff(eventhoughverycapableandknowledgeable)appearedconfusedattimesonwhatwasexpectedfromtheboard.Wesucceededinmakingcorrectionsin-housebeforeissueswereirreparable

• Thestaffneedstobeawareofallevents(meetings,sitevisits,etc.)thatthegranteesarehavingincasethestaffwouldliketoattend.Attendingtheeventswillhelpstafflearnmoreaboutthegranteesandwhattheydoorareplanningtodo.Sitevisitsofferanopportunityforstafftoengagewithgranteesandperhapsprovidevaluableinputonpossiblepartnerships/networkingopportunitiesthatmayfavorablyimpactthegranteesprogramandthecommunityitserves.WewouldliketoseeallofourgranteessucceedFECisateamandourgoalistoworktogethertobetterthecommunity.Wecanonlydosoifweareawareofwhatisgoingoninthecommunity.Themoreweknowaboutourcommunitythemorewecanhelponeanother.IbelieveFECworkswellasaTeamandbyempoweringoneanotherwewillbecomeevenbetter.Weshouldalwayshaveroomtogrowandlearnandexpandourexpectations.

• Whileweprovidefundingtoorganizations,theyneedmorethanjustdollarsfromus.Theyneedtheassistanceandguidancefromourprofessionalstafftohelpthemastheymatureasorganizations.Weneedtoprovidemoretrainingfororganizationssotheywillbecomebetterequippedtooperate.Wecanalsodevelopmoreopportunitieswithoursocialmediaconsultantstofindwastohighlightandcelebratetheaccomplishmentsofourgranteesevenifwedidnotdirectlyfundit.

Re-energizing

• FECstaffappearstobemorefocusedandmissionorientedratherthandisconnectedwitheachother.

• FECnowhasinplaceanInterimDirectorwhoclearlyunderstandsthecommunityandhastheskillstore-energizeandempowerthestaff

• Weneedtobemoreencouragingtostaffmemberstofindlearningandself-improvementopportunitiestoparticipateinthatmakesthembetterprofessionallyandpersonally.Byprovidingopportunitiesforstafftotakepartintheseprograms,theywillbecomemoreengagedemployees.

Unifying

• Thisprocessisimproving,butthereneedstobeacorporatecultureandenvironmentthatencouragesopentwowaydialoguebetweentheBoardandStaffandbetweenstaffdirectreportsandtheirsupervisors.Thishasimprovedovertheyears,buttherestillneedstobestrongmessagingfromtheleadershipthatthisformofcommunicationisnotonlyencouragedbutisexpectedandtherewillbenonegativerepercussionsdirectedtotheindividual.

Appendix2:WorkshopEvaluationQuestionnairePleasecompletethefollowingquestionstoassistusincompletingthisstudy.Thequestionsshouldbeansweredbyoneindividualperorganization.Yourorganization’sidentityshouldNOTbeplacedanywhereonthisform.

1. Isyourorganizationa501(c)(3)? YesorNo

2. IfyouansweredyestoQuestionOne,howmanyyearshaveyoubeena501(c)(3)?_______

3. DoesyourorganizationhaveapaidExecutiveDirector? YesorNo

4. Howmanypaidstaffdoesyourorganizationemploy? __________

5. Howmanyvolunteerstaffdoesyourorganizationusetoconducteverydayactivities?______

6. Howlonghaveyoubeenaffiliatedwiththeorganizationinthecapacityofapaid employeeorunpaidvolunteer? ______years______months

7. Howmanyofthe5(four)trainingsessionsdidyouattend(includingthisone)?___________

Pleasecircleyourresponsetothequestionslistedonthenextpage.

Rateaspectsoftheworkshopona1to5Scale:

1="Stronglydisagree,"orthelowest,mostnegativeimpression

3="Neitheragreenordisagree,"oranadequateimpression

5="stronglyagree,"orthehighest,mostpositiveimpression

ChooseN/Aiftheitemisnotappropriateornotapplicabletothisworkshop.Yourfeedbackissincerelyappreciated.Thankyou.

WORKSHOPCONTENT(Pleasecircleyourresponsetoeachitem.)

1=stronglydisagree2=Disagree3=neitheragreenordisagree4=Agree5=stronglyagreeN/A=Notapplicable

SDSA

1.Iwaswellinformedabouttheobjectivesoftheworkshops 12 34 5 N/A

2.Thisworkshopliveduptomyexpectations. 12 34 5 N/A

3.Thecontentisrelevanttomyorganization. 12 34 5 N/A

WORKSHOPDESIGN(Pleasecircleyourresponsetoeachitem.)

4.Theworkshopobjectiveswerecleartome. 12 34 5 N/A

5.Theworkshopactivitiesstimulatedmylearning. 12 34 5 N/A

6.Theworkshopactivitiesencouragedinteractionwith 12 34 5 N/Afellowparticipants 7.Theactivitiesinthisworkshopgavemesufficientpracticeandfeedback 12 34 5 N/A8.Thetimeallottedforeachworkshopwastoolong. 12 34 5 N/A

9.Thetimeallottedoreachworkshopwastooshort. 12 34 5 N/A

10.Theday/timeofeachworkshopwasconvenient. 12 34 5 N/A

11.Thedifficultylevelofthisworkshopwasappropriate. 12 34 5 N/A

12.Thepaceofthisworkshopwasappropriate. 12 34 5 N/A

WORKSHOPINSTRUCTORS(Pleasecircleyourresponsetoeachitem.)

13.Theinstructorswerewellprepared. 12 34 5 N/A

14.Theinstructorswerehelpful. 12 34 5 N/A

WORKSHOPRESULTS(Pleasecircleyourresponsetoeachitem.)

15.Iaccomplishedtheobjectivesofthisworkshop. 12 34 5 N/A

16.IwillbeabletousewhatIlearnedinthisworkshop. 12 34 5 N/A

17.Theworkshopwasagoodwayformetolearnhowtoincreasethecapacityofourorganizationtoservethecommunity 12 34 5 N/A

18.Howwouldyouimprovethisworkshop?(Checkallthatapply.)

___Providebetterinformationbeforetheworkshop

___Clarifytheworkshopobjectives

___Reducethecontentcoveredintheworkshop.

___Increasethecontentcoveredintheworkshop.

___Updatethecontentcoveredintheworkshop.

___Improvetheinstructionalmethods

___Makeworkshopactivitiesmorestimulating

___Improveworkshoporganization

___Maketheworkshoplessdifficult

___Maketheworkshopmoredifficult

___Slowdownthepaceoftheworkshop

___Speedupthepaceoftheworkshop

___Allotmoretimefortheworkshop

___Shortenthetimefortheworkshop

___Improvethetestsusedintheworkshop.

___Addmorevideototheworkshop

19.Whatotherimprovementswouldyourecommendfortheseworkshops?

20.Whatisleastvaluableabouttheseworkshops?

21.Whatismostvaluableabouttheseworkshops?

Appendix3:AuthorBiographies

AttaA.Ceesay,Ph.D.isanAssistantProfessorandNonprofitTrackCoordinatoratSUNY-

BuffaloStateCollege.HerresearchandteachinginterestsincludePublicManagement,

HumanResourcesManagement,comparativeandDevelopmentPublicAdministration,

andNonprofitManagement.Dr.Ceesay’sinterestsinserviceincludecommunity

developmentandpublicandnonprofitcapacitybuilding.Shecurrentlyteachesnonprofit

managementandgovernance,strategicplanning,andpublicorganizations.Dr.Ceesayhas

morethansixyearsworkexperienceintheprivateandpublicarena.Sheworkedat

KimberlyClarkCorporationholdingseveraldifferentfinancialpositions.Shealsoworked

attheNewJerseySmallBusinessDevelopmentCenteratRutgers-Newark,wherethey

wereresponsibleforsmallbusinessdevelopmentinEssexCounty.Shehelpedclientswith

businessdevelopmentbyprovidingthemwiththenecessarybusinessknowledgeand

tools.Shehasexpertiseinneedsassessment,capacitybuilding,strategicplanning,

researchdesign,andperformancemanagementandevaluation.

EllenSzarleta,Ph.D.,J.D.,istheDirectoroftheIndianaUniversityNorthwestCenterfor

UrbanandRegionalExcellenceandanAssociateProfessorintheDivisionofPublicand

EnvironmentalAffairsatIndianaUniversityNorthwest(IUN).Dr.Szarletacurrently

managesprojectsandperformsappliedresearchintheareaofnonprofitcapacitybuilding

andprogrammanagement,economicdevelopment,seniorandyouthservices,andcrime

dataanalysis.Sheactivelyengageswithnonprofitorganizations,offeringworkshops,

training,andfacilitationservicesthatenhancethecapacityofnonprofitorganizationsto

deliverservices.Herresearchinterestsincludecommunity-universitypartnerships,civic

andcommunityengagement,nonprofitcapacitybuilding,communitiesofpracticeand

knowledgenetworksaswellaspublicparticipationprocesses,environmentalpolicydesign

andtheintersectionofscienceandpolicymaking.Sheteachesclassesonpublic

managementeconomics,decisionmakingandenvironmentalpolicy.

ihttp://foundationsofeastchicago.org/index.php.iiCCATisdevelopedbytheTCCGroupiiiFCCATisdevelopedbytheTCCGroup

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