Great Nonprofits Build Capacity

Capacity Building

Nonprofit capacity building refers to measurable activities that improves an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission and sustain itself. Without capacity building, nonprofits run the risk of losing human and capital resources needed to sustain and/or expand program services over time.

Imagine a youth mentoring program that partners with a local school to deliver after-school mentoring sessions so that children can safely transition from their school day to extra-curricular activities without ever leaving the building. Using the strategic partnership of the school, the mentoring program may see increased enrollment. In this way, the program has the opportunity to impact more children, while also removing transportation barriers faced by many low-income and working families. That’s capacity building in action.

This lesson covers:

  • Developing internal capacity through governance and leadership.
  • Developing internal capacity using volunteers.
  • Developing external capacity through strategic partnerships.
  • Developing external capacity using available resources.
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