Not-for-profit organizations do incredibly important work – providing critical services that support and enrich our communities. Robust internal capacity and organizational competence is what supports their ability to achieve impact. At Vantage Point we are on a mission to improve not-for-profit capacity.

By building the capacity of your not-for-profit organization, you can strengthen the impact your programs have in your community and ensure long-term program sustainability. The importance of capacity building is a critical conversation for not-for-profits, funders, government, and the broader community. 

Defining Capacity

What exactly is capacity? It is impact. It is resilience. It is sustainability. Essentially, capacity building is an ongoing investment in the improved performance and sustainability of our people and organizations. What does an investment in capacity look like? It is a focus on and commitment to enhancing our internal governance, management, and operations. It can include professional development that improves staff leadership competencies, board governance training that enhances board effectiveness, or technology that improves customer and donor relations.

At Vantage Point we focus on four areas of not-for-profit capacity: management, governance, financial resources, and administrative systems¹. In addition to strong program delivery, these are the organizational platforms that support and sustain an organization’s impact.

Why Does Capacity Building Matter?

Capacity building creates more effective and resilient not-for-profit organizations. Imagine the potential that your not-for-profit could achieve with fully equipped leaders, robust financial management systems, flexibility to adapt when challenges arise, and a collaborative work environment that allows for new ideas and generative thinking. When positioned this way, capacity building is sexy!

We see the impact of capacity building every day and our program evaluations show incredible results in areas such as leadership competencies, improved employee engagement, and increased fundraising. Capacity building takes time and investment, but the benefits far exceed the cost.

Our Next Steps

What does your internal capacity look like? We encourage you to start conversations with your colleagues and supporters about what increased capacity would mean for your organization. Let’s discover and unleash the potential in our teams and organizations and build stronger organizational competence.

At Vantage Point we are committed to capacity building and we will continue to engage leaders, funders, and the community on this important topic. We will highlight practical tools and share new insights along the way through our blog, resources, and new capacity resource page for not-for-profits.

Together, as not-for-profit leaders, funders, and community members let’s increase the capacity of not-for-profit organizations!

¹ As identified in Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity by Susan Kenny Stevens.

As a leader within the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years now, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many incredible women. In celebration of International Women’s Day, I share here some of the key approaches that I have learned from these strong and smart individuals. I have found these practices to be essential in my own development as a leader – and as a woman.

1) When contemplating change, consider the importance of over-steering the boat to alter the course.

As a sailor, I’ve mulled on this analogy many times. When faced with a major change of course out on the water, I’ve seen what’s required of the skipper to set this new course. I’m naturally a more facilitative leader, who strives to gradually, and diplomatically, bring everyone along. In 2002 Vantage Point began a shift to re-orient our mission to build strong leaders and strong not-for-profit organizations. The Executive Director who was at the helm demonstrated the importance of over-steering, and not necessarily being able to bring everyone along.

2) In facing important decisions, ask yourself what each option makes possible, and for whom, while also acknowledging the worst that could happen in each case.

This practice, an aspect of Creating the Future’s Catalytic Thinking, has been essential to both my personal and professional decisions and I encourage you to try it out. I have also learned the benefit of framing “no” decisions as saying “yes” to another opportunity.

3) Start your day with a positive intention

It’s been a busy start to 2018 here at Vantage Point and I’m definitely aware of the “stretch” I’m experiencing. Starting each day with a positive intention has been tough. I’m sticking with it, however, as the simple practice of focusing on one positive thought or aspiration for the day truly brings out the best in me at home and work.

4) As leaders contributing to shaping and developing high performing cultures, get used to being a broken-record.

I’ve been constantly reminded of the importance of consistency by the Executive Directors I have had the privilege of working with here at Vantage Point. A strong culture at Vantage Point, with a commitment to abundance and people, has come through leadership that is comfortable persevering through challenges and making space for the many conversations required to assure board and staff are aligned (and re-aligned!) at every turn. I have seen the measurable outcomes of this leadership including demonstrated growth in mission impact.

5) Once in a while, ask yourself, “would I rather be somewhere else”?

I have committed both work and volunteer aspects of my life to the not-for-profit sector. To assure I’m still receiving energy from all that I put in, every once in a while, I intentionally ask this question. On occasion the answer is going to be “yes – I’d rather be doing…”. But for the most part, even when I’m feeling challenged, the answer is actually “this is exactly where I want to be”.

What meaningful practices have women in your life passed to you? Please share them with us in celebration of all the women that make this sector amazing to work in and a force within our communities. If you are looking for ways to pass along your skills and expertise, check out the current volunteer positions at www.govolunteer.ca.

Thank you to the amazing women that passed this advice on to me:

Colleen Kelly, former Vantage Point Executive Director
Denise Baker, Vantage Point Executive Director
Martha Sales, Coach and Founder of Achieve Your Mark, Vantage Point Knowledge Philanthropist & Board Member
Tammy Robertson, President, Professional Coach and Author, Work Heart Consulting
Hildy Gottlieb, Co-Founder, Creating the Future

A not-for-profit organization’s effectiveness and capacity to navigate change depends largely on its people. Ask anyone about the characteristics of strong and effective not-for-profit organizations and the conversation will inevitably turn to leadership.

Vantage Point’s work is in building the skills and knowledge of not-for-profit leaders to strengthen their leadership performance and impact. In 2017, we did an in-depth evaluation of our program Executive Lab, an advanced program for senior leaders. The impact on individuals and organizations is remarkable.

Vantage Point’s Executive Lab program was first launched as the Executive Director Learning Circle in 2006. Since then, we have engaged nearly 150 senior not-for-profit leaders in peer-based learning to develop personal leadership competencies and improve organizational performance.

Through online survey responses and participant interviews, past Executive Lab participants confirmed that the program directly impacted their leadership abilities in several ways:

• 82% of participants agreed that because of Executive Lab, their effectiveness as a leader, confidence, and competence with their executive role and responsibility greatly improved
• 73% said their relationship with their board has improved
• 68% significantly increased the number of donors and volunteers committed to their cause
• 100% said the scope of programs was much better
• 75% said their program effectiveness was much better The evaluation included three core themes to determine the specific areas of the program’s impact:

1. Leadership Effectiveness: In terms of their leadership, participants saw the largest increase in their comfort with their executive director role, leadership effectiveness, leadership strengths, and relationship with their board. These elements are all critical to the success of senior not-for-profit leaders.

2. Organizational Effectiveness: Participants reported an increase in their organizational budget, increase in donors, reduction of staff turnover, and increase in their number of volunteers. These measures show an increased capacity in these organizations, as well as a strengthened resiliency.

3. Organizational Change: Participants saw an increase in their scope of programs, staff knowledge, community outreach, and program effectiveness. It is through these types of changes that not-for-profits can better fulfill their missions. We know that one of the challenges in supporting capacity building is that the impact doesn’t happen overnight. The impact of our work is long term, and not always easy to articulate. These results are truly remarkable and overwhelmingly point to the fact that leadership training is crucial in the success and sustainability of not-for-profit organizations.

At Vantage Point we are fully committed to lifting leadership in the sector.

Join us for Executive Lab 2018

Our next cohort of Executive Lab begins on March 7, 2018. Applications are due February 14, 2018. Apply today!