Capacity Lab
Your non-profit organization is capable of amazing things.
Building the capacity of organizations
Are you looking to guide your non-profit organization through significant growth, change, or transition? Do you feel your organization has unrealized potential? Capacity Lab is the perfect program to take a close look at your organization and make an action plan to effectively move through transitions.
Capacity Lab is a blend of in-class learning and expert consulting. Our non-profit clients have seen tremendous benefits through this guided self-assessment process. Members of our consulting team will work with you to build a Capacity Enhancement Plan for your organization.
We define capacity as the health of your organization in five areas:
- Programs
- Governance
- Financial Resources
- Management
- Administrative Systems
Program Outline
The Capacity Lab is a five-month guided self-assessment process for senior staff (Executive Directors, CEOs, general managers, etc.) and non-profit board members that blends virtual learning sessions with consultant advisory support between sessions.
Capacity Lab enrolment includes space for up to four individuals from your organization to participate. We recommend having your Executive Director (or most senior staff person) and one board member participate for the entire program. The additional spots can be alternated with different staff or board members for specific sessions, depending on the topic relevance.
Application Deadline: February 5, 2023
Bursary Application Deadline: 1 month before course start date
Location: Online / Virtual
Cost: $2999 Non-Members | $2699 Members
Program Schedule
Check out what our Capacity Lab program looks like.
February 16, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Introduction to Lifecycles
March 9, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Management
March 30, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Programs
April 20, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Governance
May 11, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Financial Resources
June 1, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Administrative Systems
June 22, 2023
9:00 am to 12:00 pm | Review Self-Assessment Process and Capacity Improvement Planning
Meet Our Facilitators
Dorla Tune
Organizational Consultant at Vantage Point
Dorla Tune is our Organizational Consultant who supports and strengthens our training, planning, and consulting services. Dorla has over 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector which spans across multiple provinces and organizations. Dorla is passionate about community development, social justice, and equity. She values building relationships and strategically connecting people in ways that support equity-seeking groups and communities to collectively work with their strengths to move forward.
Maria Turnbull
Associate Executive Director at Vantage Point
Maria Turnbull brings over 20 years of leadership experience in staff and director roles within the non-profit sector, both here in Canada and in the UK. With a BA in International Relations and MBA, Maria is a skilled facilitator and consultant in board governance, organizational development, and management. She has consulted for Foundations, the City of Vancouver, various colleges, and hundreds of other not-for-profit organizations.
JP Baker
Planning Consultant at The Vantage Point
JP is our Planning Consultant, ready to support organizations strategize the most effective ways to reach their goals. JP has extensive experience as a facilitator, consultant, researcher, and writer. As a consultant, JP is sought out for his expertise in governance, organizational culture, strategy, process design, and change management.
Program Details
Through the five-month process, participating organizations will:
- Assess the five areas of your organizational capacity (programs, management, governance, systems, and financial resources).
- Understand the seven stages of your organization’s lifecycle.
- Get clarity on your organizational development activities that offer the greatest impact.
- Develop a detailed organizational capacity improvement plan.
Program Benefits
- Identify transition stages that may be causing pressure and how to move through them.
- Outline realistic steps your organization can take to build capacity in governance, management, financial resources and/or administrative systems.
- Understand how your current challenges and opportunities are part of a normal progression.
- Complete a comprehensive self-assessment to identify your organization’s current lifecycle stage.
Program Topics
Topics covered in the 7 half-day learning sessions.