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What does capacity building mean to you?
For many people, funders and grantees alike, it brings memories of trainings, workbooks, powerpoint slides, and Zoom sessions. Maybe a resource library. Maybe a needs assessment survey.
Maybe the impact of the capacity building was measured, maybe it wasn't.
But what we've noticed, almost across the board, is the perception that capacity building is the icing and the funding is the cake.
This is completely backwards--and understanding why it's backwards, and what to do about it, can turbocharge the impact of your work.
Think about it: When you're making a grant, you're making a grant because you want an organization to achieve something that they wouldn't have been able to without that funding.
In other words, you want to increase their capacity.
Funding is one way to increase an organization's capacity, but it's not the only way.
When we leverage funding by pairing it with well designed, culturally appropriate capacity building services, we can multiply its impact.
"I don't have much budget for capacity building--I need to get the funding out to the people who need it." Sound familiar? We've heard this many times over the years.
Unfortunately, this leads to capacity building as an afterthought, perhaps some trainings that don't make a meaningful impact on an organization's work.
Strong, impactful capacity building programs are rooted in theories of organizational change and adult learning. They are designed and led by subject matter experts who also have professional experience in the contexts in which the recipient organizations are working. They provide ongoing one-to-one or small group support over a period of weeks or months to support organizations in making a meaningful change in their operations.
This is what it takes to leverage a funding investment into a long-term, sustainable improvement in an organization's ability to carry out its work.
Over the past six years, TSC has provided capacity-building services to over 100 BIPOC trans-led organizations. Many of these organizations had accessed other resources to try to address their capacity-building needs. For example, most recipients who requested finance or budgeting assistance had already accessed a training or online resource about these topics.
Our approach is different. We perform a thorough needs assessment, looking not only at the technical needs of the organization, but also at their preparedness for change and the ways that the requested capacity building project might fit into other systems and structures within the organization.
Through 1:1 training and coaching, we ensure that the materials and lessons provided are tailored to an organization's unique context, and our coaches receive real-time feedback on the organization's progress in implementing their capacity building changes. Coaches are able to pivot or adjust workplans based on what they notice during the capacity building project.
At TSC, we've seen community leaders go from "I can't make a budget--I've tried!" to confidently reporting on their organization's monthly financials and strategic plan.
These changes expand what these leaders see as possible for their organizations. Confidence with budgeting means envisioning moving from a crowdfunded volunteer project to a stable, scalable nonprofit.
When we expand a leader's skillset through in-depth capacity building, we expand what they can dream of for their organization. They can take on an audacious goal, knowing they have the skills to make it real.