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How Do You Measure Nonprofit Effectiveness?
TCC developed the Core Capacity Assessment Tool, or CCAT, to help nonprofits objectively assess their organizational strengths and challenges. Used by more than 25,000 nonprofit leaders, this rigorous online survey helps to:
- Frame strategic planning efforts
- Develop and prioritize capacity-building plans
- Evaluate capacity-building initiatives
TCC believes that in order to effectively achieve their missions, nonprofits must be strong in four critical areas -- leadership, adaptive, management, and technical capacities. The CCAT measures nonprofit effectiveness in relation to these capabilities as well as organizational culture. Additionally, it helps identify a nonprofit's lifecycle stage, provides a real-time findings report, and offers a prioritized capacity-building plan.
The CCAT helps to guide conversations between funders and grantees about how to best support capacity-building efforts. It provides insights which help focus activities on critical ares, rather than getting caught up in the "crisis of the day."
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"We have received a lot of positive feedback from the nonprofits who took the CCAT. It has been the catalyst for a frank conversation between the board and staff about strengths and weaknesses."
- Sandie Palomo-Gonzalez
San Antonio Area Foundation
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Visit www.tccccat.com to learn more about how your organization can use the CCAT as a strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building tool.
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Congratulations to Episcopal Community Services
Episcopal Community Services (ECS), one of the oldest and largest  social service agencies in the Philadelphia area, was recently recognized by the Council on Accreditation for its innovative practices which have raised the quality of services provided to vulnerable children and families.
TCC helped ECS evaluate whether cognitive behavioral skills can be used in a social service setting to improve educational outcomes for homeless youth. TCC's pre- and post-survey data indicated increases in a number of important areas. The results of the pilot were very promising, showing a direct connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that could lead to significant changes in long-term educational success. Read more about the award-winning program. |
Next Steps in Mission-Driven Business Planning
What should a nonprofit consider when identifying, measuring, and assessing its market? What tools can it use to gauge supply and demand, and how how is this process different in the nonprofit sector?
Join us on November 20th at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific for a free webinar as we delve deeper into mission-driven business planning. TCC thought leaders will explore marketing components, discuss the steps involved in a market analysis, and share assessment, decision-making, and planning tools. This session is aimed at staff in charge of launching a mission-based enterprise or developing the marketing component of a business plan. Register here.
This webinar is the second in a series. If you missed the first presentation, you can watch it here.
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Join us at the Conference for Community Arts Education
The National Guild's Conference for Community Arts Education provides essential professional development and networking opportunities for the staff, faculty, trustees, and teaching artists at more than 350 arts education organizations. During this year's conference on November 14-17 in Dallas, Texas, TCC's Director of Capacity Building Sally Munemitsu and Senior Consultant Julie Simpson will present "Building Organizational Capacity," which explores the capacities critical to increasing organizational nonprofit impact. Register here.
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Join TCC at Independent Sector
The rigor and discipline of strategy and evaluation have brought many benefits to the nonprofit and philanthropy fields. But when can they become "too much of a good thing?" During this Independent Sector conference session, TCC Senior Partner Paul Connolly, Claire Peeps of the Durfee Foundation, and Nick Deychakiwsky of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation will discuss how leaders across the nonprofit, philanthropic, and corporate community involvement sectors can effectively balance logic and intuition, proactivity and responsiveness, accountability and learning. Join them in San Francisco on Sunday, November 11. Details here.
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Essential Skills and Strategies for New Grantmakers
 Associate Director of Philanthropy Chris Cardona, joins the faculty of Philanthropy NY's "Essential Skills and Strategies for New Grantmakers" program on November 27-30 in New York City. The program provides an introduction to grantmaking and philanthropy for program officers with less than two years of experience in the philanthropic sector. Through highly interactive sessions, participants will engage with peers around the opportunities and challenges of their work and the factors in making funding decisions. Learn more.
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Families Make Bigger Impact through Strategic Philanthropy  Family members sometimes have "pet projects" that drive their foundation's grantmaking. While small grants awarded to a range of causes and communities can certainly do some good, the power of grant dollars goes much further when they are channeled towards common goals. Associate Director of Philanthropy Ashley Blanchard discusses how to identify shared values and create a strategic grantmaking plan in an article on FamilyFounded.com, a website that provides resources for families working together. Read more. |
The Most Adaptive Survive With their industry facing upheaval and suffering fallout from the recession, many journalism organizations have found a need to adapt more quickly than ever before. An innovative funder collaborative has helped address this challenge through a combination of matching grants, coaching, and other resources. The initiative holds lessons not just for media organizations but other nonprofits that seek to strengthen their financial footing and remain nimble in the face of change. Read Senior Partner Paul Connolly's thoughts in a recent blog for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, "The Most Adaptive Survive." |
Business Planning Competition
The Social Impact Exchange is accepting applications for its 2013 Business Plan Competition for U.S.-based nonprofits. Past recipients of the award have included a range of organizations such as TCC client 10,000 Degrees as well as the Parent-Child Home Program and Emerge Workplace Solutions. Click here for more information about eligibility criteria and the entry process. The deadline is December 7, 2012.
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