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Why CARE About Organizational Capacity
Organizational capacity can be defined as your ability to use what you have (knowledge and resources) to achieve your goals. It is critical for delivering effective, sustainable programs that improve health outcomes for mothers, infants, children, and families. Increasing organizational capacity is central to increasing impact.
Strong organizational capacity ensures that CBOs can:
- Expand Programs - Strengthening internal structures allows organizations to serve more people - and do it more effectively.
- Strengthen Financial Health - Improving grant writing, fundraising, financial management, and evaluation help secure more funding.
- Enhance Program Quality and Impact - With the right tools and resources, CBOs can improve service delivery and increase effectiveness.
- Strengthen Partnerships - Well-structured organizations are better positioned to collaborate with healthcare systems and government agencies.
Building organizational capacity is a continuous process. Below are key steps to help your CBO grow, thrive, and create lasting change in your community.
CARE to share tips or tools that are helpful to assess and increase your organization's capacity for MCH programs?
Share Here!Before developing a capacity-building strategy, it's essential to assess where your organization currently stands in these areas:
- Leadership & Governance
- Financial Health & Sustainability
- Staffing & Management
- Expertise
- Program & Service Delivery
- Partnerships & Community Engagement
- Technology & Infrastructure
(Scroll down to step 3 for specific resources around each of these areas.)
Here are some tools that can help you evaluate current strengths and gaps in organizational resources, skills, and infrastructure.
Once you know where your organization stands, determine what your organization needs to do to strengthen capacity so you can bolster partnerships and financial health, and grow programs and impact.
Strategies to consider:
- Provide ongoing training and professional development opportunities for staff.
- Develop clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making structures.
- Engage the board, if applicable, in strategic planning and fundraising efforts.
- Expand and leverage volunteer engagement.
- Seek expert consultants for support.
- Contract for administrative support, such as finance and human resources.
- Recruit and retain skilled staff by offering flexibility and professional development.
- Join local, state, or national MCH networks to access resources and support.
- Build collaborative relationships with other nonprofits and intermediaries to ease administrative burden.
- Explore shared administrative services with trusted partners.
- Use project management and data tracking tools to improve efficiency.
- Upgrade systems for financial management, donor tracking, and communication.
- Leverage AI to improve efficiency in administrative and program functions.
CARE to share strategies that have worked for you to increase your organizational capacity?
Share Here!There are many resources to support organizational capacity building.
To find funding for capacity building, visit our find funding page.
For support on how to build partnerships, visit build partnerships.
For training on maternal and child health topics, visit MCH Navigator for a list of online courses and webinars.
Leadership & Governance Resources
- The Bridgespan Group: A Framework for Great Nonprofit Leadership
- National Council of Nonprofits: Good Governance Policies for Nonprofits
- Board Source: Nonprofit Board Resources
- Trainings to Improve MCH Leadership
- Building Community Partnership Governance Capacity: Strategies & Lessons from Best Start
Financial Health & Sustainability Resources
- National Council of Nonprofits: Financial Management
- Nonprofit Finance Fund: Fundamentals for Nonprofits
- National Council of Nonprofits: Strategic Planning
- The Bridgespan Group: Scenario Planning for Nonprofits
Staffing & Management Resources
- National Council of Nonprofits: Managing Nonprofit Employees
- Creative Approaches Nonprofit Workforce Shortage Crisis
- Nonprofit Leadership Center: Effective Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Nonprofit Talent
Operations Support Resources
- Explore whether and how to partner with Public Health Institute to create operational infrastructure for your health programs.
- If you're not yet a nonprofit, search for a fiscal sponsor.
- Consider outsourcing certain functions such as accounting, human resources, marketing, and IT.