Orientation

1.
Welcome and Introductions
2.
Overview of First things First Capacity Building
Initiative and the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
3.
Defining Organizational Effectiveness: the Four Core
Capacity Model
4.
Overview of the CCAT as a Measure of Organizational
Effectiveness
5.
Taking the CCAT: Step-by-Step Instructions
6.
Next Steps
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What excites you the most about the work of your organization?

1.
The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits granted award through FTF to provide targeted capacity building services & technical assistance to early childhood providers across the state.
1.
Grounded in the premise that an organization’s ability to successfully win grant awards is in direct proportion to its effectiveness.
Grant monies received from one funder increases the probability of receiving grant awards from another, thereby further increasing capacity.
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3.
Participating organizations are paired with a capacity building consultant free of charge .
4.
Organizations commit to completing the the CCAT (Core
Capacity Assessment Tool-an organizational assessment survey), prioritize action steps , and identify ongoing support needed.
5.
Erin will provide report, help identify priorities, and lead team through action planning and technical assistance.
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How does it impact your work?
Strengthening the organizational platform which supports your
Mission and Programs
M
I
S
S
I
O
N
PROGRAMS
Copyright © 2001 Susan Kenny Stevens. Adapted from
Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity . All rights reserved.
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The ability of all organizational leaders to create & sustain the vision, inspire, model, prioritize, make decisions, provide direction, & innovate, all in an effort to achieve the organizational mission.
The ability of a nonprofit organization to monitor, assess, respond to and create internal and external changes.
The ability of a nonprofit organization to ensure the effective and efficient use of organizational resources.
The ability of a nonprofit organization to implement all of the key organizational and programmatic functions.
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Leading, managing, learning about, adapting and resourcing…
Impact
Expansion
…the efforts to create mission- and visioncentered community change that the core programs cannot accomplish on their own
Infrastructure
Development
…an organization’s operations and infrastructure to take the core programs to scale
Core Program Development
…an organization’s core programs
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Mission Impact
Renew
This model is adapted from Susan K. Stevens’ Nonprofit Lifecycles: Staged-Based Wisdom for
Nonprofit Capacity (Stagewise Enterprises, 2002.)
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• An organizational assessment tool that provides info on:
• Overall organizational effectiveness based on four core capacities and sub-capacities
• Lifecycle stage
• Organizational culture
• A starting point of a capacity building plan and strategic planning
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• The CCAT is not a report card – it is an organizational learning tool.
•
The CCAT is a comprehensive framework for facilitating discussion and brainstorming about effectiveness.
• The CCAT is one of many organizational development tools that look at the deeper processes and functions of an organization.
• The CCAT is a leadership tool.
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• Taken online, independently, anonymously by senior leaders:
• Executive Staff
• Management staff
•
Board members
• Senior volunteers (sometimes)
• 180 º assessment
• Aggregated results
• Special background section completed by an “Organizational Lead,” asking for historical/financial/operational data.
• All responses are anonymous and confidential.
• CCAT data is NOT shared with the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits or First
Things First
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• Budget and background section (completed by
Organizational Lead)
•
146 items (takes about 30-45 minutes to complete)
• Same scale for all (strongly disagree to strongly agree)
• Items are action/behavioral statements
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If no one ever gets evaluated, answer “strongly disagree.” If everyone gets e valuated every year, answer answer “strongly agree.”
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Term in CCAT Survey
Constituents/Clients
Organizational Leaders
Managers
Definition of Term for Organization
Students/families enrolled in programs run by your organization
Executive Director and Board
Executive Director and Program
Director
Organizational Leaders and Managers Executive Director, Board, and
Program Director
Questions 107, 108 Organizational
Leaders (Executive Director, CEO,
COO, etc.)
Executive Director and Board if, for example, organization does not have a COO
Please remember to skip any questions you do not know the answer to. Also, skip any questions that specifically ask about board or volunteers. Please do not hesitate to contact Erin Collier (520-481-3517) if you have any questions. Also please feel free to visit the Resources page of Collier & Company (collierandcoconsulting.com) to access the CCAT
Respondents User Guide and the Organizational Lead User Guide . You can also access a copy of the CCAT Orientation
Power Point here. Thanks!
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• Question #1: We would have to close our doors if two key funders stopped giving us money. ( We = Your
Organization)
• Question #2 : Our organization’s constituents/clients are actively recruited to provide input and feedback on how the organization should run. (Your constituents/clients are ___? This question is asking your opinion about your organization’s practices/behaviors regarding soliciting input from this group about how the organization should be run.)
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• Question #7: Organizational leaders are willing to make major changes if what they are currently doing is not working. (Our organizational leaders are ____? This questions is asking your opinion about the willingness of _____ to make major changes if what they are doing is not working.
• Questions #15: Organizational leaders and managers are always open to negative feedback from staff.
( Organizational leaders and managers are defined as ___ and ___. This questions is asking your opinion about the openness of ___ and ___ to negative feedback from staff.)
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• Question #91: Managers understand that individuals have different learning styles and learning needs.
( Managers is defined as ___. This question is asking your opinion about how ___ understands that individuals have different learning styles and learning needs.
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• PDF file that may be downloaded
• Overview of the tool – how to read the report
• Results:
• Lifecycle placement
• Core capacity scores, with strengths and challenges
• Sub-capacity scores, with recommendations
• Prioritized Capacity-Building Plan
• The theory behind the tool
• Option for comparisons
See a sample report at www.tccccat.com.
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3 Steps

• Log in and enter respondents
• Invite respondents (5-10) using TCC system
 Key Executive Staff
 Key Management Staff
 Board Members (1-3)
 Sr. Volunteers (sometimes)
Note: 1) unique usernames and passwords and 2) emails sometimes caught in spam filters
• Print, collect, and enter background questions
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Tips for taking the survey:
• If you experience problems, try closing your internet browser, reopening it, and logging in again
•
Takes approximately 30-45 minutes
• Skip questions if you do not know the answer, or it is not relevant to your organization
• Note: your organization is not penalized for any questions skipped by representative respondents
• When survey items/questions contain the word “volunteers,” it is NOT referring to board members.
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Make sure everyone finishes the assessment:
• Within one week, incomplete respondents receive an automatic reminder
•
Login to check the number of responses and send individual reminders
After everyone takes it:
• Organizational Lead receives an email with instructions for downloading the PDF report and sends PDF to Erin to summarize.
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CCAT Predictor Survey from Erin to CCAT respondents
• 4 questions, 10 minutes
• Gives us an idea about what YOU think will be results of
CCAT
Interpretation Meeting with CCAT respondents
• Compare CCAT Predictor Survey results with actual CCAT results
• Begin developing Capacity Building Action Plan
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1.
CCAT is not a report card – it is an organizational learning tool
2.
CCAT is a comprehensive framework for facilitating discussion and brainstorming about effectiveness
3.
CCAT is not the be all and end all of organizational assessment – it is one tool serving a much deeper process
4.
CCAT is a leadership tool
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 CCAT Orientation PowerPoint
 CCAT Respondents User Guide
 CCAT Organizational Leads User Guide
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