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Global Social Change Philanthropy - Building Organizational
Capacity
What do we mean by capacity building, and why is it important
to social change philanthropy?
Capacity building is:
"a process of developing and strengthening
skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that nonprofits
and communities need to survive, adapt and thrive in a fast-changing
world."(1)
“an approach to development, not something
separate from it. It is a response to the multi dimensional processes
of change, not a set of discrete or pre-packaged technical interventions
intended to bring about a pre-defined outcome. In supporting organizations
working for social justice, it is also necessary to support the
various capacities they require to do this: intellectual, organizational,
social, political, cultural, material, practical, or financial."(2)
an activity that enhances the ability of people
to take control of their lives and create the formal and informal
structures and institutions that ensure dignity, democracy and
justice.
Gw/oB believes that people at the grassroots make change.
Capacity building puts that theory into practice. Here are some
examples of how it can be done:
International
Development Exchange, IDEX
Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), India
Mine workers in India are covered under the Mines Act 1952, which
purportedly regulates the working conditions in mines by providing
for safety measures and certain amenities for workers. To ensure
that the provisions of the Act are implemented, IDEX supports
GRAVIS to build the capacity of the mineworkers union to: understand
the provisions of the Act, provide legal aid, file petitions in
the court against mine owners who are in violation, and establish
a family compensation fund for people killed or handicapped while
working in the mines. Awareness campaigns are organized each month
to focus on rights of mineworkers, violation of mine laws, community
issues, health hazards and the role of the union. IDEX has helped
GRAVIS set up the Health Environment and Development Consortium,
the advocacy center, to help with research work, train union members,
file petitions and publish newsletters and articles. IDEX also
helps GRAVIS expand its networking and national/international
outreach to help Rajasthan's miners reach other miners and supporters
around the world. This includes promoting the website about mine
workers,http://www.mineworker.org/,
their concerns and successes; expanding its newsletter; and networking
with NGOs and doctors in other countries to broaden GRAVIS message
and obtain new information about miners' health and safety. For
more on GRAVIS and its work, please visit http://www.gravis.org.in/
and http://www.hedcon.org/.
Strengthening Micro-Credit Programs in Latin America
In February 2000, our partners from Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala
and Nicaragua) gathered for the first time in Guatemala to discuss
our work and develop joint action proposals. Because all of the
partners operate revolving (micro-credit) funds, we agreed to
share information about their respective funds, what has worked
and what hasn't, in an effort to learn from each other’s
experiences and to work together to improve our efforts. We also
agreed to launch an electronic mail list serve to facilitate communication
and to share information about free trade policies and their impact
in the region. IDEX funded an exchange between our partners in
Chiapas (DESMI) and our partners in Guatemala City (ISMU) so that
each could learn from the experiences of the other's revolving
(micro-credit) fund. Three women from ISMU traveled to Chiapas
in July 2000 to meet with DESMI project coordinators and women
borrowers. In addition to learning about the management of the
revolving fund, ISMU was impressed by the women’s attempts
to develop preventative health programs in their communities,
an area ISMU has expertise in. As a result, ISMU has invited three
women from Chiapas to Guatemala to receive training from its members
in preventative health care and health promotion.
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Lambi
Fund of Haiti
Training is a fundamental component of the Lambi
Fund of Haiti's strategy to help grassroots organizations build
capacity. Because Lambi grants generally seed or improve an existing
project, we expect the projects to become self-sustaining after
a few years. This requires considerable training of folks who
have a tremendous amount of indigenous wisdom but due to illiteracy,
often lack the technical and management skills to effectively
manage a large project.
Every Lambi-funded project includes technical and management
training. Beyond these seminars, however, Lambi also
organizes regional training conferences to bring together members
from grassroots groups whose projects we fund, to exchange ideas
among themselves, build solidarity and increase their knowledge.
In 2002, we organized and funded five such conferences, on topics
such as animal husbandry, micro-credit project management, and
organizational capacity building.
Because Lambi believes capacity building can be more effective
when similar groups have opportunities to share lessons learned,
regional training conferences among peasant leaders is
a priority. These meetings bring together members from different
grassroots groups to focus on topics relating to their community
work.
Some gatherings focus on technical aspects of the development
projects. One such conference assembled people involved in Lambi-funded
pig husbandry projects, to learn more about animal nutrition,
breeding practices and veterinary care. Other conferences center
on organizational practices and leadership development. Topics
include how to animate a group, how to run effective, democratic
meetings, and how to ensure that information circulates among
members (and in rural Haiti, this means without the use of telephones
or a postal system!).
Lambi has organized many conferences specifically for
women, to discuss the particular challenges women face.
For example, when in a co-ed group, women have to work to ensure
that the male members really trust them and value their participation.
By meeting together, women share strategies and encourage one
another.
How these conferences are run reflects their aim. By using popular
education methods -- educational games, songs, role playing
and small group discussions -- the training shows that everyone's
participation is valued. This is democracy in action, the cornerstone
of the Lambi Fund's mission. Participants then carry these methods
and ideas back to their organizations.
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ArtCorps®
ArtCorps was created by New
England Biolabs Foundation (NEBF) to build the capacity of
local NGOs by getting their message communicated more sustainably
and successfully. During site visits, NEBF came to realize that
communicating messages – i.e., social marketing
– is a challenge confronting even those grant recipients
with good ideas and financial resources. Too often, communities
are called into a room and told about a project, then handed seeds
or medicine and sent on their way. But as one expert notes: “numerous
studies show that behavior change rarely occurs as a result of
simply providing information…. Behavior change is most effectively
achieved through initiatives delivered at the community level
which focus on removing barriers to an activity while simultaneously
enhancing the activities’ benefits.”
ArtCorps sends volunteer artists to Central America to work for
9 months with local groups to foster social awareness through
community art. One successful project has been with Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS) in Uaxactún, Guatemala, in the heart of the
Mundo Maya. WCS Uaxactún’s efforts to address poverty
and biodiversity loss were recognized when they were selected
as one of 27 finalists for the United Nations Development Programme’s
Equator Initiative in 2002. The director wrote of one artist:
“By wedding our message, conservation, to the medium of
art, Natascha has motivated the leaders of tomorrow
(the children), while improving today for all the village’s
inhabitants. Natascha’s eye-catching graphics have gotten
our message out much better than the spoken word or printed
paper. WCS is also indebted to ArtCorps for the appreciation we
have received from the village adults, for supporting their youth,
and for providing healthy and stimulating activities that expand
the children’s horizons.”
Selected Resources for Capacity Building:
“What
is Capacity Development?”
Webpage on Capacity.Org,
a portal to the issues, debates and organizations developing the
theory and practice of capacity building.
Resource
Mobilisation - when will donors wake up?
Rob Wells, Director of Catalyst Works, advocates for funds for
capacity building in fundraising and challenges donors to include
funding support for NGO resource mobilisation in their funding
criteria.
Grantmakers
for Effective Organizations offers numerous resources on evaluation
of capacity building efforts, including reports, conference handouts
and presentations, free publications, and links to other sites.
GEO’s member survey gathered data on the organizational
effectiveness and capacity-building efforts of its members and
results are available on its website.
Forefront,
a global network of human rights defenders, promotes and protects
a culture of human rights observance by strengthening human rights
organizations worldwide. It publishes a Handbook
series that provides guidance on capacity building and strengthening
organizations.
“When
Capacity Grants Flatline,” article from Foundation News
& Commentary
Global
Philanthropy and Foundation Building Program at Synergos
Institute
(1) The Nonprofit Quarterly, Winter
1999)
(2) Eade, D. 1997. "What is Capacity-Building?"
in Capacity-Building, An Approach to People-Centered Development,
pp. 23-49. Oxford: Oxfam Publications.
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Global Social Change Philanthropy - Development
at the Grassroots -
Resources - Advocacy
Grantmakers Without Borders PO Box 181282
Boston, MA 02118
Phone 617.794.2253 Fax 617.266.0497
Copyright © 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
For more information contact us at GwoB@gwob.net
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