Organizational Capacity Measurement Tool
Organizational capacity is at the center of how well nonprofit organizations can fulfill their missions in an effective manner. The Mass Cultural Council Organizational Capacity Measurement Tool (PDF) can be used independently by organizations to help measure their capacities, or used in conjunction with an external facilitator. If you are a Mass Cultural Council CIP organization, it is recommend that you utilize the Massachusetts Cultural Data Project’s free Data and Trend analysis tools, as well as the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s Financial Health Analysis (balance sheet required), prior to completing this Tool to better understand your financial position and trends.
This Tool measures organizational capacity in four clusters:
Leadership: the capacity of organizational leaders to inspire, prioritize, make decisions, provide direction, and innovate
Adaptive: the capacity of the organization to monitor, assess, and respond to internal and external change
Management: the capacity of the organization to ensure the effective and efficient use of organizational resources
Operational: the capacity of the organization to implement key organizational and programmatic functions
How this Tool can benefit your organization:
- For larger organizations, the regular distribution of this evaluation to key staff, board members and volunteers is a springboard for internal communication about problem areas, or to identify places where you’re doing a good job.
- For organizations with limited staffing, this tool provides a good way to identify the skills needed as you focus on board development and recruitment.
- For younger organizations, this tool can help forecast future staffing, technology or development needs.
- For organizations in leadership or other transition, this tool may help clarify areas of needed growth and attention before a search begins.
