Capacity building: strengthening organisations

Oak Foundation
11 Sept 201908:36

Summary

TLDRAdrionna Christian, leading organizational development at the Oak Foundation, emphasizes the importance of capacity-building for civil society organizations. With a background in environmental activism, she highlights the foundation's commitment to tailored support beyond financial grants. The foundation's approach encompasses three levels of assistance: compliance support for survival, targeted responses to specific challenges, and comprehensive organizational development for transformative change. In 2013, 60% of grants included capacity-building components, reflecting its critical role in achieving social justice goals. Christian encourages grantees to engage with program officers for further support in their development journeys.

Takeaways

  • πŸ˜€ Adrionna Christian leads organizational development at the Oak Foundation and has a background in bridge engineering and environmental activism.
  • 🌍 Christian's career began in Romania during the civil society growth following political changes in the 1990s, sparking her interest in capacity building.
  • πŸ“ˆ The Oak Foundation focuses on organizational strengthening in response to challenges faced by civil society organizations, as revealed by a grantee perception survey in 2011.
  • πŸ” The foundation's capacity-building approach is grantee-led, emphasizing the importance of tailoring support to meet the specific needs of partners.
  • βš–οΈ Support is categorized into foundational, direct response, organizational development, and field-building levels, each addressing different organizational needs.
  • πŸ’Ό Foundational support helps organizations comply with financial and regulatory requirements necessary for their survival.
  • 🀝 Direct response support tackles specific challenges like leadership, funding, and program design faced by organizations in their daily operations.
  • πŸ”„ Organizational development support is for groups undergoing significant changes, such as leadership transitions or shifts in focus, requiring comprehensive assistance.
  • πŸ’° The Oak Foundation offers various grants, including programmatic, core support, dedicated capacity-building grants, and grants to intermediary organizations.
  • πŸ“Š In 2013, 60% of the foundation's grants included capacity-building components, underscoring the importance of this work in achieving social justice goals.

Q & A

  • What is Adrionna Christian's role at the Oak Foundation?

    -Adrionna Christian leads the organizational development work at the Oak Foundation.

  • What was Adrionna's professional background before joining the Oak Foundation?

    -Before joining the Oak Foundation, Adrionna had a degree in bridge engineering and started her career as an environmental activist in Romania in the early 1990s.

  • What motivated Adrionna to pursue a career in capacity-building and organizational strengthening?

    -Adrionna became interested in capacity-building and organizational strengthening after observing that many civil society organizations were struggling despite receiving funding.

  • What was the outcome of the grantee perception survey conducted in 2011?

    -The survey revealed that grantees appreciated the funding they received but also desired additional support beyond just grant-making, leading to a focus on capacity development.

  • What are some common challenges faced by partner organizations mentioned in the presentation?

    -Common challenges include issues related to funding, leadership, communication, and operating in restrictive environments.

  • How does the Oak Foundation approach capacity-building?

    -The Oak Foundation tailors its capacity-building support to the specific needs of grantees, emphasizing that this work should be led and owned by the grantees themselves.

  • What are the three levels of support provided by the Oak Foundation?

    -The three levels of support are: 1) Foundational Level (compliance with regulations), 2) Direct Response Level (addressing specific organizational challenges), and 3) Organizational Development Level (supporting organizations undergoing significant changes).

  • What types of grants does the Oak Foundation offer for capacity development?

    -The Oak Foundation provides programmatic grants, core support grants, dedicated capacity-building grants, and grants to intermediary organizations.

  • What percentage of the Oak Foundation's grants included a capacity-building component in 2013?

    -In 2013, 60% of the Oak Foundation's grants included a capacity-building component, totaling approximately $23.5 million.

  • How can grantees seek capacity development support from the Oak Foundation?

    -Grantees can seek capacity development support by contacting their Program Officer or Adrionna Christian directly, or by visiting the Oak Foundation's website for more information.

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Related Tags
Oak FoundationCapacity BuildingCivil SocietyOrganizational DevelopmentGrant MakingLeadership SupportCompliance IssuesSocial JusticeEnvironmental ActivismRomania