Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations is a pastiche of "papers" on the subject of capacity building for nonprofits. (I use the term "papers" because the chapters were written in the format of academic papers for the purposes of a conference in 2002, and it appears that no attempt was made to rewrite them.) It defines capacity building, discusses why there is a need for it, outlines its role in the development of nonprofits, and gives guidelines to grantmakers on how and why to fund it. Both of the editors are on the staff of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute. Ms. De Vita is a Senior Research Associate and Ms. Fleming is the Center's Administrator.

The first paper discusses the relationship of nonprofits to the larger community, explains why they play a vital role, and essentially states that although they are mission-driven —— not profit-driven —— they still need to function effectively. It then outlines some basic steps for nonprofits to follow in order to begin successful capacity building.

The second paper is addressed primarily to grantmakers, and describes the various types of capacity building that they can fund. It also discusses building a database of "good practices" in capacity building that can be used as a resource by grantmakers. There is a focus here on evaluation, i.e. ensuring the effectiveness of the capacity building that was done, which can then place the specific interchange on a continuum of good practices. Some specific good practices are also listed here.

The final paper discusses next steps, and mentions the role of technology in capacity building.

Overall, the book is well organized, with fine charts and graphics, and easy-to-read typefaces. Each section has a bibliography, and a lot of the material quoted is reasonably up to date. Some of the research studies quoted, however, are quite old; for example the data from the Foundation Center was from 1997. Also, there is no index, which makes it difficult to find what one is looking for.

Capacity building is a hot topic, and there have been a number of articles and monographs on this subject recently. It's a timely book, as nonprofits strive to be more effective, particularly in view of the cutbacks in government funding. Foundations, too, are eager to spend wisely, hence the focus on good practices.

Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations is a helpful primer on the subject, for both grantmakers and grantseekers.

For additional reading on this topic, refer to Literature of the Nonprofit Sector Online, using the subject term "Nonprofit organizations-management."