'Capacity Building 3.0: How to Strengthen the Social Ecosystem'
The framework for nonprofit capacity building must evolve beyond individuals and nonprofits to include funders, the private sector, government, management support organizations, and networks, a report from TCC Group finds. The report, Capacity Building 3.0: How to Strengthen the Social Ecosystem (32 pages, PDF), argues that there needs to be a clearer distinction between capacity and the process of capacity building and that distinguishing between the "what" and "how" of capacity building is critical to advancing the field. Indeed, the definition of the "what" needs to broadened, the report argues, to include all stakeholders in the social ecosystem and must take into account their ability to respond to changes in that ecosystem, to build coalitions and networks, and to function as an actor within a movement. The report also highlights emerging practices in the "how" of the process, including leveraging cross-sector partnerships; addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and simultaneously focusing inwardly on an organization's capacity and outwardly on that of its stakeholder networks.
