FACT ~ Map ~ Ten Lessons

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MAP Lesson Learned

Lessons Learned from our Management Assistance Program

1. Grantee Should Initiate
2. Offer a Simple Application and Approval Process
3. Confidentiality is key
4. Choice is important
5. Flexibility is essential
6. Engage the Executive Director throughout
7. Employ a Whole Systems Approach
8. Link Consultant Work with Other Resources
9. Oversight is Needed
10. Evaluate at Two Levels

1. Grantee Should Initiate
Publicize the availability of organizational development resources, but recognize that doing internal work requires readiness and buy-in on the part of all stakeholders in the organization. Time and energy focused on organizational development will inevitably detract from programmatic attention. For a successful engagement, the right time for an organization to turn its energies inward should be dictated by the grantee based on its own lifecycle and readiness. Staff and other stakeholders must be able to factor time for organizational development work into their workplans and priorities.

2. Offer a Simple Application and Approval Process
Make it easy for grantees to seek assistance and be sure that the entire process is transparent at the outset. Before a group decides to apply for resources or consulting it should be given full information regarding how the process works and the parameters of the program.

3. Confidentiality is key
Ensure that the grantee is able to openly confront its difficult issues. Insulate the program officer responsible for general or programmatic support from knowledge of the specific details of the organizational development work. Be clear at the outset that the work of the grantee and consultant is confidential. The program officer can be advised of the general scope of work that is being undertaken, the state of progress and overall outcomes. At FACT we do this through a Lead Consultant who manages the details of the program, and reports back on the broad outlines of the workplan and progress to the Senior Program Officer.

4. Choice is important
Allow grantees a choice in selecting the consultant; involvement in the selection process empowers the grantee. Interviewing providers may offer the grantee different perspectives on the problem(s) it is confronting and possible solutions. For some, who donít have prior experience with outside providers, the process enables them to gain an understanding of what to look for and how to make an informed choice. At FACT, grantees choose from two consultants that the Lead Consultant thinks are a match and which are selected from an already vetted team that we believe are a fit for our program and grantees.

5. Flexibility is essential
Successful capacity building must be flexible to take into account ever-changing external and internal circumstances. Be open to necessary changes in pace, emphasis or scope that will ensure success given emerging external or internal conditions.

6. Engage the Executive Director throughout
Involve the Executive Director (ED) in a formal way throughout the process. EDs have many responsibilities. Depending on the nature and scope of work to be undertaken, it may be appropriate for the ED to delegate responsibility for aspects of the organizational development work. However, it is imperative for a successful outcome that the ED is regularly updated and approves all decisions and new directions.

7. Employ a Whole Systems Approach
Recognize that all aspects of an organization are part of one system. Changes in one area of an organization will have ripple effects in other departments. For instance, programmatic changes may need to be supported with changes to fundraising plans, to financial reporting or may require new or different types of administrative support. To effectively implement change, the implications and consequences for the whole organization must be considered and the entire organization must understand and buy-in to the new system or process.

8. Link Consultant Work with Other Resources
Undertaking organizational development work may require a variety of skill-sets. Consider whether a team with different kinds of expertise might best serve the range of organizational needs. For instance, changes to programmatic work and decision making structures developed with an OD specialist may need to be supported by new fundraising plans that may be developed with the support of a consultant with that expertise. Consider making small discretionary grants in combination with the OD assistance to support the overarching goals. For example, a small grant may enable a learning exchange with another grantee that has resolved a similar problem. Additionally, help the group leverage your investment through your relationships with colleagues in the philanthropic sector.

9. Oversight is Needed
Don’t assume that no news is good news. Throughout the process, check-in with both the grantee and the consultant. At FACT, our Lead Consultant ensures that the engagement is moving along at an appropriate pace, is serving the need(s) and is a positive experience. By utilizing a Lead Consultant in this manner, we maintain confidentiality between FACT’s programmatic and organizational development support for its grantees.

10. Evaluate at Two Levels
Clarify at the outset what the grantee and the consultant will be expected to report and the basis upon which the endeavor will be evaluated. At FACT, we try to keep the evaluation and reporting process easy. Share reporting forms and benchmarks at the start. The most useful evaluations are rooted in the grantees own goals. Remember that it is hard to directly attribute specific programmatic victories to a particular capacity building intervention. Be sure to also perform a comprehensive evaluation of your own program annually and make adjustments.