SCOPE Capacity Building Pilot Project

Background to SCOPE

In 2005, The Tindall Foundation funded a two-year SCOPE (Strengthening Community Organisations Project) pilot project in the Auckland area. SCOPE aimed to build capacity in a particular sub-set of the not-for-profit sector by providing funding for small community organisations to be assisted by experienced sector-savvy consultants - at no cost to the community groups.

The Tindall Foundation looked closely at a wide range of New Zealand and overseas capacity building models, and consulted extensively within the sector prior to and during the pilot. The SCOPE project was primarily based on a successful overseas model - the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Capacity Building Grants programme. It also took into account models used by Social Services Waikato (now Community Waikato) and North Shore Community and Social Services, who both specialise in community organisation capacity building.

SCOPE sought to achieve the following three primary objectives, with potential for both short and long-term impact on non-profit organisational capacity in New Zealand

Pilot and independently evaluate a particular capacity building grants model for small not-for-profit organisations and other New Zealand non-profit funders, including Government.
Strengthen non-profit support providers currently committed to and working in the sector by providing funds for organisations to access their services and by helping them to sustain and enhance their work in the sector.
Strengthen the capacity of all participating non-profit organisations.

How SCOPE worked

The pilot provided funds for a set limit of 50 Auckland-based small to medium-sized non-profit organisations to undertake an organisational review. 40 of those organisations could go on to take up further capacity building support in specific areas.

A total of 52 applications were received for SCOPE organisational reviews. Three of the 52 applications were either withdrawn or not eligible, leaving 49 who undertook reviews. 38 applications were received for the second stage of up to 9 capacity building days.

The Tindall Foundation appointed a team of not-for-profit sector consultants to participate in a two-stage process with approved organisations. North Shore Community and Social Services Inc was contracted to be the Project Manager.

Download Consultant biographies (PDF files)

SCOPE consultants changed their titles to Reviewers and Advisors to better define their roles. Reviewers/Advisors worked with approved organisations in a two-stage process:

One of two Reviewers worked first with organisations on a two-day Organisational Review to identify prioritised areas where they would benefit from short-term, specific assistance from Advisors with wide experience in the non-profit sector, or specialised knowledge of particular areas (e.g. finance, law).

Organisations could then apply to The Tindall Foundation for a Capacity Building Grant to engage selected Advisors for up to nine days to help implement the parts of the Review they want outside help with. Capacity building 'days' were usually taken up over a period of months.

Organisations identified a need for capacity building in a number of topic areas, including: strategic and business planning, financial management, IT evaluation and support, governance, financial systems, income generation, staff development, marketing and communications.

All organisations had completed their capacity-building assistance by December 2007.

Budget and costs

The total cost to The Tindall Foundation of the whole SCOPE pilot was $565,619. This included costs for initial investigation, project management and independent evaluation, in addition to expenses incurred during the capacity building process with organisations.

Based on these figures, the estimate cost of capacity building assistance was $10,000 per organisation.

Reviewers and Advisors were paid $100 per hour or $750 per day (assuming an 8-hour day). Limited expenses were budgeted to cover accommodation and travel, plus administrative expenses such as photocopying, training materials etc as required. Reviewers/Advisors were paid $300 per Five Good Ideas session, based on a total of 3 hours work (2 hours facilitation, 1 hour preparation and a write-up of ideas from session).

As invoices were finalised in January 2008, the pilot project formally closed in February 2008.

Evaluation reports

Throughout the project, a researcher assessed the development of the project, the Advisor network and the impact of the capacity building process on organisations. The research reports produced were intended to provide an independent assessment of this capacity building model for The Tindall Foundation.

The final evaluation report clearly shows the successes of the pilot, in particular the benefits to small groups who were struggling before SCOPE. The groups surveyed achieved a better sense of their organisation's direction and goals, and it helped them to "get on track". The capacity building approach encouraged the groups' commitment to their own upskilling, by providing short-term solutions that gave them confidence to drive their own development.

The pilot was independently evaluated from July 2005. The evaluation was completed in December 2007.

Download Summary of the final evaluation report (85 KB Word doc)

The long-term outcomes evaluation report was published in June 2009. A majority of the organisations surveyed believed that SCOPE support had contributed to improved services to their clients and communities. For many, SCOPE was a turning point in their organisation's sustainability.

The survey data demonstrate a high level of gain (average 4.24 on a scale with a top score of 5) from the organisations that responded, on improvements in:

management and governance
improved internal relationships
ability of the organisations to identify and address problems
improved systems; clarity of purpose and direction
ability to deliver a service based on the organisation's intended purpose.

In addition, respondents reported high levels of maintenance of gains over time from SCOPE support.

The features of SCOPE that were most valuable to respondents were:

Tailored intervention to the individual organisation
Capacity-building approach
Whole-of-organisation participation
A good 'fit' between the advisor/s and the organisation
Focus on planning and problem-solving processes
Mentoring
Becoming linked into not-for-profit sector networks

Download SCOPE long-term outcomes evaluation (360 KB Word doc)

Pilot Development Working Group and Legacy Document

It was strongly recommended in the independent evaluation to form a multi-stakeholder 'pilot development reference group' to further develop SCOPE as a pilot.

The SCOPE Working Group was convened in January 2007. The group had two representatives from SCOPE Project Management, two Advisors, one Reviewer, two members of participating groups, one Tindall Foundation staff member and one staff member from another funding organisation.

The Working Group members decided to write a 'legacy document', based on their responses to suggested changes from the evaluation and their own experiences on the pilot. The completed document is a collection of individual perspectives on SCOPE systems and processes, which also offers some suggestions for 'best practice' on a capacity building pilot.

Download Reflections on Delivering Capacity Building to Not-for-Profit Groups (441 KB Word doc)

Five Good Ideas workshops

The Tindall Foundation provided funds for North Shore Community Social Services to coordinate workshops, which were presented by SCOPE Reviewers and Advisors, alongside the pilot capacity building programme.

Five Good Ideas workshops, aimed at small and mid-sized not-for-profit organisations, were adapted for New Zealand participants from a model by the Canadian Maytree Foundation.

The Five Good Ideas concept was devised in recognition of the unique challenges facing not-for-profit organisations. Sector 'experts' present five practical ideas, followed by discussion amongst participants on how these ideas can be translated into action.

Over the span of the SCOPE pilot, 23 Five Good Ideas sessions were held in Auckland, attended by 507 people from not-for-profit organisations. These sessions ran for two hours with lunch included. They were well-received by the participants for being relevant to their organisations and cost effective. The presenters, who were chosen for their expertise on particular topics, focused on good ideas that could be implemented immediately.

Future directions

The Tindall Foundation has now completed a test-driven, successful capacity building project. We are sharing what we have learned about SCOPE on this website, and welcome conversations with other funders interested in not-for-profit sector capacity building.

The Tindall Foundation is supporting a new capacity building programme in the Auckland and Northland areas, based on the SCOPE pilot model.

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