Nonprofit Community Begins Self-Assessment
LANSDALE, PA – The North Penn Community Health Foundation awarded a grant of $38,000 over one year to the Greater North Penn Collaborative for Health & Human Services to conduct an evaluation of the North Penn Nonprofit Academy. The Academy provides free professional development seminars to the area’s nonprofit leaders. Over 400 community nonprofit leaders participate in the Academy’s programs each year. Why is this so important? Because without effective leadership, management, the ability to effectively monitor, assess and respond to changes, and the capacity to utilize technology, nonprofit businesses cannot expect to achieve lasting success for themselves or the people they serve.
Today, Russell Johnson, president and CEO of the North Penn Community Health Foundation convened more than thirty-five nonprofit organizations from the North Penn area to begin the survey and evaluation process. TCC Group, a nationally recognized expert in the field of building and assessing nonprofit capacity, will be conducting the evaluation project. Peter York, TCC’s vice-president and director of evaluation provided initial background information about the survey and evaluation process to the nonprofit leaders at this morning’s session. Over the next year these local nonprofits will self-administer an evidence-based tool known as the core capacity assessment tool or CCAT to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. But York points out that the value of the tool does not stop there. Each nonprofit organization will receive a confidential report outlining in detail what they can do for themselves to enhance their organizational capacity. The report suggests areas for board leadership and staff to prioritize their efforts and resources and also provides suggested tools and resources these organizations can utilize. York and Johnson also noted another community value of this evaluation project - a report card describing the organizational capacity of our community’s nonprofits. This information will be presented to nonprofit leadership volunteers to solicit their feedback and refine suggested ideas for enhancing the value of the North Penn Nonprofit Academy. The Academy’s director, Diana Doherty, expressed her support for this project. “I am excited about the prospect of having another tool to assist me in designing the Academy’s curriculum” said Doherty.
The North Penn Nonprofit Academy is a signature program of the North Penn Community Health Foundation and is hosted by the Greater North Penn Collaborative for Health & Human Services. For more information about the Academy, please contact Diana Doherty at 215-696-9336 or contact the Foundation staff at 215-716-5400.
