what is capacity building?
“Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit…it strengthens a nonprofit’s ability...to have a positive impact on lives and communities.”
Capacity building helps organizations prepare for the future while keeping their current goals in mind. That means whatever you’re doing right now needs to establish the foundation for what you want to accomplish a few years from now. Maybe your fundraising is led by one volunteer board member today, but that doesn’t mean it always will. Perhaps you’ve grown your development team to ten people over the last two decades, but your infrastructure hasn’t grown with it. Capacity building can help you:
Create departmental processes to help you and your staff work more efficiently
Organize your database and understand how to use it to make good, data-driven decisions
Learn about your community of support and identify the best strategies to enhance your relationships
Find your organization’s voice and craft the right messages to fund your mission
“Solving our toughest problems may not be as simple as asking better questions, but it’s certainly the right way to start. This requires us to challenge our assumptions, see the problem through new lenses, and open ourselves to ideas and approaches that may be difficult at first.”
why choose waterman works?
I don’t like to do something just because it’s always been done that way or because other people are doing it. I want to do the right thing at the right time for your organization. Maybe you just bought a fancy new database, but if you don’t have the capabilities or know-how to use it, it’s probably not working for you. If you’ve always had a direct mail program, but your data shows it doesn’t pay for itself across the donor lifecycle, then you probably need to try a different acquisition strategy. There are always more efficient and cost-effective ways for you to operate your shop to better serve you and your mission. Let’s sit down and dive into your fundraising history, present, and future. Together, we’ll learn how you can work smarter, not harder, to help the communities you serve.
I’ll provide you with the analysis, organization, processes, and strategies you need to take your fundraising to the next level:
Fundraising operations procedures and project management
Database evaluation and organization
Annual giving and stewardship strategy
“Nichole has a serious skill and passion for aspects of fundraising that, unfortunately, often get overlooked. Without proper systems and processes in place, effective fundraising is just not possible.”