C06 Session: Assessments

Assessments: A Powerful Change Strategy, a Delicate Role Balance

Thursday, August 3, 9:00am - 10:30am

Track:  Capacity Building Models and Strategies

Presenters

Carol Lukas and Sandy Jacobsen, Fieldstone Alliance

Description

Capacity building assessments are a powerful change strategy for nonprofits and collaboratives, but they require careful design and a delicate balance in the relationship between the funder, capacity builder, and nonprofit.

Fieldstone Alliance has extensive practical experience assisting grantmakers, consultants, nonprofits, networks, and collaboratives in the design and implementation of assessments. Carol Lukas and Sandy Jacobsen co-authored the opening chapter of A Funder's Guide to Organizational Assessment (published by GEO and Fieldstone Alliance), which describes the principles, processes, and tools used by grantmakers around the country.  The presenters will highlight the five most common assessment goals, scan the typical strategies and design choices grantmakers and consultants use to accomplish them, and understand the need for careful attention to roles and relationships.

There are pitfalls to avoid around purpose, power, privacy, and price. These will be discussed in relation to the critical role relationships between funders, providers, and nonprofits in assessments processes.

Presenters will also share lessons learned – successes and stumbles – from Fieldstone Alliance's assessment work with large national organizations, small local nonprofits, collaboratives and networks, and a variety of funders.

About the Presenters

Sandy Jacobsen, Fieldstone Alliance

Sandy Jacobsen, Managing Consultant, has over 25 years experience in leadership development, capacity building and organizational transitions in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She is able to apply her extensive practical experience to almost any challenge leaders and their organizations face. Sandy was a senior manager in the financial services industry, working with corporate, nonprofit, and government clients throughout the United States. Sandy served as president of two banks, launched the community development department for a $70 billion financial institution serving eleven states, was the interim executive director of a nonprofit, and has served on several nonprofit boards. She specializes in network capacity building initiatives, organizational assessments, knowledge-sharing and leadership development, and trains on "Coping with Cutbacks and Collaboration." She has degrees in economics and psychology.

Carol Lukas, Fieldstone Alliance

Carol Lukas, President of Fieldstone Alliance, has served as executive director of nonprofit organizations, a trustee of a community foundation, a consultant within a Fortune 500 company, and a small business owner. She has over 30 years of consulting and training experience with nonprofits, government, foundations, businesses, and collaboratives. Carol focuses on building the capacity of national networks and organizations; strengthening connections between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors as they address urban issues; and helping organizations and collaboratives plan and manage change in strategic direction and organization structure and capacity. Carol is author of "Consulting with Nonprofits - A Practitioner's Guide," and co-author of "Strengthening Nonprofit Performance - A Funder's Guide to Capacity Building," "Conducting Community Forums – Engaging Citizens, Mobilizing Communities," and contributing author of "A Funder's Guide to Organizational Assessment."