Organisational Capacity Assessment

This free online course is designed for civil society organisations and organisational capacity assessment (OCA) facilitators. Undertaking an organisational capacity assessment is one way to strengthen organisational effectiveness, identify capacity development priorities, and support continuous improvement.

The course provides practical guidance on designing an organisational capacity assessment tool, preparing and facilitating participatory assessment workshops, analysing assessment findings, and developing organisational strengthening plans. Participants will explore approaches that help organisations assess their current capacities, identify areas for growth, and translate assessment findings into meaningful organisational development actions.

The course can be completed as a standalone online learning experience or used to support facilitated organisational capacity assessment processes within civil society organisations.

The course is available in English, Portuguese and Russian. The duration of the course is 4.5 hours.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

LO1 Explain the purpose and key concepts of organisational capacity assessment

LO2 Describe the process of designing and adapting an organisational capacity assessment tool

LO3 Explain how to prepare for and facilitate participatory organisational capacity assessment workshops

LO4 Describe the role of facilitation guides and structured workshop processes in supporting effective assessments

LO5 Explain approaches for analysing and interpreting organisational capacity assessment results

LO6 Describe how assessment findings can be translated into organisational strengthening priorities

LO7 Explain how to develop and implement an organisational strengthening plan based on assessment results

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Design or adapt organisational capacity assessment tools appropriate to their context
• Plan and facilitate organisational capacity assessment workshops with diverse stakeholders
• Use participatory approaches to generate meaningful organisational reflection and discussion
• Analyse organisational capacity assessment data and identify priority development areas
• Develop organisational strengthening plans that are realistic, actionable, and evidence-based
• Support leadership teams and stakeholders in using assessment findings to guide organisational development
• Contribute to continuous learning and organisational improvement processes

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