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Receive a presentation on the Solano County Nonprofit Capacity Diagnostic Findings and recommendations from the report
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Published Notice Required? Yes_____ No__X__
Public Hearing Required? Yes_____ No __X__
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Departments of First 5 Solano and Health & Social Services (H&SS) recommend that the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation on the Solano County Nonprofit Capacity Diagnostic Findings and recommendations from the report.
SUMMARY:
First 5 Solano, in partnership with H&SS, has collaborated with Learning for Action to develop and conduct an assessment of Solano nonprofit capacity. The results of the assessment have been published in a report entitled “Solano County Nonprofit Capacity Diagnostic Findings.” This report includes recommendations for future actions in the area of Solano nonprofit capacity building.
The assessment results and recommendations from this report are being presented as an informational item to the Board of Supervisors.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with receiving this presentation. The costs associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by First 5 Solano’s FY2017/18 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
In discussions regarding quality capacity building support and training for Solano nonprofits, First 5 Solano and Solano County H&SS determined that there was a need for a comprehensive survey to obtain current information from local nonprofits to inform how to best serve the needs of Solano nonprofits in the area organizational capacity building.
A Bay Area consulting group, Learning for Action, published the “Point the Way Capacity Building Landscape Study” which was completed for the Chicago area. In reviewing this report, it was noted that through this study and analysis, specific recommendations came forward that were tailored to the needs of the nonprofits in the Chicago area, and a similar study for Solano would be informative to drive capacity building opportunities.
Through joint funding from First 5 Solano and H&SS, Learning for Action was hired to conduct an assessment of the capacity of Solano nonprofit partners; and to provide a tailored analysis and recommendations for future action. An in-depth diagnostic tool was developed and respondents were advised that the data collected would be used to inform a set of actionable recommendations to direct limited resources to appropriate capacity building support. Of the 103 human services nonprofits identified to receive the survey, 54 responded for a 52% response rate. The majority of the respondents were the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organization.
The results of the assessment included key findings and recommendations, and have been published in a report entitled “Solano County Nonprofit Capacity Diagnostic Findings.” Recommendations were developed for areas that match Solano nonprofit’s identified needs, have high leverage to influence other areas of organizational need, and are well-suited for change via capacity-building interventions, including capacity building efforts in the areas of:
• Vision and Impact Model - Clarity on Organizational Strategy
• Internal Evaluation and Learning - Developing Evaluation Frameworks and Cultivating Reflective Practices
• Board Governance and Leadership - Strengthening Boards and Developing New Board Members
A stakeholder group of nonprofit representatives, funders and county staff was convened on April 19, 2018 to review and discuss the findings for the report, and to provide input regarding recommendations for future capacity building systems change efforts. These recommendations will be presented to the First 5 Solano Commission on June 5th at their regularly scheduled meeting.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to receive the presentation. This is not recommended as the presentation provides important information on how continued work to build organizational capacity among Solano nonprofits will benefit the citizens in Solano County.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
First 5 Solano and H&SS collaborated on conducting the assessment and 54 nonprofit agencies provided input into the report.