Evaluating the Capacity of Faith-Based Programs in Colorado

Abstract

Organizational capacity refers to the ability of nonprofit organizations to fulfill their missions in an effective manner. Through the JVA Consulting Colorado Compassion Initiative, a comprehensive, capacity-building program was developed and provided for faith- and community-based organizations. This study examined faith-based organizations' capacity gains after participating in a targeted capacity-building intervention. A comprehensive tool to assess organizations' levels of capacity was developed specifically for the study. Members of 44 faith-based and 46 community-based organizations across Colorado were interviewed and assessed using the new instrument at baseline and 15-month follow-up. The study demonstrated that targeted technical assistance predicted improvements in organizational capacity. Faith-based organizations showed significant improvements in almost all areas of capacity. In addition, comparisons between faith- and community-based organizations showed few differences in capacity gains.