Agency Self Assessment Users Guide

Agency Self Assessment Users Guide

UNITED WAY OF ALLEGHENYCOUNTY

AGENCY SELF ASSESSMENT USERS’ GUIDE

Purpose

The agency capacity self assessment questionnaire was designed to assist Impact Cabinet volunteers in the evaluation of the overall health and performance of organizations seeking funds from the Impact Fund of the United Way of Allegheny County (UWAC). The questionnaire is one of several screens that will be used in the United Way’s new funding process.

All organizations seeking funds will be required to complete the questionnaire. At a point in the future, the organization may also receive a site visit to verify the information provided. Some of the organizations to be evaluated will be long-time United Way service providers. Others will be potential new partners who have requested funding to support services that align with United Way’s mission and funding priorities.

Methodology

The agency capacity assessment questionnaire is designed to be a comprehensive, easy to use, objective, and fair tool to determine an organization’s approach to responding to critical community needs, deployment of strategies and resources to impact them, and to show an integration and alignment of services with the mission of the organization.

The original Assessment Grid was developed for nonprofits to help their leaders, Board, and staff gauge where they are in their organizational lives and identify for themselves their capacity building needs. McKinsey & Company, the international consulting group, designed the basic template for this questionnaire in concert with Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP),Washington, D.C., a philanthropic investment organization that helps leaders/managers build strong, high-performing nonprofit organizations.

The United Way has chosen to use this assessment tool:

to identify those particular areas of an organization’s capacity that are the strongest and those that need improvement, and
to measure changes in an organization’s capacity over time

The McKinsey template has proven to be a useful tool for evaluation in that it not only gives standards for an acceptable organization, but also describes the characteristics of organizations that are outstanding or need improvement. These descriptors are useful to the individuals completing the form, because there is less ambiguity about what is observed. Individuals completing the form do not need to rely completely on individual judgment or past experiences to make evaluations. The original template has been redesigned and reorganized to meet the needs of the United Way of AlleghenyCounty’s allocation process.

As part of this review process, UWAC will be asking organizations to:

Define their Aspirations and Purpose (what is it they do and how do they do it?)
Demonstrate an ability to evaluate and modify their programs and services (are they doing what they say they do?), and
Demonstrate consistent measurement and communication of their impact (can they prove it?)

Using the capacity assessment framework, UWAC will focus on essential elements that have been identified as key indicators of a high performing organization. They include:

Leadership(Board and Organization): Vision, mission, culture, strategic planning and leadership development, organizational alignment and the decision making processes
Measurement: Setting and monitoring goals and performance targets, planning systems, and benchmarking
Results: Extent to which the organization consistently achieves its targeted outcomes (client goals, employee goals, quality/productivity goals, growth and financial goals)
Continuous Improvement: Evidence of continuous improvement of culture, programs, and processes

UWAC believes that the framework that has been developed will provide nonprofit managers and UWACwith a mutually beneficial, practical and useful way to understand and track an organization’s capacity and then,as appropriate,develop plans to improve.

Because the grid is not a scientific tool, the text under each score is not meant to be exact. The scores are meant to provide a general indication – a “temperature” taking of an organization’s capacity level in order to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. UWAC will also interpret the results in the context of the organization’s stage of development. For example, a score of “2” on Organizational Processes may be sufficient for a new organization, and in fact, many organizations may never get to level 4 on many elements.

Instructions

The Assessment Grid prompts agency staff or volunteers to score the organization on each of the key elements by selecting the text that best describes the organization’s current status or performance. The assessment is not meant to be one of pass/fail, but rather it provides a continuum to identify those particular areas of capacity that are strongest and those that need improvement.

The user should place a score from 1-4 in the box at the end of each category. It is recommended that a variety of leaders from the agency complete the form together and then submit one that represents a consensus of opinion. It has been shown that compilingdifferent responses to the grid among staff, Board members, and community members, for example, can be a valuable learning experience. Mark the box that is closest to describing the situation at hand; descriptions will rarely be perfect. Interpret the text loosely when necessary and keep in mind that you are trying to score your organization on the continuum of 1-4. You may select a step between two boxes (e.g. 2.5), if this seems most accurate. If the row is not relevant to your organization, designate the row “N/A”; if you simply have no knowledge, mark the row “N/K.”

Again, the grid is not a scientific tool and should not and will not be used as one. The scores are meant to provide a general indication of an organization’s capacity level, in order to identify an agency's capacity to deliver the proposed program over several years, as well as expand on that program to meet future community needs. As an outcome of the assessment, United Way fully anticipates identifying potential areas for improvement in each organization. The results of this exercise will be interpreted in the context of the organizations stage of development. A score of “2” may be appropriate for new organizations. In fact, many organizations may never get to level 4 on all elements.

And finally, this tool is meant to be a starting point. We hope that over time, the agency review process will prove to be a valid and reliable measure of an organization’s evolution to achieving higher performance.

Agency Self Assessment