INTRODUCTION
The BEST Project is a strategic initiative developed by the Flint Funders Collaborative (FFC) to build the adaptive capacity of nonprofits in Flint and Genesee County. The project’s initial success has attracted inquiries from philanthropies and nonprofits across the state of Michigan and the nation. In response, BEST has presented sessions at conferences sponsored by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management (Chicago, 2005; Los Angeles, 2006), and the Council of Michigan Foundations (Traverse City, 2005).
In an effort to meet the demand for dissemination of formal and informal lessons learned about BEST to communities outside Genesee County, the FFC has commissioned this report to give readers an overview of the BEST Project. This report includes its history and the processes used to design, fund and manage this capacitybuilding initiative. Although there are no plans to replicate BEST, either within Michigan or elsewhere within the United States, it is clear that the capacity building structure that BEST has employed, its success, and the lessons learned, have much to offer communities that care deeply about the challenges of creating effective programs to build nonprofit capacity.
This document describes each phase of the initiative’s development, from planning and design to implementation and project management. Recognizing that other communities may face different challenges from those in Genesee County, these sections are presented as informative reflections on the processes and work of BEST, rather than a blueprint or recipe. Each section includes informal lessons learned, as well as a set of questions to help the reader think about or initiate discussions regarding the resources and readiness in their community that can help lead to a successful project.
--Project Guide Table of Contents--
- Introduction
- Start Up
- Process
- Infrastructure
- Evaluation
- Resources
- Bibliography
- Glossary
- Appendix A: Demographics
- Appendix B: BEST Workshops
- Appendix C: Other Events
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Funders within the collaborative expressed mutual concerns about three related issues:
* the quality and focus of local grant What does BEST mean by capacity building?
Capacity building is much more than offering technical assistance to organizations in crisis or struggling with particular areas of When did the BEST leadership feel the need to hire staff?
Before the beginning of 2006, as the second cohort of nonprofit assessments was about to begin, BEST advertised and hired a Director of
