Ethics & Capacity-Building: Leading Organizations To Higher Ground In Their Service To Others“Capacity-building” has become a buzz-word in the not-for-profit sector over the past few years. And, it has happened for good reason: the funding community provided sufficient resources to catapult the concept into vogue. The ideal of capacity-building was borne out of a belief that strong, sustainable organizations would be better equipped to launch new programs, grow services, and utilize additional dollars and human talent for greater impact. Organizations with strong capacity would also provide greater promise as program funding grantees capable of producing significant outcomes combined with a greater likelihood of self-sustaining funded programs. Capacity-building funding was also a desperately needed compromise between providing little or no unrestricted funding for general operating purposes and only providing highly restricted dollars for specific programs with little or no allowance for operations. Capacity-building dollars, in essence, help funders to leverage their own program grants with additional dollars aimed at creating better organizations to support. The most common forms of so-called “capacity-building” are leadership development, organizational development, and evaluation in nature. Formal training programs, mentoring, technical assistance services, community-forums, consultations, information-exchanges, networks & coalitions, peer-learning opportunities, planning methodologies, program demonstrations or “beta testing” opportunities, and mechanisms for assessment and evaluation are several examples among many aimed at building stronger organizations. In the end, capacity-building initiatives are aimed at teaching, demonstrating, or “hands on” working with not-for-profits to be as effective and efficient, in serving others as possible. The approaches to these ends vary widely. Over the past few years, capacity-building has evolved into a major topic of conversation. It has become a field of study. It has introduced organizations whose missions are squarely aimed at helping not-for-profit organizations to further develop their capacities to be of service to others. Capacity-building has also provided new career opportunities for private practitioners to provide expertise to client not-for-profit organizations through consultation, training and mentoring. The notion of ethics as it applies to capacity-building, therefore, inherently runs the risk of becoming a multi-faceted and complicated conversation. There are an infinite set of variables that affect the capacity of a not-for-profit organization to effectively serve others. More to the point, there are a set of unique ethical considerations for each participant in the capacity-building process whether it be consultants, funders, board members or executives responsible for the building of organizational capacity. Having worked in the not-for-profit sector for 25 years, I would contend there are four overriding ethical considerations common to everyone involved in the capacity-building process. Any behaviour that seeks to compromise or undermine these basic tenets of the sector should be subjected to ethical discussion and consideration:
Let’s take a closer look at each of these four factors that weigh in on the question of ethics and capacity-building. Often, capacity-building resources are needed to help create strong and vital mission statements. These activities reinforce the fundamental importance of mission. Activities that disregard the importance of mission as the starting place in capacity-building, coerce or mandate unfounded modifications to mission, or steer organizations to unstated rather than stated purposes are in contention for unethical interpretation. Moreover, activities that recommend, require or unfairly advocate for an organization to shape its purpose to serve the purposes of another entity, individual, or vendor should be considered as examples of conflict of interest. Dedication to Community-Based Service Not-for-profit organizations, by nature, find their origin in community. The distinction of being “community-based” in its approach to service is vital to a not-for-profit organization’s existence. Capacity-building activities that would inhibit the participatory nature of not-for-profit organizations, disregard the opinions of others, or seek to create a separation between the organization or “those in the know” with the rest of the greater community puts at risk the “greater good” for which our institutions were founded. Activities that encourage the exclusion of the community as a way to build stronger organizations provide fertile grounds for discussions of ethics. Dedication to Being a Transparent Organization & Good Citizen Capacity-building activities that advise a not-for-profit organization to compromise any of the compliance obligations placed on the enterprise are a candidate for ethical discussion. Extreme examples include redirecting restricted resources to meet other needs, not fully disclosing activities to all stakeholders, or reshaping an entire organization to meet the requirements of one funding source to the exclusion of others such that the sustainable income portfolio of a not-for-profit is significantly jeopardized. The charitable nature of not-for-profit organizations combined with the special tax status granted to these organizations obligates every participant in the capacity-building process to encourage full transparency and disclosure at all times. Dedication to Accountability The future of not-for-profit organizations rests on the expertise, passion and commitment of paid and unpaid human resources. What happens to an organization that is shaped around the reliability and dependability of well-meaning people without regard for consequences for neglecting for their assigned or volunteered responsibility? Examples of neglecting such responsibilities include joining a board and never showing up, agreeing to take on a leadership role and not following through, or pledging a certain amount of time or money to the mission of an organization and disregarding the fulfillment of that pledge. In my experience, the detriment that these behaviours pose to a not-for-profit organization and the damage they create in building organizational capacity stand as clear examples of potential unethical behaviour. It would be my contention that there is no capacity-building strategy that can withstand the neglect of individuals, paid or unpaid, charged with responsibilities to the organization. Capacity-building activities must include mechanisms of accountability in an organization. The treatment of subject demands clarity and the fair treatment of people demands consistency in its enforcement. In 2007, The Alliance for Not-for-profit Management in Washington, DC published the first-ever Ethical Standards in Not-for-profit Capacity Building. Our organization, along with Volunteer Vancouver, was proud to have been selected as “beta test” sites for this monumental contribution to the ever-growing field of capacity-building. The tenets that were developed for the standards were aimed primarily at practitioners who provide capacity-building consultation services to not-for-profits. However, the content is worthy of heed by us all. Here are a few notable portions of the code:
Helping to shape stronger, more resilient, and sustainable not-for-profit organizations is my life’s ambition. The ethical considerations of how to do that appropriately and to do it well are providing me and others with life-long learning opportunities. For anyone who desires to make a significant contribution to keeping a mission statement vital whether through volunteer work, monetary contribution, or executive leadership, the fears associated with ethical discussion and debate cannot be overlooked. To do so, may mean the difference between truly building the capacity of an organization and merely giving the appearance that capacity has been built. Which, in your opinion, would be the more ethical decision in helping an organization to find higher ground in their service to others? Copies of the Ethical Standards in Nonprofit Capacity Building are available from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, 1899 L Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. The Alliance can also be found at www.allianceonline.org. About Jeffrey R. Wilcox
About Volunteer VancouverThe mission of Volunteer Vancouver is to inspire & build leadership in the voluntary sector. This publication is intended to be a medium of communication and information for the many organizations active in the volunteer and not-for-profit sector. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Vancouver. Volunteer Vancouver |
