The TSNE Mission Effectiveness Program offers programs and services that enhance the knowledge, power and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations, particularly those that engage people in community and public life. We assist individual nonprofit organizations as well as nonprofit networks with assessment, planning, leadership development, training, and research and evaluation. We also administer two capacity grants programs to help nonprofits enhance organizational diversity and capacity building. In addition, our executive transition services help organizations use what could be a stressful departure to instead review and refine their program, systems and practices to better meet their mission.

Overview and Key Strategies

Grants Programs

The Capacity Building Fund provides grants to self-defined nonprofit networks, comprised of at least five organizations, in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. Grants support joint-learning or capacity-building projects that help bring about change within a community or on an issue. The program also builds the capacity of individual group members to further their organization’s mission.

The Diversity Initiative provides grants and technical assistance to help Greater Boston’s nonprofit organizations and networks better meet their mission and program goals by building staff and board diversity. The program shares strategies on improving workplace diversity with the wider nonprofit sector, which helps organizations provide better service to their communities.

Executive Transition Services

The Executive Transitions Program provides planning, consultation and interim executive placement services to nonprofit organizations that are about to undergo or are currently experiencing an executive transition. Available in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, program staff also speaks with boards of directors, funders and others about how to use an executive transition as opportunity for growth and capacity building.

Consulting Services

Our Consulting Services include assessment, strategic planning, facilitation, and staff and board leadership development. We also help nonprofit organizations prepare for and manage transition. Our consulting services help organizations with constituent involvement and program design, primarily in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Evaluation

We offer evaluation and research on capacity building in the following areas:

• Training on outcome and other types of evaluation
• Conducting evaluations for nonprofits, coalitions, collaborations, special projects and initiatives, and for philanthropic institutions
• Evaluation of capacity-building services for other nonprofit management support organizations, intermediaries and philanthropic initiatives focused on capacity building
• Research that leads to furthering the field of nonprofit capacity building

Evaluation and research services are available nationally.

Training

The Nonprofit Workout, administered by the Mission Effectiveness Program, is a conference that provides a management refresher for nonprofit professionals as well as a forum for sharing best practices and new research on issues and trends affecting the nonprofit community. More than 400 board and staff members, funders and capacity builders from across and outside of the United States attend the event, held in the Boston area every other year.

In addition, a new Capacity Building Training Series is launching in September, 2008. A total of nine (9) workshops will be held monthly (except December) through June 2009 at the TSNE NonProfit Center. Workshops cover a range of topics including fund development, financial literacy, effective supervision and governance.