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K I N G S F UN D | L O N D O N
International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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About the event, Capacitybuilders and its partners

About this event and our partners

This event looks at international
approaches to third sector support.
The event aims to share learning about overseas approaches
to capacity building - identified in a research report
recently published by Capacitybuilders - and will encourage
delegates to consider how this learning could be applied
within an English context.
The research, ‘Alternative approaches to capacity building –
emerging practices abroad’, was undertaken by Cities Research
Centre (CRC) and Communities and Organisations Growth and
Support (COGS) and established an international network of
academics and practitioners to explore different approaches to
capacity building. An executive summary of the report is included
in this pack.
You will hear from a range of interesting case studies highlighted
in the research report and have the opportunity to exchange ideas
and experiences throughout the day.

This event is run in partnership with the following organisations:

ACF (Association of
Charitable Foundations)
The leading membership
association for trusts and
foundations in the UK with
over 300 members ranging in
size from small and local grant-
makers to some of the world’s
largest foundations. Through its
services to members it provides
a framework in which trusts and
foundations can learn from each
other’s experience, explore matters
of common concern and achieve
good practice in grant-making.
NCVO (National Council for
Voluntary Organisations)
NCVO is a highly effective
lobbying organisation and
represents the views of its
members and the wider voluntary
sector to government, the
European Union and other bodies.
NCVO is also at the leading edge
of research into, and analysis of,
the voluntary sector.
NCVO campaigns on generic
issues affecting the voluntary
sector, such as the role of
voluntary organisations in public
service delivery and the future of
local government.
ACEVO (Association of
Chief Executives of Voluntary
Organisations)
ACEVO is the leading voice for
chief executives in the third
sector. With over 2,000 members
nationwide, ACEVO supports,
develops, connects and represents
third sector leaders.
ACEVO offers a variety of services
to its members including access
to a wide range of professional
publications, free helplines
covering areas such as HR,
fundraising and accountancy,
discounted special services from
management consultancy to
private medical insurance,
and discounted or free
membership to the IoD, RSA
and Commonwealth Club.
Euclid Network (EN)
Euclid Network (EN) is an exciting
new European network of third
sector leaders launched by ACEVO
(UK), CJDES (France) and Ideell
Arena (Sweden), to promote
leadership and innovation through
peer-learning and cross-border
partnership across Europe.
EN works in 23 countries and
focuses on four areas which
represent shared challenges
for every leader: leadership
development, good governance,
sustainable funding and soft
power. For more information
please visit www.euclidnetwork.eu
 International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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About the event, Capacitybuilders and its partners

About Capacitybuilders
Capacitybuilders works to ensure that third sector organisations
in England are able to access high quality advice and support.
Funded by the Office of the Third Sector, Capacitybuilders has
invested £100 million since 2006 in improving the support
available to frontline third sector organisations. In 2009/10 we
are investing over £35 million more.

Our investment helps local support organisations work more

effectively together to develop new and better services, and
frontline groups to directly access the support they need.
Nationally, we invest to ensure high quality resources are available
to those providing support to the third sector. Capacitybuilders
works in partnership with other funders, such as the Big Lottery
Fund and the Social Investment Business (formerly Futurebuilders)
to ensure our investments are complementary and to share
learning and expertise.

We also provide services to other Government departments,

including the Home Office and the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), who commission evaluation and
monitoring services from us.

You can find out more about us at www.capacitybuilders.org.uk

Improving Support
Improving Support is an initiative led by Capacitybuilders which
focuses on bringing together practical resources and learning for
those providing advice and support to third sector organisations.

The Improving Support website, magazine and e-bulletin are

accessed regularly by organisations and individuals providing
support to third sector organisations, highlighting best practice,
training, toolkits and other resources and enabling effective sharing
of learning and experience.

To request a copy of the latest Improving Support magazine

or subscribe to the e-bulletin visit: www.improvingsupport.org.uk/
register.aspx
International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Executive summary

About the research

Executive summary of ‘Alternative approaches to
capacity building – emerging practices abroad’

The aim of this study was to identify and explore alternative
approaches to third sector capacity building in countries outside of
the UK. The research was undertaken in two main stages. The first
scoping phase involved asking respondents via email to identify
examples of capacity building that met with a number of good
practice principles. The second phase then took a more in-depth
look at selected examples.
A wide spectrum of approaches is described in the research,
which implies progression from skill-based to holistic and systemic
approaches. It is suggested that this is not necessarily linear. Some
approaches overlap, and the different levels of intervention may be
appropriate at different stages and circumstances.
In terms of learning from the case studies, this study suggests that
capacity building works best when its purpose is clearly rooted
in a particular goal. This may be values or ideologically based, or
relating to improvements in a particular service area or funding
programme. The case studies also demonstrate that capacity
building is not simply about increasing organisational efficiency
and effectiveness. It is also concerned with leadership and
adaptive capacities that help to develop organisational resilience.
Design was found to be important, with good capacity building
practices starting with a ‘theory of change’ approach. Identifying
what support is needed also plays an essential part in capacity
building and effectiveness depends on getting this right.
It is recommended that policy makers who wish to pilot any of the
approaches described in the research are clear about the purpose
of the planned intervention and the need that it addresses, as the
choice of approach will vary accordingly.
Other key recommendations and conclusions drawn from the
research include:
• Methods should be combined for a multi-layered approach that
gives both depth and breadth and enables working at and across
different levels
• Building links between government departments and capacity
building providers in the UK can achieve a less fragmented and
multi-sectoral approach
• Links should be built internationally and learnings taken from
approaches in international development
• It is important to build the capacity of funders by promoting
learning and dialogue with organisations and networks within
and outside the UK, including networking staff, and peer to
peer learning and support
• The importance of leadership and networking, and supporting
innovative social entrepreneurs, should be promoted
The full report is available from www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/
research/learning-international-practices

As regards the beneficiaries of capacity building, leadership and

multi-level, multi-sector working emerged as critical in a number
of the case studies. There was found to be scope for working
with a wide range of providers, but it is essential to build the
capacity of the capacity builders themselves and to address
issues of trust, especially where capacity builders are employed by
funders. In terms of approach, a number of the case studies point
to a networking approach as having significant added value in
combining external inputs with peer support and learning.
 International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Agenda and workshop sessions

Agenda for today

9:30-10:00 Registration Workshops

Introduction to the day Sessions overview
Stephen Dunmore These interactive sessions will provide
delegates with the opportunity to
Capacitybuilders’ research agenda explore the key learnings from the
Matt Leach morning session and consider how
they could influence capacity building
‘Alternative approaches to capacity building – practice in the UK.
emerging practices abroad’
Researchers – Joanna Howard and Marilyn Taylor Workshops will be based around the
following themes:
Presentations on international practice
• Civic Driven Change – Udan Fernando, Dutch Aid Agency Civic Driven Change
• Funding Brokerage Partnership Model – Wendy Earles, Australia Facilitated by Joanna Howard
and Udan Fernando
11:30-11:45 Break
Funding Brokerage Partnership Model
Further presentations on international practice Facilitated by Marilyn Taylor
• Incubator Approach – China Brotsky, USA and Wendy Earles
• Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme –
Idil Sheytanoglou and Brenda Lipson, Cyprus The Incubator Approach
Facilitated by Mandy Wilson
Panel discussion and China Brotsky
Chaired by Ben Kernighan
Cypriot Civil Society
13:00-14:00 Lunch Facilitated by Brenda Lipson
and Idil Sheytanoglou
Workshops sessions
Workshop sessions on the day’s key themes. These interactive
sessions will explore the learnings from the morning
presentations and consider how they could influence
capacity building practice in the UK.

14:40-14:50 Break

Workshops sessions
[Continued]

15:30-16:00 Closing remarks

Matt Leach
International Approaches to Third Sector Support
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Biographies
Biographies
Your Chair for today is
Stephen Dunmore
Stephen Dunmore was appointed as
Chair of Capacitybuilders in October 2009,
having spent a year as a non-executive
Board member.
Stephen’s former roles include Chief
Executive of the Big Lottery Fund and Chief Executive of the
New Opportunities Fund.
He is currently interim Chief Executive of the Responsible
Gambling Fund and Responsible Gambling Strategy Board,
Chair of National Family Mediation (a national charity),
Chair of the BBC’s Charity Appeals Advisory Committee
and a member of NCVO’s Funding Commission.
Your panel discussion Chair for today is
Ben Kernighan
Ben Kernighan is Deputy Chief Executive
at the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations.
In this role he oversees NCVO’s capacity
building work. His remit covers work around
quality, governance, leadership, employment, diversity, skills,
sustainable funding and information technology.
He was a member of the Capacity Group of the Treasury’s Cross
Cutting Review of the role of the voluntary sector in delivering
public services and a member of the Home Office’s Capacity
Implementation Team.
Chief Executive, Capacitybuilders
Matt Leach
Matt Leach joined Capacitybuilders as Chief
Executive in December 2008, leading its
work developing a range of new funding
programmes aimed at enabling third
sector organisations to access high quality
support and advice. The successful launch
of these programmes, including the Real Help for Communities
Modernisation Programme, Regional Networks Fund and the
Volunteer Management Programme, means that in 2009-10,
Capacitybuilders provided over £10m more support to the third
sector than in any previous year.
Prior to joining Capacitybuilders, Matt worked as Director of Policy
and Communications for the Housing Corporation, where he
contributed significantly to the establishment of the Homes and
Communities Agency and Tenant Services Authority.
The Research Team
Research was undertaken by Cities Research Centre (CRC) and
Communities and Organisations Growth and Support (COGS)
and established an international network of academics and
practitioners to explore different approaches to capacity building.
The lead researchers on the research project were Joanna Howard,
Lucy Grimshaw, Brenda Lipson, Marilyn Taylor and Mandy Wilson.
 International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Case studies and speaker biographies

Case study

Civic Driven Change model to capacity building Country Holland

Background
The Civic Driven Change (CDC) Initiative was founded by a group of Dutch private aid Presenter
agencies and is coordinated and hosted by the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The
Hague. The model is based on the premise that mainstream aid development interventions
Udan Fernando
do not address the underlying systemic problems that keep the majority of people in
poverty and unable to influence change. The CDC model proposes concerted programmes Udan Fernando is Senior Consultant
of action that can help citizens reclaim control of the institutions that influence their lives. at Context, international cooperation,
based in the Netherlands - a development
The Twaweza programme is an example of CDC in action. The programme is supported organisation that positions its work
by HIVOS, a Dutch aid agency, which attempts to address the enduring problems of social between policy makers, academics and
injustice and deprivation in East Africa. development practitioners.

Approach For the past ten years, Udan has carried

The Twaweza programme aims to make accessible the information and skills necessary out consultancy assignments as a
for citizens to become informed and motivated to hold their governments to account freelance consultant, commissioned by
and to play an active role in improving the quality and delivery of local services and public development agencies in Europe and the
resource management. Through strategic interventions, the programme aims to improve Asia-Pacific. He has also taught in various
citizens’ access to information, ability to voice, opportunity to monitor and capability to Sri Lankan universities and institutes.
make change.
From 1996 to 2001, Udan was Executive
The programme brokers relationships across a range of institutions and networks that Director of PALTRA, a Sri Lankan capacity
ordinary citizens already use to meet and share information, for example religious building institute set up by donor agencies
organisations, the mass media and trade unions. The approach aims to build strategic from the Netherlands, Germany and the
partnerships in order to achieve a focused goal that has real meaning for ordinary citizens, United Kingdom. Prior to this, he held
such as increasing availability of medical supplies at local clinics or making sure public the role of Director of the Development
funds arrive at schools and are properly used. Commission of the National Christian
Council, which is a network of Protestant
A diagnostic phase maps the existing networks and institutions that are important to Churches and Ecumenical organisations in
people’s lives and from this, develops a strategy. The strategy then piggybacks on to these Sri Lanka.
networks and institutions to create spaces in which people can act.
Udan obtained his PhD in 2007 with his
Conclusions thesis ‘Uneasy Encounters: Relations
• The programme, which will run for ten years, is currently in its first year, so outcomes between Dutch Donors and Sri Lankan
cannot yet be reported on. NGOs’ from the University of Amsterdam.
He previously graduated from the
• The initiative meets the ‘good practice principles’ but it is too early to judge how well University of Colombo with a qualification
this programme puts these principles into action. in Management and Law.

• The programme demonstrates a bottom-up approach, where local concerns are

identified and then analysed at local, national and regional levels.

• This model may provide lessons on how to coordinate capacity building and learning
across localities and countries.
International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Case studies and speaker biographies

Case study

Australian Funding Brokerage Partnership Model Country Australia

Background
The Funding Brokerage Partnership Model is a national programme that aims to build the Presenter
capacity of early years service providers in deprived areas across Australia. Wendy Earles
Approach
The Australian Government’s Department of Family and Community Services and Associate Professor Wendy Earles is a
Indigenous Affairs contracts with third sector organisations (known as ‘Facilitating Board member of the International Society
Partners’) to manage site-specific funding for its Communities for Children (CfC) initiative. for Third Sector Research and is Academic
The Facilitating Partner is required to establish contracts with local agencies, known as Co-Chair for the 2010 ISTR Conference in
‘Community Partners’, to deliver specific early years services. The Community Partners Istanbul.
can be either non-profit or governmental. The Facilitating Partners act as intermediary
organisations and are funded to build the capacity of local Community Partners, partly Wendy teaches organisational practice
through funding and partly through networking and collaboration. and social policy at the Cairns Campus
of James Cook University, Australia. She
They are responsible for managing the consultation and planning process, tendering and began university teaching in 1999 after
contract management, and managing the reporting between the government department 15 years in public policy, funding and
and the Community Partners. The Facilitating Partners also provide funding and training to programme management, and community
Community Partners to enable them to provide new early years services, and support them development roles. She previously worked
to ‘join up’ existing services by increasing service coordination and cooperation. in the Indigenous non-profit sector in the
remote West Pilbara region of Australia as
Conclusions well as in the National Youth Movement
• A strength of this model is its flexibility, which enables funding for services to be and Women’s Development Programs in
redirected into capacity building for frontline organisations. Papua New Guinea.

• The local groups that were established brought together child and family services and Her research interests include non-profit
other stakeholders, which was especially important in sites where no other early years organisational change and state-non-
network existed. profit relations. She has published works
in third sector, rural development and
• The capacity building interventions such as training, mentoring, collaboration public administration journals. She was
and partnership building generated a considerable amount of change. In smaller the Managing Editor of Third Sector
organisations, this change impacted on management and governance systems. Review from 2006-2009 and is on the
International Editorial Board for Voluntary
• However, this model assumes that the capacity builders have the necessary capability to Sector Review.
act as brokers and partners, and simply require funding to carry out this work. In practice,
some Facilitating Partners needed support or training to fulfil this role. The government
held annual conferences to help with this, but much of the horizontal networking and
peer learning was left to their own initiative.

• As the Facilitating Partner is accountable to the funder, i.e. the government, they may
face an issue of confidentiality, acting as both capacity building provider and client.
A tension also exists in the Facilitating Partner’s dual role as capacity builder and funding
broker.

• Distinctively, this model utilises third sector organisations as brokers between national
government, and local government and NGO’s, the impact of which would be worth
investigating further.
 International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Case studies and speaker biographies

Case study

Incubator Approach to support Country USA

Background
Every third sector organisation (TSO) requires significant financial, legal and human resource Presenter
services. Establishing and maintaining this infrastructure for a new TSO often diverts precious
time and resources from the organisation’s mission.
China Brotsky
Approach China Brotsky is part of the executive
Fiscal sponsors are charitable organisations that give a legal home to unincorporated groups team at Tides and is responsible for the
whose missions are aligned with their own. Although sponsored groups are not independent integrated management of the Tides
– they are legally part of the sponsor organisation – they retain programmatic autonomy, organisations. Tides is a non-profit
often have separate advisory boards making strategic decisions and are responsible for company, which provides a range of
their own fundraising. Typically, the sponsor provides accounting, human resources and services that strengthen the efforts
other back-office services, with costs covered by a fee (usually 6-9%) on the revenues or of forward-thinking individuals and
expenses of the sponsored programme. Some sponsors also offer capacity building services organisations to make the world a better
such as programme assessment, IT consulting or strategic planning help; others provide place. China is also Managing Director
shared office space. of Tides Shared Spaces, which creates,
operates and promotes sustainable work
The kinds of groups offering fiscal sponsorship services are varied. At one end of the space for non-profits.
spectrum might be a church, community foundation or agency helping an emerging group
on an occasional basis because the sponsor recognises a mission overlap. At the other end China joined Tides in 1990 as Chief
are a handful of groups organised specifically to provide such services. Some fiscal sponsors Financial Officer. During her tenure at
serve a particular field while others serve a broad spectrum of organisations with a values fit. Tides, she has managed the restoration
The level of service provided by fiscal sponsors also varies, depending on the sophistication and development of the Thoreau Centers
of the sponsors’ financial and human resource systems, the availability of shared office space, for Sustainability in San Francisco and
and the sponsors’ capacity to provide mentoring, grant writing, technology support and New York. China also co-founded and
organisational development. directs The Nonprofit Centers Network,
a cross-sector national network of non-
The groups that seek out sponsors are even more diverse. They may be new groups profits and their real estate partners. She
exploring their viability in terms of attracting members, raising funds and implementing a also served as the founding executive
new approach to a social problem. Or, the client organisation may be well-established and director of Groundspring.org, a non-profit
well-funded, but aware that their expertise is programmatic, not administrative. In both kinds technology service provider. Prior to Tides,
of groups are a few that want to remain fiscally sponsored projects indefinitely. Coalitions China served six years in public accounting
utilise fiscal sponsors as a neutral home for collaborative projects, heading off turf wars and was the Deputy Director of Finance
and resource control issues. Lastly, if a sponsored group decides it is ultimately not viable, and Administration at the Exploratorium
or is created to accomplish a discrete goal, fiscal partnership allows for a relatively painless Science Museum.
phasing out, especially compared with closing a TSO with potential liability issues and
government paperwork. China is a member of the Board of
Directors of Global Greengrants Fund
Conclusions and CorpWatch. She received a B.S. in
• Through administrative and regulatory expertise, fiscal sponsors improve quality while Accounting from Golden Gate University
allowing the sponsored group to focus on its mission. and is a CPA in the state of California.
• Some fiscal sponsors, in particular those also providing shared workspace, encourage
community and collaboration, or provide shared learning opportunities.
• Fiscal sponsors are legally responsible for all of the activities of the groups they house.
They must therefore screen those organisations carefully before agreeing to partner and
must engage in diligent oversight.
• The group that gets sponsored is dependent on the competence of its sponsor’s staff and
the reliability of its systems. Due diligence is in order when groups choose a fiscal sponsor.
International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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Case studies and speaker biographies

Case study

Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme Country Cyprus

Background
The Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme (CCSSP) was formed as part of the Presenters
United Nation’s Development Programme’s Action for Cooperation and Trust initiative
aimed at deepening trust and cooperation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
Idil Sheytanoglou
communities.
Idil is a freelance consultant and associate
The Programme aimed to increase the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in of the Management Centre of the
order for them to develop stronger relationships with each other, the authorities and Mediterranean in Northern Cyprus. From
policy makers. It was also designed to increase debate, knowledge and understanding of 2006-2008, she co-managed the Cypriot
key issues facing civil society, and raise the visibility and profile of the sector as a whole. Civil Society Strengthening Programme,
supervising a team of trainers, consultants
Approach and staff whilst also delivering services
The Programme consisted of four main components: open training, tailor-made technical in organisational capacity building and
assistance, long-term capacity building support and dialoguing events. curricula development. Within Cyprus she
has delivered training to various not-for-
The open training component was devised to provide direct training to CSOs and profit and public sector organisations,
individuals whilst simultaneously strengthening the capacity of local trainers to enable and internationally has provided services
them to deliver participatory training to the civil society sector in Cyprus. To achieve this, in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia and
training of trainer (TOT) courses were operated on a range of topics addressing capacity Romania. She won Junior Chamber Turkey’s
issues that were identified during a needs assessment. Mentoring for local trainers by Most Outstanding Trainer award in 2009.
INTRAC (International NGO Training and Research Centre) specialists was also given. In
addition, for each topic-based course, a training ‘toolkit’ was prepared, which included Idil has lectured in Business and Economics
materials, further reading, key terms and trainer notes on methodology. in Lefke European University, Eastern
Mediterranean University and Eastern
The ‘tailor-made technical assistance’ component consisted of a dual strategy of Mediterranean College. She is on the
strengthening the knowledge and skills development of local civil society consultants as Board of Directors for several not-for-
well as providing technical support to individual CSOs. This area of programme activity was profit organisations in Cyprus. Idil holds
demand-driven, guided by specific requests. Local consultants were provided with training a Masters degree in Corporate Strategy
and mentoring, filling a gap in local capacity for providing consultancy to the sector. and Governance, a Management Studies
Consultancy was provided free of charge, as local CSOs would not be able to afford to pay degree from the University of Nottingham
for such services. and is an International Graduate of the
Junior Chamber International. She is
The third component provided capacity building support to a selected number of Cypriot currently implementing an EU funded
CSOs, involving these organisations in the design of the methods and tools utilised. CSOs project for professional development in the
were supported by CCSSP consultants in assessment and diagnosis of their organisational UK, working with the National Council for
capacity and in the design, implementation and review of a medium term two-year Voluntary Organisations.
development plan. INTRAC’s lead consultant worked with five local consultants in the
delivery of this process, providing technical input and ongoing support, face-to-face and
at-distance.

The final component of the CCSSP was intended to raise the profile of the civil society
sector as a whole and comprised of the programme’s communications activities and a
number of events designed to address knowledge development, learning and cross-sector
relationship building through community-level, island-wide and international events.
 International Approaches to Third Sector Support

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How you can stay in touch after this event

How you can stay in touch after this event

International network
The Improving Support ‘Ning network’ provides an online space
for practitioners (and anyone else who is interested) to share
documents, comment and share contact information.

It is a fantastic way to stay in touch after this event and for

us all to share resources to help build a better third sector.

Url: www.improvingsupport.ning.com

Key contact: Sian Lewis, Capacitybuilders

E: sian.lewis@capacitybuilders.org.uk

Promoting your work to

wider audiences
You can also become a member of www.improvingsupport.org.uk
and send your resources (by sending them via the contact us form)
to be shared via the website with national audiences.