This morning’s session, “Cross Cultural Dimensions of Black Philanthropy” is really blowing me away. Brigette Rouson, from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management is leading a great panel/discussion on capacity building in communities of color and the importance of consultants being culturally competent when they work with nonprofits that serve the Black community and/or are led by people of color. I love their definition of capacity building that I’ll share here in its entirety and forever use in my own work:
Capacity building is the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt and thrive in the fast changing world of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The term is commonly used to refer to a wide array of measures that organizations take to strengthen their ability to operate effectively over the long term.
But what is culturally competent capacity building? Huh? Again, the Alliance provides a great definition:
Culturally competent capacity building is a community-centered process that begins with an understanding of historical realities and an appreciation of the community’s assets in its own cultural context. The process works to enhance the quality of life, create equal access to resources, and promote community partnerships resulting in strategic and progressive social change.
This definition is distinctive based on its emphasis on “three C’s”:
Community – effective capacity building is centered in the community;
Context – effective capacity building addresses and understands the historical/cultural context; and,
Change – effective capacity building results in a change of conditions that advances equity for people/communities of color.
These are great distinctions that address what makes capacity building effective. Not only should consultants or management assistance organizations help nonprofits improve their operations, but they also need to understand the communities they are working in. There is no such thing as cookie-cutter capacity building, but needs to take into consideration the cultural aspects involved in working with communities of color.
The insights from this panel came largely from the Alliance’s Cultural Competency Initiative, which is an incredible resource in promoting the importance of focusing on culture in nonprofit capacity building.
There’s a lot more here that I need to chew on, and I plan to do some more thinking on this topic, especially on ways that even nonconsultants who are already culturally competent can help their organizations move up that ladder. If we are all on the same page, we can serve our communities better and move our issues forward in more effective ways.
