Improving resiliency and effectiveness starts by looking at the organization as a living system, carrying out a thoughtful assessment to identify needs and opportunities, and then figuring out a strategy for strengthening the organization.

Additional tools can help a nonprofit assess its needs for capacity building, develop a plan of action to do so, and measure progress over time. Some of these tools are free of charge and relatively easy to use. Others are more complex and may require more substantial financial and time investment.

The following chart features 8 self-assessment tools nonprofits may use as part of their capacity-building planning. Information on cost, level of complexity (low-medium-high), and estimated time to complete are included for each.

No endorsement is implied for any of the tools listed below in alphabetical order, and there are many other valuable capacity-building assessment tools that are not mentioned here.

	Cost	Complexity	Time to Complete
BoardSource Board of Directors Self Assessment Survey	$749 members, $975 non-members	Low	5 - 15 hrs.
British Columbia Ministry for Children & Families Cultural Competency Assessment Tool	Free	Low	More than 15 hrs.
CompassPoint Board Self-Assessment Survey	Free	Low	15 minutes
Communications Effectiveness Quiz by Cause Communications	Free	Low/Medium	Less than 30 min.
Greater Twin Cities United Way Checklist of Nonprofit Organization Indicators	Free to download	Low	Less than 15 hrs.
Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Michigan	Free	Medium	2-3 hours
TCC Group Core Capacity Assessment Tool	$350 for one organization	High	45-60 minutes
Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory	Free online	Low	Less than 5 hrs.

Note: Appearance of activities, publications or organizations in these website listings does not constitute any type of endorsement from the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund. These listings are provided solely for informational purposes.