Partnership in Philanthropy's Roundtable Breakfast on capacity building was held on Wednesday, March 28th at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park. Glenmede, who made this event possible with their generous support, sponsored this first time event.

Irene Cooper Basch, Executive Director of the Victoria Foundation, Don Crocker, Executive Director and CEO of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management and David Grant, Executive Director of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation were the panelists. Jim Welch, Board co-chair of Partnership in Philanthropy, was the moderator.

The panelists began with their definitions of capacity building and had a lively exchange with one another and members of the audience. All overwhelmingly agreed that this was an incredibly timely topic. The panelists established and reiterated that time, readiness, and culture were of the utmost importance to an organization's ability to undertake a successful capacity building program.

David Grant gave the audience members this comparison that was insightful for all who attended. He compared capacity building in organizations to that of a high school student's independent senior study; a high school student is nurtured, spoon-fed information, and catered to throughout three and a half years of high school. When in their spring semester of senior year they are asked to do an independent study, for which they have had no preparation, no schooling, and little time to undertake. He likened this to what it's like for some nonprofit organizations to undertake capacity building programs. Nonprofits are mission and program driven continually looking outside themselves to provide help. Unfortunately, with that there is usually little time if any to step back and just stop so that an organization can turn that focus on itself.

Over 75 nonprofit executives attended the breakfast. In their evaluation of the program the participants asked Partnership in Philanthropy to continue the discussion on capacity building and expand to even more topics including collaboration and government oversight.

For more information about Partnership in Philanthropy's breakfast roundtables please contact Heather Robinson, 973-701-9810 or hrobinson@pipnj.org.