Extension Lakes

Programmatic capacity is demonstrated by achieving results. This is most often seen around lakes through projects and efforts to protect and restore lake health: restoring shoreland plant communities, installing rain gardens, or preventing aquatic invasive species. We have identified five aspects of programmatic capacity that strongly influence a group’s ability to get things done. These five overlap in varying degree with membership, organizational, and relational capacity. Programmatic capacity does depend on strengths in those other areas, and it would be hard to imagine an organization that consistently “gets things done” but is weak in those foundational areas.
Our five aspects of programmatic capacity include:

Leadership: The organization has invested in a process to recruit and train leaders on an ongoing basis that are decisive, honest, and knowledgeable and who are capable of listening, decision-making, and solving disputes to ensure that active leadership is available for all necessary tasks.

Completion of Demonstration Projects: The organization has taken a project from an
identified need to completion by recruiting necessary technical and financial resources and working together to reach a stated goal.

Growing Expertise: The organization has formally assessed and developed a plan to resolve training gaps that are limiting the organizations ability to communicate effectively about their key issues or to address other organizational deficiencies.

Access to Funding: Support for the organization is diversified and represents that other groups (foundations, agencies, etc.) are supportive of the mission.

Access to Community Power: The organization is effective at coordinating action with other community groups, has the support of local officials or community leaders, and works to actively position the mission as part of broader community priorities.