Building Capacity and Capability

Our Centre for Social Impact (CSI) was established by the Foundation in 2014, as our commitment to strengthening the capacity and capability of the community sector and to amplifying impact. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Centre’s founding, so we take this opportunity to mihi to those involved at every stage of its development, from founders and staff to the Centre’s network of associates. Together in total, CSI has worked alongside over 80 organisations and delivered nearly 200 projects helping funders and changemakers learn, strengthen their practice and achieve social impact. CSI’s services include research and analysis, strategic advice and planning, evaluation, community engagement and participatory design, and governance development. In 2023/24, CSI completed 59 projects working alongside 17 organisations/funders.

For Foundation North grantees and the wider community and voluntary sector, an annual programme of free online talks and webinars, Te Pūaha Talks, is hosted and subsequently posted on CSI’s knowledge and practice hub, Te Pūaha o te Ako. Topics of the eleven sessions held this year included climate action, the Future Search model of community collaborative problem-solving, and Ngahere wellbeing and connectivity talks for individuals and teams.

All sessions were focused on practical ‘hands on’ learning and included a take-home kete of resources such as templates and further reading, so participants could build their knowledge and apply what they learnt to their own community organisation or area of practice. 633 people registered for Te Pūaha Talks, with over 86% of participants rating the content as extremely or very helpful to their practice.

Work continued through the year on the development of Haumanu, an approach that brings healing and restoration into systems change work. An online community of practice with over 20 not-for-profit leaders nationwide has met regularly to learn and share the approach within their own organisations and teams. This year, a Facilitation Training Programme has been developed to help practitioners deliver Haumanu and share with others. Interest in Haumanu has also spread beyond Aotearoa. In April, CSI associates Louise Marra, Tuihana Ohia, and Rachael Trotman introduced Haumanu to an international audience at the Collective Impact Action Summit.

Wellbeing of the community and voluntary sector continues to be an area where CSI has offered particular support and resources this year. CSI collaborated with HuiE! and Volunteering NZ to produce Tātou tātou, a podcast series to nurture and nourish hauora /wellbeing.

This year, CSI has also been active in convening and supporting funders to come together to kōrero on topics of mutual interest and importance, namely on reporting well and philanthropy’s role in advocacy.

As well as funding CSI’s free offerings to the sector, Foundation North also enabled CSI to provide individualised strategic and evaluation support, to grantees such as I Have A Dream Charitable Trust, a Youth Mentoring Collaboration, Te Korowai o Waiheke, Auckland Pride, Fibre Fale, Mangopare Hub and Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi. Tailored, bespoke capacity and capability support was also provided through a range of other providers to grantees such as Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa for Ngā Puāwai o Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe Future Search wānanga, Quality Education Services for impact evaluation of their Rangatahi Homelessness Programme, Intersex Aotearoa for resourcing a tender submission and Mana Services for a rangatira leadership rōpū for Homeless Youth.

The Foundation’s team of funding advisors provides tailored support for those applying for its Community Building Project grants, and this year has allocated dedicated support to work alongside Pacific-led community groups to proactively assist them to submit applications for our Quick Response Grants.

Support across the rohe has also been enabled through others, such as Ākina’s capability building work with social enterprises and impact-led businesses; Community Governance Aotearoa’s suite of resources, webinars and programme offerings, including delivery of The Good Governance Board Service to five not-for-profits boards; and ANCAD’s services, including the Community Accounting Programme offering free support and assistance to community groups on financial recording and reporting.

ACE Aotearoa was contracted to provide individualised support across Tāmaki Makaurau to Pacific-led community groups, and the LEAD Centre for Not For Profit Governance & Leadership was commissioned to deliver a programme of governance training for boards of Pacific organisations, and a Pacific youth leadership fono.