Measuring Local Capacity & Sustainability in Advocacy: The ProCap Index™

These organizations are relied upon by their communities and public decision-makers for information, organization, and mobilization. The results of an initial policy vision can take years, decades, or generations to achieve, and successful advocacy organizations are perpetually building their movements and making their cases as they gain and lose ground over time and with changing political climates. The struggle for sexual and reproductive health and rights is a marathon, not a sprint, and organizations must be sustainable to successfully carry out their work. However, measuring capacity in advocacy organizations has been a challenge due to the nebulous nature of activities such as "movement building." The advocacy version of the ProCap Index, devised in collaboration between Abt Associates and Planned Parenthood Global, assesses factors that contribute to an advocacy organization's sustainability. This tool is intended to guide investment and capacity-building efforts, providing a baseline measure and pointing the way to strategically strengthen an advocacy organization. The ProCap Index is a mixed-methods tool that uses a balanced scorecard approach and is comprised of three pillars: Financial Strength, Programmatic Performance, and Organizational Development. Scoring criteria by indicator are applied consistently for each indexing and are based on industry averages. The tool plots organizations in one of five stages of sustainability based on their overall composite score: Fragile, Developing, Stable, Strong, and Model. The ProCap Index is designed to be easily adapted for different types of NGOs, and the original version was created for use in clinically-based health NGOs. The ProCap Index has been field-tested and has shown promise in measuring the sustainability of advocacy organizations. The tool assumes a minimum criteria of an organization, including having been in operation for at least three years, having some paid staff, and being able to produce annual financial statements. The quantitative and objective nature of the ProCap measurement system is a unique addition to the field of local capacity development, especially for advocacy organizations. This consistency enables legitimate comparison of organizations across groups, over time, or with industry standards and benchmarks. The ProCap Index has been applied to 19 organizations in Peru, Ghana, and Malawi under two different USAID projects. Results from the indexing are being used to develop institutional strengthening plans in Malawi and to inform service delivery contracting between the Peruvian Social Security Institute (EsSalud) and six local NGOs. The successes of the ProCap Index for Health Clinics have encouraged the development of the Advocacy Organizations version, which has not yet been applied but holds promise for measuring the sustainability of advocacy organizations.