USAID’s Integrated Community Agriculture and Nutrition Activity in Uganda: Technical Brief on Strengthening Organizational Capacity of Local Partners

The Activity aims to strengthen the resilience capacities of local partners to withstand and recover from crises. To achieve this, USAID ICAN adopted a facilitative approach that empowered local partners to implement field-level activities and develop their organizations and internal capacities. The Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) was used to assess the essential domains for effective performance and functioning of an organization. The tool allowed participants to reflect on key features of a strong organization, conduct a self-assessment, and launch discussions among key stakeholders. USAID ICAN also applied its five-step approach to organizational capacity building (OCB) to strengthen the capacity of local implementing partners. The capacity-development process involved an adaptive approach to capacity building, as local implementing partner organizations differed in type and level of maturity, experience with resilience programming, and knowledge of USAID regulations. Abt applied its five-step approach to organizational capacity building (OCB) to ensure that all implementing partners complied with USG requirements and strengthened their organizational and technical capacity to implement and monitor high-quality interventions for resilience. Over the course of five years, USAID ICAN successfully guided local implementing partners to understand and address critical organizational needs. Several partners implemented vital systems, leading to significant improvements in their operations, including financial and human resource management. Among the four partners that underwent an Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA), 79 percent of all high-priority actions to enhance organizational functioning were completed within the designated time frame, resulting in an overall completion rate of 88 percent by the end of the five-year project. Key capacity strengthening interventions adopted by USAID ICAN included training the board on corporate governance, developing and approving a board charter, and reviewing and updating finance and administration policies. The Activity also supported the development of human resource policies, project performance management systems, and organizational management and sustainability frameworks. Lessons and recommendations from the USAID ICAN experience include the importance of balancing the role of the manager versus the coach, ensuring adequate staffing for effective partnership, and integrating new policies and procedures that advance organizational growth. Continuous mentoring was also vital to ensure organization-wide change took hold and was sustained over time.