Assessment · Free
Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA)
Score your NGO across six capacity domains in 12 minutes and see exactly where to strengthen next.
About 12 min · no sign-up
An Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) is a structured self-reflection that helps a local NGO or community-based organization see its institutional health across the systems that donors, boards, and communities rely on. Instead of guessing where you are strong or fragile, you rate honest statements about how your organization actually works today across six core domains: governance and leadership, strategy and planning, financial management, human resources, programmes and MEAL, and systems and compliance.
Score each statement from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree based on current reality, not aspiration. The result shows a profile across all six domains so you can see which capacities are mature and which need investment first. Use it before a grant proposal, ahead of a capacity-strengthening plan, or as an annual baseline you re-run to track progress. It is a conversation starter for your team and board, not an audit or a pass/fail test.
1. Our organization has an active governing board or steering committee that meets regularly and keeps written records of its decisions.
2. Roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority are clearly separated between the board and the management team.
3. We have written governance policies (for example a constitution, by-laws, and a conflict-of-interest policy) that we actually follow in practice.
4. Leadership decisions are guided by our mission and values, and the organization could continue to function if a key leader left.
5. We have a current, written strategic plan with clear goals, and staff understand how their work contributes to it.
6. We translate our strategy into annual operational plans with budgets, responsibilities, and timelines.
7. We regularly analyze our operating context, risks, and stakeholders, and adjust our plans when the situation changes.
8. We have a realistic plan to diversify and sustain our funding rather than depending on a single donor or grant.
9. We prepare an annual organizational budget and routinely compare actual spending against it.
10. We have documented financial procedures with proper segregation of duties, so no single person controls a transaction end to end.
11. We can produce accurate, timely financial reports for management and donors, including grant-specific reporting.
12. Our accounts are independently audited or externally reviewed each year, and we act on the recommendations.
13. We recruit staff through a fair, documented process and every role has an up-to-date job description.
14. We have a written HR policy covering contracts, leave, grievances, and a code of conduct that staff know and follow.
15. Staff and volunteers receive orientation, ongoing training, and regular performance feedback or appraisals.
16. We actively support staff wellbeing, safety, and retention, including duty of care for those working in difficult or insecure conditions.
17. We design programmes from evidence and community needs, using a theory of change or logframe with clear outcomes.
18. We collect monitoring data against defined indicators and review it regularly to manage programme performance.
19. We have functioning accountability mechanisms, such as a complaints and feedback channel that communities can safely use.
20. We evaluate our work, document lessons learned, and use those findings to improve future programmes.
21. Our organization is legally registered and we stay current with statutory, tax, and reporting obligations.
22. We have a safeguarding policy (including protection from sexual exploitation and abuse) with a clear reporting and response procedure.
23. We protect sensitive data and beneficiary information with clear rules on storage, access, and consent.
24. Our IT, records, and administrative systems are reliable, backed up, and adequate for the way we work.