This document discusses integrating capacity building roles and projects into the Bonner experience more systematically. It provides an overview of capacity building and outlines steps programs can take, including meeting with partners and students to define capacity building opportunities, translating these opportunities into student positions, and tracking accomplishments. The goal is to better connect partners' capacity building needs with student placements and document impacts.

1. Integrating
Capacity
BUILDING
Our Wildly
Important Goal

2. Overview & Purpose
• Revisit the big picture
• Share ideas, experiences, &
progress
• Helpful set of steps for
connecting capacity building
needs of partners with students’
positions

3. big picture

4. Bonner Transformation Goals
Individuals
& Places
Community Change
Mobilize students, faculty,
staff, & community
members to support
individuals & places.

5. Bonner Transformation Goals
Programs
Individuals
& Places
Community Change
Train & support leaders who
develop & manage
evidence-based programs and
projects.

6. Student Development:
Service Road with Rising Expectations
Summer Manage summer enrichment program
Team Help develop & expand after-school club
Regular Mentor students in after-school club
Occasional Participate in a service event for kids

7. Student Development:
Expertise - capstone
project
Example - site/project
coordinator
Experience - solid programmatic
role (Program Assistant or specific title)
Exploration - intentional placements that
provide exposure and result in additional commitment

8. Bonner Transformation Goals
Partner in capacity-building
for organizations to improve
effectiveness, efficiency, and
resources.
Organizations
Programs
Individuals
& Places
Community Change

9. Bonner Transformation Goals
Partner in capacity-building
for collaboratives working to
achieve measurable
community and systemic
change.
Systems
Organizations
Programs
Individuals
& Places
Community Change

10. Student Development
Advocacy Prepare presentation to School Board
Forum Organize public forum on out-of-school time
Issue
Brief
After-school programs with best academic outcomes
Research Model programs; survey parental involvement
Training Workshops on literacy and youth development
Summer Manage summer program
Team Help develop & expand after-school club
Regular Mentor students in after-school club
Occasion
al
Plant School Garden for Orientation Service

11. The Big Picture

12. Why This Matters
• Build organizations, programs, &
communities!
• Capture collective impact!
• Document the organizational and
community impacts that individual
Bonner Programs are having
• Demonstrate power of community
engagement

13. The Wildly Important Goal
• Integrate capacity building roles and
projects into the Bonner experience
more systematically
• Have partners define capacity building
opportunities and connect them with
students and faculty to address them
• Document this in BWBRS

14. WIG Timeline for 2014-2015
• Utilize form with core/deep community
partners and enter opportunities form
into BWBRS by December 15th (Fall)
and May 30th (change Summer)
to flow calendar
• Utilize parallel form capturing Service
Accomplishments (agency view) by
January 31st (Fall), June 1 (Spring),
August 30 (Summer)

15. progress in
the network

16. Fall Survey of Programs
add date went out

17. Mix of strategies

18. Partners completing in various formats

19. Steps and Interactive Discussions
1) building an annual calendar
2) meetings with partners
3) meetings with students
4) translating into positions
5) reporting in BWBRS
6) tracking accomplishments

20. building an
annual
calendar

21. Setting up/completing the process
• How are you integrating capacity
building into your current
communication and position
development with partners (Fall and
the future)?
• What is the calendar for your partner
meetings and conversations?

22. Macalester’s Experience
• Last winter: meetings with community
partners in preparation for Fall 2014
• Group meeting Consuelo format make point about how it
fits with her position
was highly
beneficial for partners to make
connections and deepen positions
• Current term: partner meetings to
revise for Spring and next year

23. Timeline considerations
• December 15th: all fall partners needs
are entered
What is your program doing?
What do you need to do?

24. Partner Worksheet
List the partners (fall/spring) you need to have meetings with and the status (i.e., date,
approach). If possible, divide up the meetings amongst staff/student leaders.
Name of
Partner
Students Currently
Serving There
Date(s) for Meeting Responsible Staff/
Student Leader

25. meeting with
partners

26. Maximizing the Opportunity
to discuss with partners a long-range vision for your partnership, students’ and faculty
members’ roles, and the projects that can be done
• A workshop format
• Sharing the big picture
• Narrowing capacity building
roles
• Translating into real positions
• Fostering campus connections

27. Sample Agenda
• Bonner Outcomes/Goals Review
• Capacity-Building
• 3-year progression Example
• Family Tree Clinic
• Developing your Positions
• Student Development and Placement Models
• Review of Current Positions
• Capacity-Building Worksheet
• Tips & Strategies
• Timeline & Expectations

28. Bonner Impact
Our collective (community organization, student,
and college) goal is to effect positive and tangible
change in the communities where we live and
work.
!Bonners = 49
!Organizations = 35
!Hours Served 2012-13 = 13,766
!Cost Savings to Organizations=$117,011
The effectiveness of this work and experience is
directly related to the strength of the community
partnerships.

29. Bonner Transformation Goals

30. Community Partnership Model

31. Capacity-Building Areas
!Efficiency/Efficacy
!Improved outcomes with the same level of resources or improved or
consistent quality of services with fewer resources
!Scale/Reach
!Number of new people served, new populations served, and/or new
or expanded services
!Leverage
!Additional resources or assets garnered through capacity-building
activities such as funding, volunteers, in-kind support, and
partnerships

32. Capacity-Building Activities
! Volunteer Management
!coordinate/manage service program, volunteer recruitment
! Training and Program Development
!coordinate programs, develop new programs, write training manuals,
organize/lead training workshops
! Fundraising
!organize events, identify grant and funding sources, write grants
! Communications
!website and social media development, coordinate meetings, online
networking support; create print marketing materials
! Research
!community-based research, policy research
! Collaboration/Partnership Building
!Identify partners and/or stakeholders, organize/facilitate meetings,
build and maintain relationship

33. Partner Video

34. Level 1 Placements: Occasional Volunteer
EXPLORATION
Introductory experience to issues, organizations, & Twin Cities
! Placement: direct service
! Entry-level, room for exploration,
training, coaching, and guidance.
! Work: physical builds, tutoring/
educational support, immersion
experiences/trips, and
administrative work.
! Placement: Classroom Assistant in
local public schools
! Work: small group/1:1 tutoring,
book/math clubs, assistance at
school events
! Bonner Activities: Service Trip
!1 week course/immersion
experience in New Orleans

35. Cover Each Level of Student
Development
• Gives partners insight about Bonners
and what they are experiencing
• Helps partners integrate
developmental roles
• Gives them real examples to build on
• Engages partners as educators &
guides

36. Expectations
! Review Current Position Description
! Complete “Organizational Capacity-Building Opportunities” Form
! Determine Organizational/Program Priorities and Needs (use form
as a basis, brainstorm with organization staff if needed)
! Narrow down opportunities to 2-3
! Remember this is a collaborative process w/Bonner and you/the
organization. When your student returns:
! Discuss: Passions and interests of the student (strengths handout)
! Ask: What gaps does the student see in programming or at the org? What
suggestions do they have for addressing?
!Match: student interests w/organizational need. Review your narrowed down
opportunities list with student.
!Write job description. Review with student. Modify if necessary.
!Submit to Consuelo on FRIDAY, MARCH 28

37. A Strategy for You?
• What has worked?
• Group meetings vs.
• One-on-one meetings vs.
• Email communication
• Strategy for December to April?
• Strategy for May to August?
Discuss in clusters with 3 schools!

38. meeting with
students

39. Making the Student Connection
• Capacity building framework
• Comfort with the language and focus
• Fit with Bonner Program & non-profit sector
• Review the form and think about their
knowledge of the partners’ work
• Prepare for conversations
• Empower students to seek connections &
resources

40. Sample Agenda for Student
Meeting
• What is Capacity Building?
15 minutes
• What does Capacity Building look like?
15 minutes
• Capacity Building worksheet
20 minutes
• Reflection
10 minutes

41. Guiding the Student
and Partner Connection
• Fostering collaboration
• Empowering both to show leadership
• Helping connect to other resources (like
other partners and faculty for academic
projects & CBR)
• Aligning the work with the student’s larger
interests (academic and co-curricular)

42. A Strategy for You?
•Share what have you been
doing with students?
•Are changes big or small?
•What’s working?
•What’s not?
•What about summer?

43. Interactive Work
• Outline how you might integrate this
focus into meetings (advising, etc.)
with students
• Brainstorm other trainings or resources
that you would anticipate you might
need (i.e., to help the students
effectively do this work).

44. translating to
positions

45. Translating
Opportunities
into Positions
and Projects
• Some helpful
questions
• See new handout

46. 3 Questions to Help Narrow
• Cluster 2-3 related ideas or
roles (considering students)
• Draft 2-3 ideal positions
(future)
• Sequence of positions and
projects

47. Turning Into Positions
1.The first sentence should capture the mission and program of the non-profit agency
or school. Use the organization’s website or materials for help.
2.Another 2-3 sentences should then describe the position, making it clear what the
roles of the student are. Keep it professional and concise.
3.End the description with a final sentence that begins “The capacity building
activities in this position include...” and then notes 2-3 specific bullets, drawing from
form.
4.Make sure the title is active and uses resume language like “Program Coordinator
(CB)”, “Program Assistant (CB),” “Events Manager, (CB)” and so on. Avoid vague terms
like “volunteer.”
5.Avoid language that focuses on any administrative work (i.e., paperwork, filing,
answering phones). We understand this is a part of positions, but not every detail
needs to be stated.

48. Interactive Activity
Take the sample form.
Narrow down (cluster some related
work) to a strong position description.

49. Here’s a great example…

50. reporting in
BWBRS

51. Getting This Into BWBRS
Agency view!
Looks like form!

52. Detailed Guide on Wiki
Adding Capacity Building Opportunities Survey to BWBRS

53. Detailed Guide on Wiki
Adding Capacity Building Opportunities Survey to BWBRS

54. Detailed Guide on Wiki
Adding Capacity Building Opportunities Survey to BWBRS
1.Check the appropriate boxes.
2.Add narrative response in text field.
3.The narrative should summarize the opportunities and
perhaps note which ones can be translated into positions.
For instance, you might write: "The agency wants a Program
Coordinator to develop a volunteer training handbook and
recruit additional student volunteers" or
""The agency wants a policy research team to find three
model organizations, propose recommendations for the
community, and write an issue brief."

55. tracking
accomplishments

56. What is your plan for collecting?
Collect and enter by January 31, 2015
Summative for the organization as a whole

57. Agency (not student) View
For example, the Boys & Girls Club had three students.
But the B&G Club only needs to reflect on the whole!
On reflection, the site supervisor might note things like:
• Volunteer program developed and policies updated
• 15 volunteers recruited
• 2 new curriculum modules developed
• 2 grant proposals developed (by different students)
• web page created
• issue brief written
You’ll need to enter relevant details by category. For example,
under Volunteer Management, you (or the partner) could note:
“ Volunteer program developed and policies updated. 15
volunteers recruited.”

58. Interactive Discussion (see ?s)
•Who is going to do this for your
program? What is the role of staff and
students? How will you prepare and
communicate this to community
partners clearly so that the
information is at-hand when you
need it?

59. Interactive Discussion (see ?s)
•How else can you use the
accomplishments data to celebrate the
work and accomplishments of your Bonners
and Bonner Program? Discuss how to
integrate and highlight program
achievements.
•How might your program benefit from
publicly communicating its
accomplishments and impact to your
institution and community?

60. Interactive Discussion (see ?s)
•For your program or
institution, what reports
would be helpful to generate
from the data in BWBRS?