case study

Assessment Design: OCA assessment looking at 9 categories of organizational capacity for three local organizations in Maputo, Inhambane and Nampula Provinces

Organizational Capacity Categories:

• • • • • 1. Identity and constituency;
          2. Governance and leadership;
          3. Structures and systems (including financial management, procurement, human resources, security management);
          4. Resource Management;
          5. Monitoring and Evaluation;
          6. Implementation and Learning;
          7. Participation and Protection;
          8. Working with Partners;
          9. Communication and Media.

Key Results: All three organizations demonstrated strong community engagement, commitment to beneficiary protection, and effective collaboration with partners. Four indicators—sustainability, security policy, risk management, and communication policy—emerged as common priorities across all partners. Additional shared gaps included salary structure alignment, feedback and information-sharing mechanisms, and basic safety equipment, prioritized by at least two organizations. These areas reflect the collective need to strengthen internal systems, risk preparedness, and human resource stability.

Study Successes: The participatory nature of the assessment, involving organizational self-assessments combined with third party verifications was highly valued by the organizations.  It not only allowed for transparent scoring on the assessment but was a learning opportunity for organizations to understand what criteria are needed to advance to a higher level. Deliberate pre-planning with each organization encouraged a positive growth mindset during the assessment, preventing defensiveness and the sense of being judged.

Lessons Learned: After the initial OCA assessment workshop and action planning, a second short workshop is needed to have organizations review their actions plans and make them more detailed and actionable.  Guidance in prioritization was useful to help organizations prioritize growth indicators rather than the indicators easiest to change. Donor investment in organizations’ action plans is essential, and the commitment and investment was clearly outlined in the organizations’ action plans.