The Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT), is a 146-question online survey that measures a nonprofit organization's effectiveness in relation to four core capacities—leadership, adaptability, management, and technical capacities—as well as organizational culture. Additionally, the tool helps organizations identify their lifecycle stage and provides a real-time findings report, a prioritized capacity-building plan, and the technology to generate self-selected benchmark reports from a national database of 2500+ nonprofits. The CCAT is the most comprehensive, valid, and reliable tool of its kind, and has been used by funders and nonprofits as a planning, capacity building, research, and evaluation tool.

Please click "About the CCAT" above for more information on the tool. If you are currently taking the CCAT, click on "Resources" above to access further information on getting started with the CCAT.

The size of a nonprofit's operating budget is not necessarily the best metric for determining its sustainability. This couldn't be more apparent in the current economic climate where many nonprofits have to make tough decisions about cutting programs and staff or shutting their doors altogether. TCC Group conducted a statistical analysis of the factors that correlate to organizational sustainability for approximately 700 nonprofit organizations that used its Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT). The paper highlights the three main factors that best predict a nonprofit's sustainability: leadership, adaptability, and program capacity. Please click here to download a copy of this report.

If your organization has taken the CCAT, review your scores in the chart above to see where your organization succeeds and where you need to prioritize specific capacity building strategies. The five sub-capacities highlighted are the top predictors of financial sustainability as determined in The Sustainability Formula. If you haven't taken the CCAT yet, you can purchase the CCAT here.