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Self-Assessment Tools

You would like to assess how your organization is performing? You would like to improve, but you do not know which specific areas of your organization need to be upgraded? You need some tools to identify these areas? The OA Tools database is what you need!

We have included over 60 practical tools for you to be able to conduct your self-assessment, whatever your sector, your interest, or your experience. These tools are classified in the following database from which you can search for the ones most appropriate to your organization. You can search the ideal tool:

  • by keywords
  • by type of organization (profit, non-profit, donors/grantmakers, governmental agencies/organizations)
  • by area of the Universalia IOA Model (organizational capacity, external environment, organizational motivation, organizational performance)

A description is provided for each tool, detailing the aspects of the assessment it is concentrating on and whom it addresses to. We hope you find the tool you need to conduct your assessment. Feel free to suggest us new tools.

We also suggest that you try the Universalia-IDRC Development Agency Performance web-based self diagnostic tool.  This tool will help you rate your own organization's capabilities on a set of selected factors that influence performance, this in entire confidentiality. Upon the completion of the diagnostic assessment tool, you will receive a summary report via email. The results will give you an overview of where your organization is now and will establish what areas would be most useful for you and your individual situation to focus on.

Academy for Educational Development (AED) Organizational Capacity Self-Assessment Tool - Guidelines for Developing an Organizational Training Plan

—Word Document, free

Initially drafted for the Croatia's Non-Governmental Sector (CroNGO), this offline questionnaire will be usefull to all NGOs who wish to self-assess their capacity in the following areas: human resources, governance, constituence, monitoring and evalution processes, and planning.  For each area, determined open-ended questions are to discuss in group, with the help of a facilitator.

http://ccsg.fhi360.org/resources/tools/IDAssess.doc
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity
Keywords:
Offline survey, Management Capacity, Monitoring, Evaluation processes, Constituency, Governance, Human resources, Planning

Action Management Associates Short Organizational Assessment Survey

—Website, Free

This tool will help you “measure your organization's critical thinking effectiveness” in a very short time, through 11 multiple-choice questions. After having completed the online assessment, you will obtain a free report suggesting concrete actions to undertake to improve “the problem solving capabilities of your company, your department, or your team.”

http://actionm.com/assessment
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All, Energy, Finance, IT, Marketing
Area of the IOA Model:
Performance
Keywords:
Short, Free report, Problem solving, Online assesment, Critical thinking, Effectiveness

Authenticity Consulting Checklist of Non-profit Organizational Indicators

—Website, free

This website provides non-profit organisations with different a checklist of indicators for each of the following organisational aspect: legal, governing board, human resources, planning, financial, and fundraising. You can select any the list(s) that are of interest for you. These checklists will help you identify and understand the organisation's "management needs and/or make improvements to management operations." In sum, it will help the organisation focus on the right aspects to become more effective and efficient.

http://www.managementhelp.org/org_eval/uw_list.htm
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Environment, Performance
Keywords:
Online checklist, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Legal, Governance, Human resources, Planning, Fundraising, Financial

Authenticity Consulting Non-profit Organizational Assessment Survey

—Website, Free

This online survey (approx. 100 multiple choice questions) will help you determine the quality of your non-profit organisation practices. Filling the survey requires a good knowledge of the organisation, i.e. it is helpful to know its next 12 months priorities, legal management, governing board, staff and volunteer human resources, strategic planning, program planning, organizational and program evaluations, fundraising, and financial management. The results analysis gives you the strengths and weaknesses of your organisation.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=3754722401
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Environment, Performance
Keywords:
Online survey, Determine quality, Legal, Governance, Human resources, Planning, Fundraising, Financial

Authenticity Consulting Organizational Performance Management

—Website, free

This webpage is a source of links and references for familiarizing with organizations (basics, dimensions, life cycles, etc.), their management and their performance measurements through organizational assessment. Navigating through given links and in the Free Management Library is a good way to discover many introductory resources for organizations and their assessment.

http://www.managementhelp.org/org_perf/org_perf.htm
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Performance
Keywords:
Organizational performance, Introductory, Results analysis, Examples, Free Management Library, Organizational change, Organizational development

Balanced Scorecard Institute Performance Measure/Metrics

—Website, free

Navigating through this website will introduce you to the Balanced Scorecard strategic planning and management system. Two main steps of the evaluation make the Balanced Scorecard distinctive from other measurement tools. First, the organisation's Strategic Objectives are identified and second, the organisation finds the performance measurements indicators that will perfectly suits these objectives. That way, the organization effectiveness and efficiency could be really measured - correctly measuring the gap between actual and targeted performance.

http://www.balancedscorecard.org/BSCResources/PerformanceMeasurement/tabid/59/Default.aspx
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Performance
Keywords:
Efficiency, Balanced scorecard, Strategic objectives, Indicators, Performance, Effectiveness

Barefoot Guide 1 - Working with Organisations and Social Change

—PDF, Free

"This is a practical, do-it-yourself guide for leaders and facilitators wanting to help organisations to function and to develop in more healthy, human and effective ways as they strive to make their contributions to a more humane society. It has been developed by the Barefoot Collective.

The guide, with its supporting website, includes tried and tested concepts, approaches, stories and activities. Its purpose is to help stimulate and enrich the practice of anyone supporting organisations and social movements in their challenges of working, learning, growing and changing to meet the needs of our complex world. Although it is aimed at leaders and facilitators of civil society organisations, we hope it will be useful to anyone interested in fostering healthy human organisation in any sphere of life."

http://www.barefootguide.org/barefoot-guide-1.html
Type of Organization:
Donors / grantmakers / funders, Governmental agencies / departments / organizations, Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
CSO, Learning, Social Change, Organizational change

Barefoot Guide 2 - Learning Practices in Organisations and Social Change

—PDF, Free

"This is a practical resource for leaders, facilitators and practitioners wanting to improve and enrich their learning processes. It is intended for individuals, organisations and for social change practice in the field.

This is not just another book on organisational learning and social change. It is different in that it was not written by one person. Neither is it a collection of essays written by different people. This book is the joint effort of a group of development practitioners from across the globe. It was designed and written during three intensive, participatory writing workshops known as ‘writeshops’. Through this process we have created something to help us and others to start, and continue, a more fruitful journey towards learning and social change."

http://www.barefootguide.org/barefoot-guide-2.html
Type of Organization:
Donors / grantmakers / funders, Governmental agencies / departments / organizations, Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
CSO, Learning, Social Change, Organizational change

Bruner Foundation Effectiveness Initiatives: Evaluative Thinking Assessment Tool

—Excel Document, free

This tool provides all interested organizations with an comprehensive assessment tool.  Format of the tool is an Excel file. Indications are provided and entering the data in the tables is easy; final results are automatically compiled into a spreadsheet and a graph, allowing you to see how your organization is performing.  "The tool specifically focuses on indicators of evaluative thinking for a critical subset of organizational capacities at a particular point in time: Mission, Strategic Planning, Governance, Finance, Leadership, Fund Development/Raising, Evaluation, Client Relationships, Program Development, Communication & Marketing, Technology Acquisition & Training, Staff Development, Human Resources, Business Venture Development and Alliances and Collaborations." 

http://www.evaluativethinking.org/
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
Leadership, Partnerships, Communication, Mission, Program design, Finance, Development needs, Marketing, Strategic planning, Technologies, Evaluation processes, Training, Governance, Human resources, Fundraising

Business Models for Research Institutions

—PDF, FREE

Universalia has been working on a research paper meant to understand whether or not the “business model” concept is applicable to non-for-profit organizations, and more particularly to research institutions in developing countries. Can we apply private sector knowledge and terminology to non-for-profit organizations? If so, how useful could it be for these organizations to remain relevant, attract more resources and be sustainable?

http://documents.reflectlearn.org/Offline%20OA%20Tools/Business%20models%20paper_FINAL.pdf
Type of Organization:
Donors / grantmakers / funders, Governmental agencies / departments / organizations, Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
business models, relevance, Change, Research and analysis