Setting up a new organization or a new funding program is an exciting time. In addition to the business of developing a program and starting to make grants, this is an ideal time to build in the commitment to for critical reflection. Organizations need to continually assess how the organization is doing and then using that assessment to adapt the organization, the program and the systems based on lessons learned in the early years. This ensures both that the foundational ground work is strong and that the ability to reflect and adapt is built into the organizational culture. Depending on the nature of the funder (private, public, corporate, institutional), we develop a review framework to assess its competencies in all areas of its work. In this part of work, we use organizational development metrics that are common in current systems thinking and organizational development literature.
In the context of its mandate of conservation/demand management, the OPA created the Conservation Fund to provide assistance to replicable sector-specific conservation education and electricity reduction pilot projects that foster the development of a culture of conservation across the many sectors of Ontario's economy. Built into their charter is a requirement for an annual review of the Fund that addressed all aspects of it governance, operations, financial management, and program effectiveness. We developed a detailed framework looking at four areas - leadership, management, capacity to adapt, and technical capacity. Using key stakeholder interviews as well as on-line survey responses, we provided an operational assessment together with recommendations for building on strengths and highlighting areas for improvement. In this particular case, we noted that these were early days for the Conservation Fund, and our analysis was completed and framed within this context.