Going Deeper

Assessing Your Readiness for a Stronger Anti-Poverty Role

This section helps your community foundation assess whether it has the knowledge, resources, skills, leadership, partnerships etc. in place to tackle a more strategic role in poverty work.

Why?

Making a stronger commitment to poverty reduction is good, and the examples in previous sections are inspiring. But before you launch a new direction, it's worth examining whether you have all the resources, skills, and relationships in the community you need to be successful. Take a moment to assess your strengths and identify gaps in your resources.

Top 3 Lessons Learned about Readiness

1. Start by thinking about the type of foundation you wish to be. Any decision about your approach should be driven by the foundation's reason for existence – its mandate, vision, mission – or the impact it intends to have.
2. Leadership and champions are essential. People with vision, skills and willingness to take calculated risks must champion this kind of initiative.
3. Taking on a strategic priority such as poverty will place demands on all aspects of the Foundation.

More Lessons Learned about Readiness

Tool: Readiness Questions

The questions in each section below can guide your assessment. Discuss them with your internal leadership group – Board, staff, advisors.

Download this table as a printable handout (PDF)

	Questions to ask
Mandate and Values	How does an expanded role in poverty fit with our mandate? Are the values of our community foundation compatible with this strengthening of poverty emphasis?
Knowledge and Expertise	Do we have the knowledge about poverty that we need? Do we have the knowledge we need about community change or collective action? Are we willing to engage in learning and commit to continuous learning at the board and staff levels? Do we have the skills and expertise we need for a new kind of activity – for example convening or evaluation?
Financial and Other Resources	What resources (e.g. time, money, materials, space, equipment) will be required? Are they available or can we get them? What human resources (staff, volunteers, community stakeholders) are available? How much time will it take for our staff/volunteers, and will that time compromise other activities of the organization? If so, how can we address that issue?
Community Partners	Who are the groups that have credibility in poverty work? Who are the other important stakeholders? Does the community foundation have the ability to bring them all to the table together? Does the foundation have the credibility and respect to bridge differences between the various groups? How will we include the voice of people living with poverty?
Profile in the Community and Risk	Are we well-enough known to bring this issue to the forefront in the community? Is our reputation strong enough to weather controversy? Is there a reason not to be doing this? If there is risk involved, to our reputation or to the success of our initiative, is the Board and staff willing to accept that risk?
Leadership and Timing	Does our current leadership have the background, knowledge, and skills necessary to lead this kind of initiative effectively? Do we anticipate changes in leadership soon, and if so, are successors ready, able and willing to follow this through? Is the timing right in the community and for the foundation? Do we need to go "full-throttle" on this? Or are there ways we can experiment or pilot this initiative?