Organisational Resilience Check
The organisational resilience check is a tool to help you consider the different areas of your organisation, identify strengths and areas to develop.
The assessment is split into 12 themes. You can complete the full assessment and answer all of the questions, or you can complete just the sections that are relevant to your organisation.
Each of the 12 themes is split further into ‘sub-themes’ which include questions relevant to that sub-theme.
Before selecting your answer, we recommend that you discuss the questions with the people involved in each area of work. Different people may have different perspectives on the same issue or question. Hearing their views will help to identify the most accurate answer for your organisation.
Complete the assessment in the order listed, or use the navigation bars on the left-hand side of the page to complete themes in any order. You can save your answers as a draft and come back to them later, or mark the section as complete to submit your answers to that theme. Completed themes will show a tick symbol on the navigation bar, along with how long ago it was previously completed.
You can skip any themes that are not relevant by clicking the arrow keys at the bottom of the theme page, or by clicking the next theme title in the navigation bar. However, please note that you should avoid leaving a theme partially complete, because each unanswered question will be counted as 0% and lower that theme’s overall average score.
Read our Organisational Resilience Check Guidance page for more help.
Results
Once you have submitted your answers to each chosen theme, you can see an overview of your results by clicking the results tab at the bottom of the navigation bar, which includes charts that represent your average scores. You can also see a more detailed breakdown of each theme by clicking on the theme titles on the results page or navigation bar, which can help you prioritise areas for development. You can view and download your organisation’s results for all the themes from the results page.
Show question breakdown: To view your responses to each of the statements click on the toggle next to ‘Show question breakdown’ when on a theme’s results page. Your last saved response will be shown next to the statement.
Organisation results: As well as your own results, you can also view the merged results of everyone who is a member of the organisation by clicking on the toggle after ‘Show organisation results’. This toggle can be found on every page and on the main results page. You can also compare organisational results by adding in a past date of approximately when the last assessment was completed and clicking ‘compare’.
Next steps
The results of the Capacity for Conservation Organisational Resilience Check will give a good baseline of the institutional capacity of your organisation and can be used to inform organisational planning. If the self-assessment is repeated every year then trends in capacity development can be seen. Themes can be retaken independently; to do this click ‘Retake this theme’ button on a theme’s results page.
If you would like to work offline, you can download the Organisational Resilience Check template here.
Organisational Planning and Management
Organisational planning and management guides your organisation. This theme is about focusing your efforts and ensuring that everyone in the organisation is working towards a common goal and agrees how to get there.
Organisational planning & management therefore includes issues that clarify your goals, like vision, mission, and strategic planning. It also includes processes that keep everyone working together to achieve those goals, like annual operational plans, individual workplans, and organisational structure.
Read more about this themeResults: Organisational Planning and Management
Organisational planning and management guides your organisation. This theme is about focusing your efforts and ensuring that everyone in the organisation is working towards a common goal and agrees how to get there.
Organisational planning & management therefore includes issues that clarify your goals, like vision, mission, and strategic planning. It also includes processes that keep everyone working together to achieve those goals, like annual operational plans, individual workplans, and organisational structure.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Crisis Preparation and Response
Crisis preparation and response involves anticipating and mitigating future challenges but also, crucially, coping with crises that couldn’t be predicted or avoided, and adapting for continued growth.
An organisation that is prepared for a crisis will have an active risk management plan, identifying in advance what may affect operations and taking steps to avoid or mitigate them before they can occur. They will also have processes in place to cope if a crisis did occur, for example flexible resources to help cope during difficult periods. Underscoring all of this is the need to ensure staff well-being and create a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration.
Read more about this themeResults: Crisis Preparation and Response
Crisis preparation and response involves anticipating and mitigating future challenges but also, crucially, coping with crises that couldn’t be predicted or avoided, and adapting for continued growth.
An organisation that is prepared for a crisis will have an active risk management plan, identifying in advance what may affect operations and taking steps to avoid or mitigate them before they can occur. They will also have processes in place to cope if a crisis did occur, for example flexible resources to help cope during difficult periods. Underscoring all of this is the need to ensure staff well-being and create a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Leadership and Management
A leader is someone who has the ability to inspire and positively influence colleagues and the organisation. Leadership does not only come from the top of an organisation, but should be present at all levels. Managers have formal positions and line management responsibilities.
Leadership encompasses concepts such as knowing yourself, visioning, mentoring, constituency building, making sense of and challenging assumptions. Effective leadership increases legitimacy and contributes to organisational sustainability, effective and strategic partnerships, and high quality project delivery. Additionally, clear management is necessary to support and enable to staff in their roles and their own leadership growth.
Read more about this themeResults: Leadership and Management
A leader is someone who has the ability to inspire and positively influence colleagues and the organisation. Leadership does not only come from the top of an organisation, but should be present at all levels. Managers have formal positions and line management responsibilities.
Leadership encompasses concepts such as knowing yourself, visioning, mentoring, constituency building, making sense of and challenging assumptions. Effective leadership increases legitimacy and contributes to organisational sustainability, effective and strategic partnerships, and high quality project delivery. Additionally, clear management is necessary to support and enable to staff in their roles and their own leadership growth.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Governance
An organisation’s governing body gives it strategic direction, makes sure it does what it says it will, and holds senior management and the organisation as a whole accountable. Organisations with good governance have strong, effective governing bodies with clear processes, and diverse skills and perspectives. Examples of clear processes might include policies on Conflict of Interest, or Terms of Office. Additionally, good governance includes being transparent and accountable to stakeholders.
Examples of governing bodies include Boards, Councils or Trustees, although there are also other models. Below, we’ve used ‘Board/Council/Trustee’s to refer to any kind of governing body.
Read more about this theme
Results: Governance
An organisation’s governing body gives it strategic direction, makes sure it does what it says it will, and holds senior management and the organisation as a whole accountable. Organisations with good governance have strong, effective governing bodies with clear processes, and diverse skills and perspectives. Examples of clear processes might include policies on Conflict of Interest, or Terms of Office. Additionally, good governance includes being transparent and accountable to stakeholders.
Examples of governing bodies include Boards, Councils or Trustees, although there are also other models. Below, we’ve used ‘Board/Council/Trustee’s to refer to any kind of governing body.
Read more about this theme
No results yet.
Human Resources and Volunteer Management
Human resources and volunteer management is about how you manage the people power at your organisation so each individual performs to their best ability and can develop through their work. It’s also about making sure those people are appropriately cared for as they carry out that work.
Managing human resources involves more than recruiting staff and volunteers. It involves having appropriate policies and procedures in place (e.g. Code of conduct & Safeguarding, Complaints and conflict management, Whistleblowing, Health and safety, Recruitment, Salary levels, or Equal opportunities, etc.) and processes for enabling staff and volunteers to do their work well, like performance management and professional development.
Read more about this themeResults: Human Resources and Volunteer Management
Human resources and volunteer management is about how you manage the people power at your organisation so each individual performs to their best ability and can develop through their work. It’s also about making sure those people are appropriately cared for as they carry out that work.
Managing human resources involves more than recruiting staff and volunteers. It involves having appropriate policies and procedures in place (e.g. Code of conduct & Safeguarding, Complaints and conflict management, Whistleblowing, Health and safety, Recruitment, Salary levels, or Equal opportunities, etc.) and processes for enabling staff and volunteers to do their work well, like performance management and professional development.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Internal Communications
Internal Communications is about how people at the organisation share information with each other to do their work well together. Communicating effectively can improve efficiency, makes the most of other’s skills and experience, and avoids duplication. Conservation organisations with internal communications that support a cohesive organisational culture more effectively achieve their objectives. These organisations’ staff and leaders regularly share information for better collaboration, which includes having clear information management structures.
Below ‘team’ refers to a department or division of the organisation.
Read more about this themeResults: Internal Communications
Internal Communications is about how people at the organisation share information with each other to do their work well together. Communicating effectively can improve efficiency, makes the most of other’s skills and experience, and avoids duplication. Conservation organisations with internal communications that support a cohesive organisational culture more effectively achieve their objectives. These organisations’ staff and leaders regularly share information for better collaboration, which includes having clear information management structures.
Below ‘team’ refers to a department or division of the organisation.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Funding
Funding is about getting enough money into your organisation to carry out your work well. Organisations can improve financial resilience through funder diversification, securing unrestricted funding and building financial reserves. Effective fundraising requires careful planning; effective management of relationships with donors, members and partners; and strong processes for funding applications.
Read more about this themeResults: Funding
Funding is about getting enough money into your organisation to carry out your work well. Organisations can improve financial resilience through funder diversification, securing unrestricted funding and building financial reserves. Effective fundraising requires careful planning; effective management of relationships with donors, members and partners; and strong processes for funding applications.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Finance Management
Finance Management is about how an organisation manages money, including clear rules about how money is used, tracked, and accounted for. Effective finance management helps you be accountable to funders and to local stakeholders, use resources efficiently, and ensure your organisation’s financial sustainability.
Finance management includes financial procedures (for example: Banking & cash management; Income; Purchasing, including procurement; Payments, including salaries; Staff expenses, including petty cash), processes like auditing and complying with laws, and accounting. It also includes strong planning (budgeting) for the future, such as for financial sustainability. Policies on financial reserves and for calculating overheads into project budgets is one way to support organisational financial sustainability.
Read more about this themeResults: Finance Management
Finance Management is about how an organisation manages money, including clear rules about how money is used, tracked, and accounted for. Effective finance management helps you be accountable to funders and to local stakeholders, use resources efficiently, and ensure your organisation’s financial sustainability.
Finance management includes financial procedures (for example: Banking & cash management; Income; Purchasing, including procurement; Payments, including salaries; Staff expenses, including petty cash), processes like auditing and complying with laws, and accounting. It also includes strong planning (budgeting) for the future, such as for financial sustainability. Policies on financial reserves and for calculating overheads into project budgets is one way to support organisational financial sustainability.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Project Lifecycle
The Project Lifecycle is about making sure your organisation’s work is impactful in the way you want it to be. Good planning, monitoring and management saves you time and effort in the long run, and makes you more effective. It includes setting and achieving goals through planning, organising and directing implementation, monitoring your work’s impact and processes, and managing and reporting on your work.
Planning projects well is especially crucial to ensure your work is impactful and doesn’t cause harm. Policies or positions can support planning intentionally, for example on Human Rights; Stakeholder Engagement (including Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and Equity); Resettlement and Access Restrictions; Gender in Conservation; Conduct of staff towards local community stakeholders.
Read more about this themeResults: Project Lifecycle
The Project Lifecycle is about making sure your organisation’s work is impactful in the way you want it to be. Good planning, monitoring and management saves you time and effort in the long run, and makes you more effective. It includes setting and achieving goals through planning, organising and directing implementation, monitoring your work’s impact and processes, and managing and reporting on your work.
Planning projects well is especially crucial to ensure your work is impactful and doesn’t cause harm. Policies or positions can support planning intentionally, for example on Human Rights; Stakeholder Engagement (including Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and Equity); Resettlement and Access Restrictions; Gender in Conservation; Conduct of staff towards local community stakeholders.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Organisational Learning
A learning organisation is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights. Learning is particularly relevant to resilience, as it allows you to adapt after change or crisis. Organisational learning includes both cultivating an organisational culture of learning and having processes to encourage that learning, such as using results from monitoring.
Read more about this themeResults: Organisational Learning
A learning organisation is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights. Learning is particularly relevant to resilience, as it allows you to adapt after change or crisis. Organisational learning includes both cultivating an organisational culture of learning and having processes to encourage that learning, such as using results from monitoring.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
External Communications
External Communications is about telling people outside your organisation about your work. Communicating well with external audiences raises your organisation’s public profile and can help attract funding, recruit staff/volunteers, build networks, and raise awareness. As such, developing and maintaining a positive public image can help an organisation become more financially sustainable.
Conservation organisations with good external communications have a communications strategy that supports their organisational strategic plan, and intentionally communicate about their work and their goals through appropriate channels, which may include working with media.
Read more about this themeResults: External Communications
External Communications is about telling people outside your organisation about your work. Communicating well with external audiences raises your organisation’s public profile and can help attract funding, recruit staff/volunteers, build networks, and raise awareness. As such, developing and maintaining a positive public image can help an organisation become more financially sustainable.
Conservation organisations with good external communications have a communications strategy that supports their organisational strategic plan, and intentionally communicate about their work and their goals through appropriate channels, which may include working with media.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
Partnerships and Networks
Partnerships and Networks is about interacting with other key groups or individuals:
- To work together for increased reach and impact
- To build your organisation’s visibility and credibility, and
- To access to information, expertise and resources.
Some of those key groups may include NGOs, the private sector and government.
Read more about this themeResults: Partnerships and Networks
Partnerships and Networks is about interacting with other key groups or individuals:
- To work together for increased reach and impact
- To build your organisation’s visibility and credibility, and
- To access to information, expertise and resources.
Some of those key groups may include NGOs, the private sector and government.
Read more about this themeNo results yet.
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