Building Capacity for Simply Amazing, a Nonprofit

Abstract

This capstone project focused on assessing the current health of Simply Amazing (SA), a community-based nonprofit organization, and how to build capacity to achieve its goal of expansion and growth. Founded in 2018, Simply Amazing (SA) is a 501 (c)(3) private foundation inspired by Emily Smith. SA was founded by Emily Smith's mother, Susan Walts-Hieptas, immediately after Emily’s passing from a fentanyl overdose on November 22, 2017. Simply Amazing's mission is to provide art and craft supplies that inspire creativity and empower deserving children. The study addressed two questions: 1) What types of critical strengths does SA possess within dimensions of organizational capacity (vision and mission, leadership, resources, outreach, and products and services)? 2) What types of critical challenges does SA face related to these dimensions of organizational capacity, and how should the organization address these challenges? These questions are relevant and directly pertain to SA’s sustainability and the organization's desire for growth and expansion. A literature review was conducted, looking into areas of capacity building, leadership, volunteer recruitment, organizational story, and social media presence. De Vita, Fleming, and Twombly (2001) Framework for Addressing Non-Profit Capacity Building was selected as the study’s theoretical framework, as its capacity building for nonprofit community-based organizations was found in much of the literature as relevant to understanding the process. Data sources collected for the study included semi structured interviews, a survey and documentation analysis. The study shed light on eight findings concerning the two research questions.