What to Know Before You Get Started

Is This The Right Tool For You?

NCAT is a self-guided tool designed to help nonprofit organizations evaluate their capacity across key areas like governance, planning, programs, and internal culture. Its purpose is to provide a clear snapshot of your organization’s strengths and areas for growth, using plain language and actionable criteria. By identifying gaps and highlighting what’s working well, NCAT empowers teams to make informed decisions, prioritize improvements, and strengthen their overall effectiveness. Whether you're planning for the future or simply want to take stock of where you are, NCAT offers a practical starting point for strategic growth.

The NCAT is designed to serve a wide range of nonprofits, with tailored assessments for varying organizational sizes. To determine the most appropriate assessment for your organization, you’ll indicate your organization's average operating budget size at check-out.

It's important to note that the NCAT is best suited for organizations with a certain level of operational maturity. Specifically, organizations should possess:

Dedicated staff
A functioning Board of Directors
Multiple active programs
Established systems, policies, and procedures

Organizations that are very small or in their early stages of development may find other resources more impactful. If you're unsure whether the NCAT is right for you, or if you'd like to explore alternative development opportunities, please contact NPP at info@yournpp.org for personalized assistance.

Nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members who want a clearer picture of their organization’s strengths, gaps, and growth opportunities. The tool can also be very helpful for nonprofit associations or capacity-building organizations that want to provide access to a tool focused on organizational capacity and sustainability. In addition, funders of nonprofits who want to support the development of their grantees might consider adding this tool to their grantmaking mix.

The assessment tool is a high-value resource designed to support nonprofits in strengthening their organizational capacity across multiple key areas. While it is available for purchase by any organization, members receive access to the tool at a significantly reduced rate as part of their membership benefits. This is one of many strategic advantages available to members who invest in a deeper relationship with our network. By joining as a member, you're not just saving on the tool—you’re unlocking a broader ecosystem of support, resources, and capacity-building opportunities tailored to help your organization thrive.

The stand alone assessment cost for a one-year subscription is $400 for small organizations and $800 for large organizations. Again, the assessment combined with membership comes at a significantly reduced cost.

After the Assessment

Follow-Up & Support

Support is absolutely available after completing the assessment. If you're a member, you’ll receive personalized follow-up support to help you interpret your results and identify next steps. We can also connect you with trusted consultants or point you toward curated resources tailored to the specific areas you want to strengthen. Whether you're looking to dive deeper into strategic planning, board development, HR, or financial sustainability, we’re here to help guide you on your next steps.

Your individual results remain confidential, but the collective insights help us make sure our offerings are aligned with what nonprofits truly need. We will use the results to help shape and tailor our programming to better meet the needs of our nonprofit community. By understanding common strengths and challenges across organizations, we can design trainings, resources, and support services that are more relevant, timely, and impactful.

Start Strengthening Your Nonprofit Today

Join our membership to access the assessment tool as part of a powerful suite of resources—or purchase the tool on its own to start your organization’s journey today.

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