The ASPIRES Project 

(Abilities, Skills, Processes, Instincts, and Resources Equitably Strengthened)

Heart of Missouri United Way is excited to bring The ASPIRES Project to the local nonprofit community. This United Way capacity building project for local nonprofit organizations is designed to help build organizational capacity to achieve their short-term goals and long-term mission. United Way’s ASPIRES Project is made possible through a partnership with the City of Columbia. This project further extends a meaningful partnership between United Way and the City, allowing us to significantly expand the capacity of our community’s nonprofit organizations.
 
The ASPIRES Project will bring much-needed resources to our community and the nonprofit organizations serving those who are most in-need. This will be done by using the Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT), evidence-based organizational assessment tool to identify organizational challenges and opportunities, identify and prioritize capacity needs, and develop an action plan. The project will also deliver group sessions for capacity building to address collective trends identified within the nonprofit organizations participating in CCAT. Those organizations will also have the opportunity to use their assessment results to request ASPIRES Project funding for their most critically needed capacity building services. The ASPIRES Project has built-in measures designed to maintain the ongoing knowledge of a nonprofit organization’s advancement within its capacity lifecycle, allowing the organization to continue addressing needs as prioritized by the assessment.
 
Because we know advancement of capacity for the local nonprofit sector is just as important as that of individual organizations, The ASPIRES Project will also deliver capacity building FREE Quarterly Nonprofit Classes. These classes are open to any local nonprofit organization and will be limited to first come first served.
 
The overarching goal of the ASPIRES Project is to increase capacity for local nonprofit organizations to support a collective effect on the capacity of the local nonprofit sector and our community’s infrastructure.

What’s coming up in the ASPIRES Project?

  • Click here for classes open to all local nonprofits.
  • Click here for opportunities available to nonprofit organizations interested in building their organizations capacity through ongoing assessment.