Resource sharing means that knowledge, training, cultural practices, and material support are shared equitably among partners in a field or work. Global North nonprofit and systems spaces often frame this as “capacity-building.” These systems understand capacity as an organisation’s or individual’s ability to do something reasonably well. Capacity can refer to time: “I don’t have capacity to take on leadership of a new programme right now with everything else I’m already doing.” It can refer to staffing or funding: “Our organisation doesn’t have the capacity to take on the new programme without finding funding for additional staff.” It can refer to skill or familiarity: “We are working on building our capacity to better serve 2SLGBTQIA+ community members through trainings and weekly discussion groups.” In this framing, individuals can build their capacity through training, learning, and supervised practice. Organisations can build their capacity through strategic development, training, and ongoing technical assistance.

The framing of “capacity-building” assumes a giver of knowledge and resources and a receiver, thus reinforcing a power dynamic. In reality, in equitable spaces resources are shared freely, rather than hoarded and only given out under specific conditions. Community-led development centres the needs and definitions of the community, rather than the frameworks and resources of external actors. Community organising and movement building strengthen relationships, co-creation, collective power, and collective decision-making, rather than resources trickling down through a stream of capacity-building activities. Just as CTI defines resources broadly, we recognise that when resources are shared everyone’s capacity increases — even that of the organisations with resources to offer.

Resources: Taking British politics and colonialism out of our language