Capacity within citizen science extends beyond financial resources to include a wide range of organisational and relational factors (Wigboldus et al., 2016).

These factors include coordination skills, governance arrangements, technical infrastructure, partnerships, and the ability to sustain motivation and engagement over time. Projects that focus narrowly on financial growth may overlook the importance of these broader dimensions.

For example, a project with strong funding but weak governance or limited participation may struggle to sustain itself in the long term. Conversely, initiatives with strong relationships and organisational learning may remain resilient even under resource constraints.

Recognising capacity in this broader sense allows projects to make more balanced and realistic decisions about scaling.

Click here to go to the next page