December
25 - 31, 2011
Board Leadership Resources
Consultant Robert C. Harris has complied an excellent collection of practical
tools for managing various aspects of board operations. Go to:
www.rchcae.com
December
18 - 24, 2011
Next Generation Organizations: 9 Key Traits
According to Compasspoint Nonprofit Services
based in San Francisco, We have heard much about next generation
leaders but little about the way their leadership styles are embodied inside
organizational walls. What exactly does next generation leadership entail, how
are their organizations structured, what practices are in place, what do their
boards look like, and how are operations adapted? CompassPoint has identified a
set of 9 characteristics that we think demonstrate how next generation leaders
are transforming their organizations to operate in a fundamentally different way
to raise the bar on mission impact. To access a monograph describing the Next
Generation Organization featuring case examples as well as a companion self
assessment tool, go to:
www.compasspoint.org/nextgenorgs
December
11 - 17, 2011
Energize, Inc. "News in the Volunteer Field" Blog
Energize, Inc. has launched the "News in the
Volunteer Field" Blog. The newest post will always be visible from the Energize,
Inc. Web site homepage. This blog is a place for leaders of volunteers to share
and talk about timely, noteworthy events, resources, programs, and people in
volunteerism. Connect with this Blog to keep informed about:
 |
Trends or events having an impact on
volunteering |
|
|
New ideas in volunteer management |
|
|
Free or low-cost materials for leading
volunteers effectively |
|
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News-to-use in daily work with volunteers |
Go to:
blog.energizeinc.com
December
4 - 10, 2011
Nonprofit Collaboration Database
In addition to identifying and showcasing exceptional nonprofit collaboration
efforts, The Collaboration Prize, supported by the Lodestar Foundation, provides
models and best practices for the field through the Nonprofit Collaboration
Database, a resource for everyone seeking real-life examples of how nonprofit
organizations are working together. The database is housed with the Foundation
Center. The database contains detailed information on 250 collaborations
nominated for the 2009 Prize, and will be further expanded to include new
collaboration models resulting from the 2011 Prize process, as well as other
examples that are not part of The Collaboration Prize project of nonprofits
working together. Information is arranged by searchable categories, including
ways to collaborate, reasons to collaborate, challenges and outcomes. Go to:
collaboration.foundationcenter.org
November
27 - December 3, 2011
Non-Profits: Sample Forms and Policies
The new IRS Form 990 requires the organization to adopt a number of policies
in order to comply with the standards of governance, accountability and
transparency. The following samples have been compiled and developed by Wegner
CPAs based in Wisconsin. Go to:
www.wegnercpas.com
November
13 - 26, 2011
Tools for Capacity Building
The National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA)
has compiled an excellent collection of capacity building tools and resources
for nonprofits. Go to:
www.councilofnonprofits.org
November
6 - 12, 2011
Accounting Procedures Manual Template
Blue Avocado Magazine has provided a template for developing an accounting
procedures manual for your nonprofit. It was developed by
Deborah Cooper of the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN), along with
Meredeth Clark (also from CAN) and Steve Zimmerman, C.P.A., of Spectrum
Nonprofit Services. Go to:
www.blueavocado.org
October
30 - November 5, 2011
Nonprofit Tips Phone App
From the publisher: Smart tips at your fingertips. Whether you work or volunteer
for a nonprofit organization – or would like to – this app is for you. Need to
chair a committee? Planning a fundraising event or board retreat? Thinking about
joining a board? Want to know more about nonprofit budgets? View a daily tip
that can help you and your favorite cause be more effective and efficient.
Search related categories and terms. Designate favorites and add notes to
stimulate discussion at your next meeting. Or simply share a smart thought with
colleagues and friends. Features Display a daily tip with brief commentary.
Touch a category to view related tips or search by keyword or tip number. Save
or share a tip or edit your favorites list. Add and save your notes about a tip.
Shake your device to reload the current day. Go to:
appshopper.com/business/nonprofittips
October
23 - 29, 2011
Top 10 Tips for Running a Good Nonprofit Hiring Process
Any hiring process takes thoughtful planning. But for nonprofit organizations,
which often face time and money constraints, and whose staff are highly driven
by passion and commitment to a cause, the planning process takes on new meaning.
It becomes even more important in this type of environment to ensure that the
hiring process is done efficiently, and reaps the best candidates for the senior
roles that nonprofits seek to fill. To explore how to run a good process, The
Bridgespan Group interviewed Tom Friel, the retired chairman and chief executive
officer of Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and a senior advisor to The
Bridgespan Group. In this article, he shares his top 10 tips on running an
effective hiring process. Go to:
www.bridgestar.org
October
16 - 22, 2011
Finding Your Funding Model: A Practical Approach to Nonprofit
Sustainability
The Bridgespan Group’s latest guide, "Finding
Your Funding Model: A Practical Approach to Nonprofit Sustainability," outlines
a six-step journey to identifying and building the funding model that is right
for your organization. Building on years of primary research and consulting
experience with dozens of nonprofits, The Bridgespan Group has developed an
approach to help organizations identify and develop funding models that can best
position them to achieve programmatic aspirations. Finding Your Funding Model
provides practical guidance for the steps required, and the decisions and
tradeoffs to be made, that will confront nonprofit leaders along the way. Go to:
www.bridgespan.org
October
9 - 15, 2011
Best Practice Briefs
Between 1998 and 2005, University-Community Partnerships at Michigan State
University's Office of University Outreach and Engagement published a series of
34 Best Practice Briefs. The briefs were designed to summarize research-based
information about human service concepts, processes, models, and tools for
funders, policy makers, and service organizations. The full series is archived
here in PDF format. Use the navigation bar on the left of the webpage to browse
the series by topic, or link directly to the PDF files listed at the site. Go
to:
outreach.msu.edu
October
2 - 8, 2011
Stepping Up, Staying Engaged: Succession Planning and
Executive Transition Management for Nonprofit Boards of Directors
Staying Engaged, Stepping Up is the fifth volume of a monograph series on
executive transitions and executive transition management, funded by the Evelyn
and Walter Haas, Jr. Family Fund and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This
publication focuses particularly on board leaders. It provides a set of
practical perspectives, hands-on tools, brief case studies, and useful resources
to help board chairs, officers, and members take a proactive approach to
preparing their organizations for a transition. To download a copy, go to:
www.aecf.org
September
25
- October 1, 2011
Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI)
TRASI is a project of the Foundation Center, developed in partnership with
McKinsey & Co. and with input from experts in the field, to address the growing
interest in measuring impact. The TRASI database of tools and resources includes
information on approaches to impact assessment, guidelines for creating and
conducting an assessment, and ready-to-use tools for measuring social change.
You can browse over 150 tools, methods, and best practices in the TRASI
database. Sort by name, sponsor, or approach type. For a complete overview of an
approach, click on its name. For more information, go to:
trasi.foundationcenter.org
September 18
- 24, 2011
Nonprofit Voter Engagement Webinars
Nonprofit VOTE hosts webinars on a variety of
voter engagement topics, designed specifically with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit
community in mind. Topics range from how to plan and execute voter engagement
activities at your nonprofit to best practices for encouraging clients and
constituents to vote on election days. Use the links provided to watch the
recorded webinar online, or download each webinar's PowerPoint presentation and
associated audio file. Select a topic from the menu provided or simply browse
through the webinar offerings. Go to:
www.nonprofitvote.org
September 11
- 17, 2011
Nonprofit Law Blog
The Nonprofit Law Blog Is published by Gene
Takagi and Emily Chan of the NEO Law Group. The blog includes a number of
nonprofit law articles and resources that will be of great use to staff and
board members of nonprofit organizations. Go to:
www.nonprofitlawblog.com
August
28 - September 10, 2011
Finding Your Funding Model: A Practical Approach to Nonprofit
Sustainability
Developing a funding strategy that leads to financial sustainability is
central to any nonprofit's ability to increase its impact. Building on years of
primary research and consulting experience with dozens of nonprofits, The
Bridgespan Group has developed an approach to help organizations identify and
develop funding models that can best position them to achieve programmatic
aspirations. Finding Your Funding Model provides practical guidance for the
steps required, and the decisions and tradeoffs to be made, that will confront
nonprofit leaders along the way. This detailed guide outlines a six step journey
to identify and build the funding model that is right for your organization. Go
to:
www.bridgespan.org
August
21 - 27, 2011
Outcome Indicators Project
The Outcome Indicators Project provides a framework for tracking nonprofit
performance. It suggests candidate outcomes and outcome indicators to assist
nonprofit organizations that seek to develop new outcome monitoring processes or
improve their existing systems. The Outcome Framework is applied to 14 program
areas. For each program, there is a sample mission statement, an outcome
sequence chart, a table of candidate program-specific outcomes, and data
collection strategies with suggested data sources for each outcome indicator.
For convenience, the outcome sequence chart and table of candidate
program-specific outcomes are available for download. The sequence chart is an
MS Word document and the table is an MS Excel spreadsheet. The program reports
are available as PDFs. An excellent resource. Go to:
www.urban.org
August
14 - 20, 2011
Red Beans & Rice Newsletter
Red Beans & Rice is a weekly e-mail of interesting articles, funding
resources, professional development opportunities and other areas related to the
nonprofit and philanthropic sector. The newsletter is edited by John Brothers,
Principal of Cuidiu Consulting. An excellent resource! Go to:
Red Beans & Rice Newsletter
August 7 - 13, 2011
Best Web Sites To Find Grants
The Best Web Sites To Find Grants has been compiled by Don Griesmann. The
list includes links to U.S. foundations and corporations and for the United
Kingdom, Canada and Australia. There are data banks aimed at international NGOs.
There are specialized banks for animals, women, human rights, health, the
environment and international development. Griesmann has included what he
considers to be the best data banks for U.S. government funds including funds
for international purposes. Some of the data banks require a user name, a
password and an e-mail address. In some instances your account will require
activation through a return e-mail to you to be returned to them or clicking on
a link. To access this amazing resource, go to:
dongriesmannsnonprofitblog.blogspot.com
July
31 - August 6, 2011
Using Social Media Platforms to Amplify Public Health
Messages
In partnership with Ogilvy PR, Alexandra Hughes of the Georgetown
University's Center for Social Impact Communication researched and developed a
white paper that examines how to leverage the opportunities social media
provides by identifying tenets and best practices for public health-driven
social media, as well as provides insights into how to reach and engage key
consumer and provider audiences. Using Social Media Platforms to Amplify Public
Health Messages was informed by a review of the publicly-available public health
and social marketing literature, strategies and tactics employed by public
health campaigns that have successfully utilized social media to affect audience
attitudes, behaviors and/or awareness of an issue, and one-on-one interviews
with public health, social marketing and social media subject-matter experts
across the country. To download the white paper, go to:
smexchange.ogilvypr.com
July
24 - 30, 2011
Succession Planning for Nonprofits:
Free Tools, Templates and Guides
The transition of a nonprofit’s executive director can have enormous impact
on an organization’s sustainability. CompassPoint’s Executive Transitions
Program has produced a number of free downloadable resources that will provide
your organization some practical guidance to use in succession planning. To
access templates, surveys, guides and checklists, go to:
www.compasspoint.org/et
July
17 - 23, 2011
Organizing Toolbox
The New Organizing Institute is offering their Organizing Toolbox online at
no charge. The extensive collection of training materials, first written by
Marshall Ganz of Harvard’s Leading Change Project, and refined by thousands of
organizers in the field, provide the basic tools for effective organizing that
can result in concrete change. Under each lesson you’ll find a video of a
trainer leading that session, a participant guide to walk you through key
teachings and small group practice sessions. If you want to train others you’ll
also find the PowerPoint and trainer’s notes to help you out. Go to:
neworganizing.com
July
10 - 16, 2011
The Online Fundraiser's Checklist 2.0
Network for Good has put together a collection of 10 checklists that cover
essential basics of online fundraising: your website home page, donation form,
writing style, email lists, email campaigns, thank-you programs, and creating
and marketing your next event. Check the boxes on these worksheets, and if you
don’t score well, use the helpful (and free!) resources listed on the bottom of
the page to improve your online fundraising practices. To download this
resource, go to:
www.fundraising123.org
July
3 - 9, 2011
Daring to Lead 2011 — National Study on Executive Leadership
CompassPoint has just released Daring to Lead 2011–a national study of more
than 3,000 nonprofit executives. Two out of three leaders anticipate leaving
within 5 years, though some have delayed transition because of the recession.
Indeed the recession has raised executive anxiety levels and forced one in four
leaders to shrink their organizations. To download the complete report and
access an interactive website where you can search all of the findings on
compensation, turnover, and more, go to:
daringtolead.org
June
26 - July 2, 2011
Ten Tactics for Engaging the Public
How can online tools help you engage citizens in public decision-making and
problem-solving? What are the most common mistakes being made by public managers
and other leaders as they try to work with the public online? In a given
scenario, which tools and tactics seem most appropriate and effective? Using
Online Tools to Engage – and be Engaged by – the Public, a new report from the
IBM Center for the Business of Government, delves into these questions,
describes a range of scenarios and tactics, and gives real-world examples of
online engagement. It highlights over 40 different technologies in use today to
support various kinds of public participation. Though it was compiled for use by
governments, the report and the tools listed in this table are also worth
considering for nonprofits that wish to engage their stakeholders online. To
download this resource, go to:
www.businessofgovernment.org
June
19 - 25, 2011
Imagine Canada's Nonprofit Library
Imagine Canada is a national charitable organization whose mission is to
support and strengthen Canada’s charities and nonprofits so they can, in turn,
support the Canadians and communities they serve. Imagine Canada’s Nonprofit
Library is the largest online resource center for people who work in Canada's
charities and nonprofits. The Nonprofit Library offers recommended resource
lists and a searchable database to the John Hodgson Library collection, the most
comprehensive collection of Canadian research and practical resources in the
following areas: governance & accountability, philanthropy & fundraising,
organizational management, human resources and volunteerism. Non-Canadian
nonprofits will find Imagine Canada’s library to be of great support to their
work as well. To access this extensive Library, go to:
library.imaginecanada.ca
June
12 - 18, 2011
Donated Goods and Services for Nonprofits
Good360, a registered 501(c)(3), is an innovative online marketplace where
product donations from America's top brands become goods for the greater good.
Register today to browse our online catalog, arrange for direct shipping or
pick-ups in your neighborhood, and connect with local donors for recurring
pick-ups. Corporate partners include Home Depot, HP, Bed Bath and Beyond and
many more. Go to:
http://good360.org
June 5
- 11, 2011
Key Elements of Effectiveness: Bridgespan’s Organization
Wheel
High performing nonprofits think about their organizations as much more than
the boxes and lines on an “org chart.” The Bridgespan Group finds that truly
effective organizations exhibit strengths in five key interrelated areas:
leadership, decision-making and structure, people, work processes and systems,
and culture. Effective organizations pay attention to 10 key characteristics
across these five areas. For example, effective leadership requires having a
clear vision that is translated into well understood priorities, and supported
by a cohesive and aligned leadership team. For more information on these
important capacity building framework, go to:
www.bridgestar.org
May
29 - June 4, 2011
Connected Citizens: The Power, Peril and Potential of
Networks
Open-source projects and grassroots collective action are important sources
of inspiration for 21st-century civic engagement, enabling us to combine the
creativity and transparency of open innovation with community organizing’s
relational abilities and courage to confront power. This is the message of a new
report, “Connected Citizens: The Power, Peril and Potential of Networks,”
released by Monitor Institute and Knight Foundation. The report examines the
role of networks in linking up citizens, with the goal of increasing
participation in community leadership. The report looked at 70 projects that use
an open and decentralized network-centric approach. Many of the projects “are
technologically enabled,” says the report. “Others are rooted in in-person
relationships. Most combine online and offline interaction, as well as insights
from the open-source movement and grassroots organizing. Five patterns emerged
for good network building:
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Listening to and consulting the crowds:
Actively listening to online conversations and openly asking for advice |
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Designing for serendipity: Creating
environments, in person and online, where helpful connections can form |
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Bridging differences: Deliberately
connecting people with different perspectives |
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Catalyzing mutual support: Helping people
directly help each other |
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Providing handrails for collective action:
Giving enough direction for individuals to take effective and
coordinated action |
The Connected Citizens report details each of these five patterns, with
examples and case studies. It has an accompanying website. To access the report
and the website, go to
www.knightfoundation.org
May
22 - 28, 2011
Participatory Action Research
In many evaluations, program beneficiaries are rarely involved. Participatory
action research provides a way to do so, engaging all parties in all aspects of
an evaluation, from defining the problem to gathering and analyzing data to
preparing recommendations. In this guide, part of a series on evaluation
techniques prepared by GrantCraft, you will learn about a unique evaluation
method and how contributors have used it to evaluate programs in agriculture,
early childhood development, and immigration. Highlights include:
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Ensuring a rigorous approach and objective
results |
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Developing trusting partnerships as part
of an evaluation |
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Building the conditions for a successful
participatory action research evaluation |
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Two mini-case studies |
Downloading this guide and other learning tools takes a brief one-time
registration. From there on all materials may be downloaded without cost. Go to:
www.grantcraft.org. A
companion slide show is available at
www.grantcraft.org/?pageid=1263
Resource of the Week: May
15 - 21, 2011
Just-In-Time Board Orientation Webinar
This webinar has been designed in response to the expressed concern that it
can sometimes take new board members several months or more to fully understand
their roles and responsibilities. Just-In-Time Board Orientation will provide a
clear, crisp picture of your board member's responsibilities in policy
development, strategic planning, fiduciary duties, fundraising, and oversight
functions. This session will provide information, tools and techniques needed to
bring new board members up to speed quickly. It will increase their confidence
and their productivity in board and committee meetings right from the start. As
a result, new board members will be better able to "hit the ground running."
Just-in-Time Board Orientation can even be offered to prospective board members
to assist them in making an informed decision about whether to join your board.
The session can also help current board leaders re-focus their efforts. Special
features include : Attendees will receive a board orientation resource manual in
advance of the webinar. After the webinar, they will receive the PowerPoint
presentation file as well as free access to the Create the Future Webinars Blog,
an online learning community where webinar participants can get answers to
questions, post comments, find and share resources, and more. The webinar is
offered on a quarterly basis. For more information about the schedule and to
register, go to:
www.createthefuture.com
May
8 - 14, 2011
Principles Workbook: Steering Your Board Toward Good
Governance and Ethical Practice
Independent Sector has developed the Principles Workbook: Steering Your Board
Toward Good Governance and Ethical Practice, a tool designed to help the
nonprofit community meet its commitment to examine and improve their governance
practices. Independent Sector developed the Workbook in partnership with
BoardSource, the leading national resource on nonprofit governance. It expands
and elucidates the Panel's Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice:
A Guide for Charities and Foundations, 33 recommendations that thousands of
organizations have already used to strengthen their practices. The Workbook
distills the core concepts in each of the principles and suggests points for
board and staff to discuss about their current practices. Progress worksheets
accompanying each of the four sections assist nonprofits and foundations in
making plans and recording their progress. Go to:
www.independentsector.org
May
1 - 7, 2011
NTEN: Change (A Quarterly Journal for Nonprofit Leaders)
Through in-depth articles, case-studies, best practices, leader profiles, and
discussions, NTEN's quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders provides the
guidance and practical considerations necessary for making sound investments and
decisions that will help your organization achieve its mission. Thanks to the
generous support of Google, NTEN is proud to offer NTEN: Change to the nonprofit
community for free! You'll be able to download the journal, view it on your
computer, or even access it from your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone. To subscribe,
go to:
www.nten.org
April
24 - 30, 2011
52 Free Development Opportunities for Nonprofit Staff
Kirk Kramer, partner at The Bridgespan Group, led a session on organizational
effectiveness at Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative (NEI)
leadership program in October 2010. One of the topics discussed was nonprofit
staff skill development, which surfaced many creative ways NEI participants
offer on-the-job development opportunities to their employees for free. These
resources are now available at the Bridgespan Group's website organized by skill
type, of ways nonprofit leaders can engage promising staff members in critical
skill development areas without sending them to formal external trainings. Use
these suggestions as a checklist, identify which opportunities best fit with
your staffs’ development (or your personal development) needs, and put a few
into action. Go to:
www.bridgestar.org
April
17 - 23, 2011
5 Practices Key to Successful Networks
The Monitor Institute and Knight Foundation’s new report, Connected Citizens:
The Power, Peril, and Potential of Networks, presents five online and offline
practices through which networks can increase their impact. Their fifth practice
– providing "handrails to collective action" — advises clearly outlining the
steps people can take to make a difference; building feedback mechanisms so
activists can learn and see progress together; and pushing power to the edges so
participants share ownership and leadership. Go to:
www.knightfoundation.org
April
10 - 16, 2011
Resources for Evaluating Community Organizing
To help raise the profile of community organizing as a critically important
change strategy, the Alliance for Justice has developed Resources for Evaluating
Community Organizing (RECO). RECO to provide specific information about
evaluating community organizing. RECO includes detailed summaries of each
resource so users can find the resources that are most useful for their
evaluation needs. Most of the resources included—case studies, tools and
methodologies, and theoretical approaches to evaluation—are broadly available to
the public, either through free downloads from the organization's website, or
through an e-mail request. also included are books and other publications which
are only available for purchase. Go to:
www.afj.org
April
3 - 9, 2011
Groups Really DO Work
This resource, located on the website of the University of Maine Cooperative
Extension, is a clearly written basic introduction to organizing a group and
exploring the transition to nonprofit and or tax- exempt status. Topics include
weighing the advantages of incorporation and tax exempt status, choosing the
right structural form, a glossary of key terms, and links to other resources for
writing bylaws and other organizational documents and developing an ongoing
board of directors. Go to:
extension.umaine.edu
March
27 - April 2, 2011
Social Innovation Resources
Root Cause, a nonprofit research and consulting firm, has complied resources
to help leaders in the nonprofit, government, and business sectors understand
the roles they can play in encouraging social innovation at their own
organizations or in others — in order to create lasting social impact. You can
find practical tools and thought pieces on the following topics:
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Social Innovation and the Emerging Social
Impact Market |
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Business Planning |
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Performance Measurement |
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Financial Sustainability |
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Social Issue Primers |
To access the resources, go to:
www.rootcause.org
March
20 - 26, 2011
The Coaching and Philanthropy Project’s Online Toolkit
The Coaching and Philanthropy (CAP) Project’s Online Toolkit of free
resources and action guides takes you on a deep dive into everything you need to
know about coaching and how it can help you in your nonprofit work – to build on
your strengths, create a stronger team, increase organizational capacity, and
develop future leaders. To access the toolkit, go to:
groups.compasspoint.org/coachingnonprofits
March
13 - 19, 2011
Transitioning to a Nonprofit Career
Successfully moving into a senior nonprofit management role takes teamwork.
Both the individual taking the position and the organization welcoming the
new hire should be equally committed to making the onboarding process a
success. Bridgestar, an initiative of the Bridgespan Group has compiled a
number of excellent resources on the this topic These materials from
Bridgespan's Bridgestar job board initiative provide an overview of what
makes for a successful transition. Go to:
http://www.bridgespan.org
March
6 - 12, 2011
Arts Advocacy Resources
The
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership
organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's state and
jurisdictional arts agencies. Each of the 56 states and jurisdictions has
created an agency to support excellence in and access to the arts. NASAA has
developed a number of advocacy and case-making tools to help document the
impact and results of public investment in the arts. To access the tools, go
to:
www.nasaa-arts.org/Advocacy. NASAA has also developed the Advocate
series which offers tips and strategies that help arts advocates make the
case, mobilize support and expand their influence. To access the series, go
to:
www.nasaa-arts.org
February 27 -
March 5, 2011
Sample Surveys
Survey
Monkey, the online survey tool, publishes a blog. The firm has compiled a number
of sample surveys that can be adapted to meet your needs. Go to:
blog.surveymonkey.com
February
20 - 26, 2011
Free Online Advocacy Tools
The Aspen Institute's Advocacy Planning and Evaluation Program offers
advocates with a series of three free online tools: The Advocacy Progress
Planner, Domestic Advocacy, and Global Advocacy. CPSS tools enable advocates
to:
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Plan better: make realistic predictions about feasible accomplishments
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Evaluate better: record information to make improvements along the way
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Communicate better: craft messages that create lasting, active
engagement |
Continuous
Progress Advocacy Progress Planner is an online "logic model" for advocates who
want to start thinking about planning and evaluation. It's designed to provide
an at-a-glance look at the ingredients of advocacy efforts. It can guide you to
clarify the elements of your own campaign: goals and impacts; audience; what you
bring to your campaign; the activities and tactics you're planning for; and
benchmarks along the way to your goals. The Continuous Progress Advocacy Tools
provide a step-by-step roadmap for planning advocacy efforts and conducting
evaluations before, during and after a campaign. Continuous Progress offers both
domestic and global issues advocacy tools. To access the tools, go to:
www.aspeninstitute.org
February
13 - 19, 2011
The Role of the Board of Directors in Grantseeking
Because the board of directors is often less engaged in grantseeking than in
other fundraising efforts, involving the board in developing a grant strategy
can be a challenge for nonprofit organizations. This five-part Tracks to Success
series from Grant Station, a free flowing conversation between two experienced
board leaders, is intended to shed light on the role of the board of directors
in identifying and securing grant funding. To read Part One of the series:
"Board Myths... and Misconceptions" go to:
www.grantstation.com
February
6 - 12, 2011
Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool
The Marguerite Casey Foundation Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool
is a self-assessment instrument that helps nonprofits identify capacity
strengths and challenges and establish capacity building goals. It is primarily
a diagnostic and learning tool. Results from the Assessment can also help
grantmakers deepen their understanding of the current capacity of their grantees
as well as track their growth in capacity over time. Go to:
www.caseygrants.org
January
30 - February 5, 2011
Nonprofit Spark
Nonprofit
Spark is a weekly radio show for nonprofit leaders. Renee McGivern, founder and
CEO of Spark Plug Consulting, started Nonprofit Spark in 2008 to provide
training and communications consulting to small businesses, trade associations
and nonprofits. The intention of the radio show is to spark learning and
purposeful action so leaders and board members of new and emerging nonprofits
succeed. Each week's show covers the nuts and bolts of managing and governing
organizations. Renee's guests are nonprofit leaders, consultants who share
practical tips and insights. For your convenience, each podcast is archived so
you can get at what you need when you need it. Go to:
webtalkradio.net/shows/nonprofit-spark
January
23 - 29, 2011
Fundraising Resources for Nonprofits
Blackbaud has complied an extensive collection of resources
for nonprofits on topics including fundraising, financial management, online
fundraising, website management, prospect research, business intelligence, and
nonprofit management. The resources are organized in the following categories:
white papers, internet resources, industry research, tip sheets, podcasts,
newsletters and more. Go to:
www.blackbaud.com
January
16 - 22, 2011
Growing Your Business: A Guide To Grant Writing
Should a business or organization consider
seeking grants, the first thing they should know is whether or not their
business or organization is qualified to receive the grant. If grants are not
appropriate for their business or organization, other ventures such as bank
loans should be considered instead. In the event that they are worthy of a
grant, they should seek funding that is directly related to their mission. Being
clear about the organization’s mission and strengths as well as the activities
of the organization will ensure that the time they spend on writing the grant is
worthwhile. The resource "Growing Your Business: A Guide To Grant Writing"
provides a good introduction to these important considerations and includes
links to other tools on the subject. Go to:
www.businessinsurance.org/guide-to-grant-writing. ( A special thanks to
Taylor, a student in Ms. Brookes' class for recommending this resource!)
January
9 - 15, 2011
Social Media Resources for Nonprofits
Common Knowledge, a San Francisco based consultancy that provides full
service consulting in online marketing, fundraising, communications and advocacy
has complied an extensive collection of resources that will be useful for
nonprofits. Common Knowledge publishes a monthly email newsletter, and releases
occasional whitepapers and case studies. Go to:
www.commonknow.com
January
2 - 8, 2011
Nonprofit Webinars for January 2011 by Wild Apricot
Wild Apricot, a Canadian based software development company has compiled a list
of webinars on a number of nonprofit management topics being offered this month
at no charge – useful for fundraisers, board members, administrators, active
volunteers and volunteer coordinators. Go to:
www.wildapricot.com
December
19, 2010 - January 1, 2011
Fundraising Databases
The Center for
Nonprofit Management has compiled a list of
online fundraising databases for grant seekers and grant makers. Go to:
www.cnmsocal.org
To view 2010
Resources of the Week, click here.
To view 2009
Resources of the Week, click here.
To view 2008
Resources of the Week, click here.
To view 2007 Resources of the
Week, click here. To
view 2006 Resources of the Week, click here. To view 2005
Resources of the Week, click here. To view 2004 Resources
of the Week, click here. |
