December
31, 2006 - January 6, 2007
Teaching Resource Center
The University of San Francisco
International Nonprofit Management Teaching Resource Center (TRC) is a
comprehensive source of nonprofit management teaching cases, course syllabi that
are available for use by teachers, trainers, consultants, practitioners, and
students to enhance the development of nonprofit management education. You may
browse and search the educational materials of the TRC. Once you find a teaching
case or course syllabus that you would like to use, you may download it, for
free, as a PDF. Teaching Cases are narrative accounts of realistic situations in
which nonprofit executives. managers, and/or board members are confronted with
the need to make a decision in a management context. There are over 120 cases in
the TRC, searchable by subject, author, and title. Course Syllabi come from
universities around the country and are searchable by instructor, institution,
keyword, subject area and course level. Go to:
www.inom-trc.org
December
24 - 30, 2006
Getting Started with Blogging Software
“Getting Started with Blogging
Software” is published by Idealware, a nonprofit organization that provides
candid, Consumer-Reports-like reviews and information about software of interest
to nonprofit. This report reviews seven blogging tools (Blogger, TypePad,
LiveJournal, Movable Type, Expression Engine, Text Pattern, and WordPress) for
the needs of a typical nonprofit. The report provides a summary of what to look
for, a comparison chart, and detailed reviews of each tool with consideration of
ease of getting started, ease and flexibility of configuration, ease of posting,
and much more. The report is offered without charge to small nonprofits who
can't afford to pay. A $10 donation is requested from organizations able to pay.
100% of donations are used to write other reports and articles about nonprofit
software. Go to:
www.idealware.org/blogging_software
December
17 - 23, 2006
HBR IdeaCast™
The HBR IdeaCast™ is a free
biweekly podcast featuring breakthrough management ideas and commentary from the
editors and authors of Harvard Business School Publishing. To access this free
service, go to:
harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu
December
10 - 16, 2006
Emergency Succession Plan
When organizational change happens there is risk involved.
This risk takes many forms, which may include uncertainty about what the change
means, confusion about how to manage the change, loss of confidence and moral
among staff and stakeholders, and other challenges.
An Emergency Succession Plan can help organizations manage
the risk associated with leadership change. Change can be made more manageable
by taking time in advance to think through different leadership change
scenarios, developing competency among the staff and board to respond to change,
and putting supportive practices in place. According to Mindy Lubar Price, a
Milwaukee based executive transition consultant, an emergency succession plan
allows an organization to provide the uninterrupted performance of essential
executive functions by outlining policies and procedures for the temporary
appointment of an acting executive director. CompassPoint Executive Leadership
Services offers a template for developing an Emergency Succession Plan for your
nonprofit. To download the template as a .pdf file, go to:
www4.compasspoint.org
December
3 - 9, 2006
Weekly Podcast Series Boardstar: On Being Board
In July 2006, BoardStar, a
program of the Nonprofit Management Fund, launched the production of a weekly
podcast series “BoardStar: On Being Board”. A podcast is a digital recording of
a radio broadcast or similar program that is made available on the Internet for
downloading to a device, such as a computer or personal audio player. The
BoardStar podcast archives features episodes on subjects ranging from the
history of the nonprofit sector to productive Board meetings to the expectations
of Board leadership. Currently, you can access BoardStar podcasts through:
www.boardstar.org or better yet… Subscribe to the BoardStar series FOR FREE,
through the iTunes Store. When you subscribe through the iTunes Store, you will
be notified automatically when a new episode is available to be downloaded to
your computer. If you don’t have iTunes installed on your computer, it is a free
download at
www.apple.com.
November
26 - December 2, 2006
Board Governance E-Learning Tools
The Institute on Governance
offers free e-learning tools to build better board governance in a special
section of this website. This section of the website includes various
publications and governance improvement ideas derived from our research and
experience. The tools guide the reader through the players and processes
involved in good governance, including sample bylaws and governance policies to
assist organizations in developing or adapting their own. Go to:
www.iog.ca
November
19 - 25, 2006
IRS Link to State Regulations and Laws
The IRS website includes a page
with links to information about relevant legislation and regulations affecting
nonprofits in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Included is
information on state charities regulation, state tax filings, and more. Go to:
www.irs.gov
November
12 - 18, 2006
Tips for Creating a Mission Statement
A mission statement is vital to a
voluntary, community-based organization. It should be the basis for all future
activities including policy development, programs and marketing. Any program or
project undertaken by an organization should reflect the mission statement. How
does your mission statement measure up? Here are some guidelines and resources
for creating or reviewing a nonprofit organization’s mission statement. Go to:
www.envision.ca
November
5 - 11, 2006
Free Excel Spreadsheets
Matt H. Evans maintains a website
that offers one of the most extensive collections of financial management
resources on the Web – virtually all of it available at no charge. He has
gathered collection of free excel files to download from various sources. Go to:
www.exinfm.com
October
29 - November 4, 2006
Promising Practices in Revenue Generation for Community
Organizing
A valuable new resource is
available to community organizing groups that want to strengthen and diversify
their funding bases. Promising Practices in Revenue Generation for Community
Organizing answer questions such as: Why is it so difficult to engage
foundations in supporting community organizing? What types of fundraising do
highly effective organizations focus on? When is government funding useful?
When is it risky? Promising Practices contains dozens of examples of powerful
fundraising practices. The report features an analysis of income sources from
over 200 community organizations for the year 2002; results from thoughtful
interviews with dozens of organizers and network leaders who have created a
culture of energy and accountability around fundraising; probing interviews with
funders and other observers; and an extensive annotated bibliography. The
report was researched and written by Sandy O’Donnell, PhD, Jane Beckett, and
Jean Rudd. Among them they have a combined 75 years of experience in activism,
grantmaking, and community-oriented research. Promising Practices is a special
project of the Center for Community Change. To download a 34-page summary of
Promising Practices as a .pdf file, go to
www.communitychange.org . For a copy of the full report go to:
comm-org.wisc.edu.
October
22 - 28, 2006
Guide to Consent Agenda Use
The guide “The Consent Agenda: A
Tool for Improving Governance”, published by BoardSource, is unquestioningly the
best guide on the use of consent agendas by nonprofit boards. Topics include:
what belongs in a consent agenda; inappropriate and questionable items; seven
steps to using a consent agenda; how to introduce use of consent agenda, how to
effectively introduce the use of the consent agenda since it challenges
traditional meeting practices of boards; how consent agendas contributes to
better board performance; and, a sample board meeting agenda including a consent
portion. Go to:
www.boardsource.org
October
15 - 21, 2006
Planned Giving: A Board Member’s Perspective
The purpose of this book is to
provide board members with an overview of the fundamentals of planned giving.
Board members are critical to the success of a planned giving initiative, as
they often can help set the stage with donors and support the staff in executing
agreements. In fluid economic times, with volatile stock markets and income
streams making unexpected swings, more organizations may rely on planned giving
programs for meeting their financial goals. The need for maintaining and
increasing the endowment ranks high on the agenda of most organizations. Few
programs support this objective of long-term financial stability more
effectively than planned gifts. To download a .pdf file, go to:
www.grantthornton.com
October
8 - 14, 2006
Isoph Institute
The Isoph Institute provides
access to high-quality online courses, affordable Web conferencing, and a
variety of e-learning resources for associations, charitable organizations, and
advocacy groups. The Institute is sponsored by Isoph, a division of
LearnSomething and provider of Isoph Blue learning management software and
instructional design services to nonprofits, associations, and other
mission-based organizations. The website includes current and archived issues of
the newsletter The Sophist, links to e-learning courses of interest to
nonprofits, a collection of nonprofit e-learning primers and white papers as
well as links to other useful websites. Go to:
hwww.isophinstitute.com
October
1 - 7, 2006
MSU Best Practice Briefs
Begun in 1998, BEST PRACTICE
BRIEFS is a monthly publication of Outreach Partnerships at
Michigan
State University,
connecting university resources to the community. Each issue is comprised of
concise articles aimed at presenting state-of-the-art knowledge about human
services in four areas: Basic Concepts, Tools, Processes, and Models of Best
Practice. Drawing on basic research, evaluation reports, and field experience,
BEST PRACTICE BRIEFS offers the best current thinking about human service policy
and program development, in an accessible user-friendly form. You can submit
your e-mail address for notification when each new issue has been posted.
Go to:
outreach.msu.edu
September
24 - 30, 2006
Located on the website of
ServiceLeader.org, this resource area provides information on all aspects of
volunteer management, including getting your organization ready to involve
volunteers, volunteer screening, matching, record-keeping and evaluation, legal
issues/risk management, volunteer/staff relations, online activism by
volunteers, and volunteer management software. ServiceLeader.org is a project of
the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the Lyndon B. Johnson
School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin. For the resource
page, go to:
www.serviceleader.org
September 17
- 23, 2006
This handbook provides a
framework for thinking about evaluation as a relevant and useful program tool.
It was written primarily for project directors who have direct responsibility
for the ongoing evaluation of W.K. Kellogg Foundation-funded projects. Go to:
www.wkkf.org
September
10 - 16, 2006
Generations United, a national
leader in mutigenerational programming has developed a fact sheet that provides
basic information on why intergenerational approaches are effective, examples of
programming, and outlines the benefits to the community of intergenerational
programming. To download this fact sheet as a .pdf file, go to:
ipath.gu.org
September 3 - 9,
2006
This survey has been adapted from
the United Way of
Canada
– Centraide Canada Board Basics Kit Manual. It is designed to be completed by
board members. The survey covers 9 areas: board operations, internal climate of
organization, planning and marketing, evaluation of organization, change
management, external climate, relationship between human resources and the
board, financial management and resource development, and personal commitment of
person completing the survey. Within the area of board operations, the survey
covers: incorporation and legal issues, governance,
recruitment/retention/renewal, and effective meetings. The survey is appropriate
for established organizations of any size or type of work; also useful as a
guiding document for new organizations seeking to build strong boards. Go to:
www.boarddevelopment.org
August
27 - September 2, 2006
Immigrant integration is a
growing issue for communities across the nation. This guidebook, prepared for
the Casey Foundation by the Urban Institute, is designed to help local
policymakers, program implementers, and advocates use U.S. Census and other data
sources to identify immigrant populations in their local communities - their
characteristics, their contributions, and their needs. This useful tool
describes data sources and where to find them, the information contained in
each, and the software needed to use them effectively. To download the guidebook
as a .pdf file, go to:
www.aecf.org
August
20 - 26, 2006
This list of interview questions
has been prepared by The Ford Group is a excellent resource for conducting a
successful and revealing interview. These questions will help you move beyond
the basics and create a more accurate picture of a candidate's communication,
leadership and problem-solving skills. Go to:
www.fordgroup.com
August
13 - 19, 2006
FN&C Now is an e-mail newsletter published by the Council
on Foundations to share news between bimonthly editions of Foundation News &
Commentary magazine. FN&C Now is published as news breaks—usually once or twice
each week. To subscribe (it's free) to FN&C Now, go to:
www.foundationnews.org.
August
6 - 12, 2006
Posted as a public service by Sandy Deja, a tax consultant with over 30
years' experience with IRS Form 1023. It is designed to help new non-profit
organizations complete the Application for Exempt Status Under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code. Go to:
www.form1023help.com
July
23 - August 5, 2006
Idealist.org/Action Without Borders has compiled a list of
13 salary surveys for positions in the nonprofit sector. Go to:
www.idealist.org
July 16
- 22, 2006
Giving circles are one of the
fastest growing and most varied of giving models. Giving circles can range from
extremely informal settings such as four or five donors seated around a kitchen
table deciding how to allocate their “coupon money” to extremely sophisticated,
structured and formal programs. The concept behind giving circles, no matter
what the composition or disposition, is that pooled giving has greater impact on
making a difference in the community. New Ventures in Philanthropy, a program
of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, has developed a
comprehensive web site on initiating and managing a giving circle. For more
information about giving circles, go to:
www.givingforum.org.
July
9 - 15, 2006
Harvest Today presents breaking
news in the world of philanthropy from over 200 of the finest news sources.
Newsfeeds are updated daily, and organized into their appropriate topic -- we
call them channels. Working in partnership with leading experts in their field,
Harvest Today selects news from sources that are recognized for their editorial
excellence. This includes newsfeeds, press releases, reports, research, and PDF
files. By clicking on any of the site’s News Channels, you can view headlines
that are updated daily, as well as an archive of headlines that have appeared on
that particular topic. Each Channel is complemented by links to additional
sources and answers to frequently asked questions. Go to:
www.harvesttoday.org.
July
2 - 8, 2006
DeepSweep has the largest
selection of non-profit jobs listed in one place for free. Once you enter the
classifieds job bank, you can post your resume for free. Human resource experts,
headhunters and hiring managers frequently search the resume classifieds for
active job seekers. You will also have the option of setting up an "alert" to
send you updates of new job postings by e-mail whenever a job matching your
criteria is posted. Go to:
www.deepsweep.com
June
25 - July 1, 2006
This toolkit is designed to help
decision-makers, advocates, and elected officials get better results in their
work by providing equitable opportunities for all. The approach described in the
toolkit deals specifically with policies and practices that contribute to
inequitable outcomes for children, families, and communities. The toolkit
presents a specific point of view on addressing unequal opportunities by race
and simple, results-oriented steps to help you achieve your goals. Go to:
www.aecf.org.
June
18 - 24, 2006
Mergers are increasing in
importance for nonprofit organizations. A series of guides have been developed
by the Nonprofit Leadership And Administration Faculty at Western Michigan
University as part of a Nonprofit Capacity Building Project funded by W.K.
Kellogg Foundation Youth Initiative Partnerships.
 |
Management Guide #1 - Merger
Process Flow Chart. This flow chart with helpful narrative guides
administrators through a 5-phase plan to complete a merger from the critical
early discussions through the merger’s execution. Go to:
www.wmich.edu. |
|
|
Management Guide #2 - Checklist
for Treatment of Employee Benefit Plans upon Merger. When nonprofits merge,
the question of how to treat two separate employee benefit plans arises. This
guide examines the advantages and disadvantages of combining plans. Also
covered is the identification of various employee benefit plans and the steps
to take if these plans are combined. Go to:
www.wmich.edu. |
|
|
Management Guide #4 - Legal
Issues for Mergers. Organizational mergers encompass complex legal
considerations. This guide offers an outline of the various issues including:
selecting the appropriate corporate structure, transaction structures,
drafting the agreements, procedural requirements and steps to a follow-up. A
Due Diligency Request List is included to help identify trouble spots in the
investigation of a potential merger partner. Go to:
www.wmich.edu.
|
June
11 - 17, 2006
The Center for Nonprofit
Advancement has developed an Emergency Succession Plan Template. The purpose of
the template is to define the contents of such a plan, and make this essential
document easy to adapt and implement. The template includes plans for
short-term, long-term and permanent executive director changes. The template
includes a specific name or selection criteria would be established to select an
acting executive director, a communications plan to notify board members,
funders and other key stakeholders. The template also includes a thorough
contact inventory. This will allow your organization to take important scattered
information and place it all in one document, vital information in case of an
emergency.
The Center advises that this
template should be built and reviewed annually with your organization’s board of
directors. Go to:
www.nonprofitadvancement.org
June 4
- 10, 2006
This Tool, offered by the
International Network on Strategic Philanthropy, allows users to create a
framework or model of change, also known as a "theory of change" or "logic
model" which maps out how your program or initiative plans on getting from
present conditions to your vision of success. It provides a guide for planning,
implementing, and evaluating your initiative or effort. Once completed, it
provides a picture of how your program or initiative will bring about change in
order to accomplish an identified goal. To download the Tool, go to:
www.insp.efc.be. (Note: the reference to “download
button” refers to a link at the bottom of the page labeled “full version”). A
detailed companion manual for the Tool is also available.
May 28 - June 3, 2006
Web 2.0 is a category of new
Internet tools and technologies that focuses on the idea that the people who
consume media, access the Internet, and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb
what's available -- rather, they should be active contributors, helping
customize media and technology for their own purposes, as well as those of their
communities. These new tools include, but are not limited to, blogs, social
networking applications, RSS, social bookmarking, and wikis. This resource
provided by Techsoup includes articles on a variety of Web 2.0 tools and
technologies. Techsoup intends to update this page from time to time so you can
check back to learn about the latest technologies for your organization. Go to:
www.techsoup.org
May 21
- 27, 2006
TechSoup Stock is offering
Spanish-language versions of many Microsoft products. Here is a sampling of our
Spanish-language titles donated by Microsoft with admin fees ranging from $3 to
$22:
Access 2003 (Desktop database application);
Encarta Premium 2006 (CD-ROM and Internet-based multimedia reference
library);
Proofing Tools 2003 (Spelling and proofing utilities in 50 languages for
Office applications);
Publisher 2003 (Page layout program);
Student 2006 (Academic learning tools for middle- and high-school students).
TechSoup
states that they will be adding many additional Spanish-language titles over the
next few weeks. To view a complete product list, go to:
www.techsoup.org
May 14
- 20, 2006
Alexis Carter-Black has written
an article entitled Professional Development Organizations, Training
Opportunities, Certification and Credentialing for the Grants Professional. It
appears in Charity Channel’s Grants & Foundation Review. According to the
author, the purpose of the article is to help those in the profession find
legitimate opportunities for professional development, which includes membership
in professional organizations and training opportunities. The article includes
separate annotated lists of resources for grant writers and grant managers. The
resources are organized in the following categories: Professional Development
Organizations, Training Opportunities. Go to:
charitychannel.com
May
7 - 13, 2006
Compasspoint Nonprofit Services
based in San Francisco considers it
a best practice for nonprofit agencies to have in place an emergency succession
plan to cover the sudden and unexpected absences of their executive directors.
Here is a sample plan modeled provided by Compasspoint. In this model, special
emphasis is given to identifying the key leadership functions carried by the
executive, identifying the agency managers best qualified to step into the
executive role in an emergency, and prescribing the cross-training necessary to
prepare the back-up managers to cover the leadership functions. One major side
benefit to implementing this plan is a management team with enhanced leadership
skills. To download as a .pdf file, go to:
www4.compasspoint.org
April
30 - May 6, 2006
Non-profit organizations,
governmental agencies and rural organizations all suffer from a common fate -
lack of financial resources and access to technology. At the 2006 Wisconsin
Community Leadership Summit, Dennis Deery of Irish Rose Consulting presented a
workshop entitled “Tech Tools for Leaders”. The session provided an excellent
overview of free and low-cost technology resources that leaders can utilize to
make the most of their time and people. The workshop resources are available at
the website of Irish Rose Consulting. Resource categories include: Domain Names,
Email and Mailing Lists, Web Sites, Find and Manage Images, Developing
Presentations, Know Your Licensing!, Online Collaboration, Cheap Software for
Non-Profits, Protect Your Computer!, Training Users, as well as resources for
staying informed about the constantly changing technology scene. Go to:
www.irose.com
April
23 - 29, 2006
Published by the Center for
Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Stanford
Social Innovation Review offers ideas and strategies to advance the strategy and
leadership of grantmakers, nonprofit managers, consultants and researchers. The
Web site has summaries of the Review's provocative articles, an archive of past
stories, as well as free sample articles. Visitors can also sign-up for free
e-mail updates with events, seminars and executive education opportunities at
the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Some of the material on the Web site is available only to the Review's
subscribers. Go to:
www.ssireview.com
April
16 - 22, 2006
Written by Bob
Smucker, The Nonprofit Lobbying Guide, Second Edition, is the essential book for
nonprofit leaders who want to understand the federal law on lobbying and voter
education for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. The guide discusses building a legislative
program, effective lobbying communications and establishing a public policy
committee. It includes stories from nonprofit leaders who have spent their
careers lobbying in the public interest. This publication is available for
download as a PDF file. Go to:
www.clpi.org
April
9 - 15, 2006
This manual provides a guide for
staff and board members of community development organizations interested in
undertaking a strategic planning process. The manual includes information on
when to undertake a strategic planning process, who should be involved, five
elements of strategic planning and how to organize the plan for presentation.
Sample worksheets to assist with planning tasks and a sample strategic plan are
also included. This manual is one of 36 included in the Enterprise Community
Partners Community Development Library (CD Library), which also includes a
CD-Rom. Also see the Enterprise Resource Database which includes an excellent
collection of hands-on, how-to documents and in-depth expertise in an updated
and more powerful format. Go to:
www.practitionerresources.org
April
2 - 8, 2006
"What are we doing, and why do we
think it’s going to make a difference? Are we being effective?" Grant makers
ask evaluation questions like these of their grantees and themselves. This brief
guide, the latest in the GrantCraft series, explains why grant makers use
theories of change to guide their questioning, unearth assumptions that underlie
their work, establish common language, and develop strong action plans.
Contributors to the guide also describe how a theory of change sets the stage
for evaluation by clarifying goals, strategies, and milestones. Highlights
include: What a theory of change looks like; Theory of change vs. logic model;
Mini-case study: theory of change and strategic planning. Go to:
www.grantcraft.org
March
26 - April 1, 2006
Financial Management
Training Center
has just announced the release of Short Course 18 on Leadership. This course
attempts to compile some of the best thinking on leadership, outlining the
characteristics and tools organizations can use for developing leadership.
This new course is the latest in an excellent series available free and
accessible from the Financial
Management Training
web page. Courses are downloaded to your computer by clicking on the hyperlinks
on the right side of this page. You can take a short course online by clicking
on the "online" hyperlink. You can also download a short course in three file
formats: pdf | exe file | word. Finally, if you want to take the final exam
online, click on the "take exam" hyperlink.
To access the new course, go to:
www.exinfm.com. To access
all of the training programs and other resources, go to:
exinfmvs.securesites.net
March
19 - 25, 2006
The Winter 2005/2006 issue of The
Evaluation Exchange published by the Harvard Family Research Project focuses on
evaluating professional development across a range of fields, including after
school and youth development, education, early childhood education, and child
welfare. Included in the issue is a Questions & Answers feature with author
Thomas Guskey, who describes his five-level model for evaluating professional
development. Many authors share innovative methods in professional development
and many others give practical tools for measuring their impact. You'll also
find links between professional development and program quality as well as a
discussion about the role of organizations in supporting professional
development and positive outcomes. Go to:
www.gse.harvard.edu
March
12 - 18, 2006
Published by M+R Strategic
Services and the Advocacy Institute, this study provides a snapshot of key
metrics and benchmarks for nonprofit e-communications, primarily taken from an
in-depth review of statistics from 15 nonprofit organizations. The eNonprofit
Benchmarks Study is the first of its kind look at the effectiveness of major
American nonprofit organizations using the Internet to raise money and influence
public policy. The study is a tool that nonprofits can use to measure and
compare their online performance to other organizations' online programs. To download this
study as a .pdf file,
go to:
www.e-benchmarksstudy.com
March
5 - 11, 2006
Sponsored by Charity Channel, the
Executive-Director discussion list is open to individuals who are currently
serving as the chief executive officer -- usually, the executive director -- of
a nonprofit organization, large or small, or who have served in the role for at
least one year some time within the preceding three years from joining the list.
Members of the list may discuss anything that relates to the challenges and
rewards of serving as the executive director. Some examples: relations with your
board, budgeting, best practices and benchmarking, fund development, human
resources, and much more. This is a professional-level peer-to-peer email-based
discussion forum, or list, where executive directors will be discussing topics
with peers who likely are facing many of the same or similar challenges and
opportunities. This is a unique opportunity to give and receive advice, tips,
ideas, and even encouragement for those really tough days all EDs experience
from time to time. There is a modest fee to subscribe to the Charity Channel.
The subscription includes access to the substantial resources of Charity
Channel. Go to:
charitychannel.com
February
26 - March 4, 2006
The Grantsmanship Center, Inc.
was founded in 1972 to offer grantsmanship training and low-cost publications to
nonprofit organizations and government agencies. At first a local project in
Los Angeles, TGCI expanded rapidly and today, TGCI
conducts some 200 workshops annually in grantsmanship, enterprise development
and fundraising. TGCI is also active in publishing. The Grantsmanship Center
Magazine is mailed to the staff of 200,000 nonprofit and government agencies in
the U.S. and 58
other countries. An archive of articles organized into 10 categories is
accessible at no charge at
www.tgci.com/magazine
February
19 - 25, 2006
The
Community Problem-Solving Project is a Web site based at The Massachusetts
Institute of Technology that provides members of the public, private, and
nonprofit sectors with free access to an online toolkit for community problem
solving. In addition to strategy and program tools, the site also features a
discussion board where users can network and learn from others involved in the
community problem solving field. Go to:
www.community-problem-solving.net
February
12 - 18, 2006
The Parade of Games web site was
created to provide educators and trainers with easy-to- assemble educational
games in a technology- enhanced environment to support key learning points.
The site demonstrates the creative use of popular game shows and other familiar
games to reinforce learning. Educators and trainers can select and download
those PowerPoint games that support your learning objectives and are compatible
with the technology capabilities of your learning environment. Go to:
facstaff.uww.edu
February
5 - 11, 2006
The Community Development guide
explores the importance of collaboration and community organizing in helping
build an effective community development process. Based on Hewlett Foundation's
experience, the guide provides strategies, tools and resources to help
strengthen grantee capacity and foster better community development. To
download a PDF copy of Collaborative Governance, visit
www.hewlett.org; for a PDF copy of
Community Development, visit
www.hewlett.org.
January
29 - February 4, 2006
NPower is a national network of
independent, locally based nonprofits that provide high-quality, unbiased,
affordable and appropriate technology assistance to other nonprofits. The
following guides and papers were written by the NPower Network.
 |
Nonprofit Guide to
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery |
|
|
Technology Guide for
Nonprofit Leaders: Arts and Culture
|
|
|
Technology Guide for
Nonprofit Leaders: Community Development
|
|
|
Technology Guide for
Nonprofit Leaders: Education Services
|
|
|
Technology Guide for
Nonprofit Leaders: Health and Human Services |
|
|
Technology Literacy
Benchmarks for Small and Medium-sized Nonprofits |
|
|
Weathering IT
Integration in the Nonprofit Sector |
To access the guides and other
resources, go to:
www.npower.org
January
22 - 28, 2006
This guide from the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation describes the tools grantmakers can use to make
community development work better. It includes a description of the elements of
good collaborative community development processes, examples of the challenges
to collaboration and strategies to overcome those challenges, and provides
guidance and additional resources for funders to inform their grantmaking.
To download this paper as a .pdf file,
go to:
www.hewlett.org
January
15 - 21, 2006
In just over thirty years, a new
economic force has emerged in cities as thousands of Community Development
Corporations (CDCs) have begun the task of revitalizing neighborhoods long
abandoned by other engines of growth. As the organizations mature and founders
begin to relinquish reins on their organizations, the roles of the boards of
directors are theoretically injected with new relevancy. This paper by Rikki
Abzug and Aida Rodriguez of the Milano Graduate School to place the role of the
CDC board into the context of an evolving field, suggesting what CDC boards can
learn from the generic governance literature and what the generic literature can
learn from the case of CDC boards. Specifically they explore the impact of CDC
contingency factors such as structure (e.g., size/age), environment (region,
community), faith, and funding on the legitimacy of governance structures,
compositions and processes/practices. To download this paper as a .pdf file, go
to:
www.newschool.edu
January
8 - 14, 2006
SocialReturns is a new nonprofit
organization designed to grow the practice of social entrepreneurship among
nonprofits throughout the world. The organization builds upon the
ground-breaking work of the former Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures- a proven
business model that worked to increase the financial and operational capacity of
hundreds of nonprofit organizations each year. The Resource Center provides
cutting edge research and business tools to nonprofit organizations interested
in commercial ventures, and offers ways for nonprofits to share their own
experiences with others in the field. Included is an extensive bibliography of
resources on nonprofit enterprise. Access to the Resource Center is by
membership only. Membership is free, and it's easy to join. Go to:
www.socialreturns.org
January 1 - 7, 2006
The CEO Refresher
http://www.refresher.com/ceo.html has compiled an excellent list
of strategic planning articles and resources. Some that stand out are Business
Planning and Strategic Planning Revisited by Herb Rubenstein, The Art of
Strategic Conversation by Skip Corsini, Wishes for Strategic Collaboration, by
Helene Mazur (all of her articles are very good!), Building Support for the
Strategic Plan: Aligning Employees with Strategy by Robert W. Bradford, and
Running a Strategic Planning Session by Estelle Métayer, just to mention a few.
For the full list with links to each article, go to:
www.refresher.com.
To view 2005
Resources of the Week, click here. To view 2004 Resources
of the Week, click here. |
