December
30, 2007 - January 5, 2008
Nonprofit Law Resource Library
The Nonprofit Law Resource
Library is maintained by Hurwit & Associates, a law firm based in Newton,
Massachusetts. The firm represents over four hundred nonprofit and philanthropic
organizations based in twenty-three states and sixteen countries. This law firm
has a national specialty in nonprofit governance. The Nonprofit Law Resource
Library has links to all states' charity oversight divisions and the rules for
working in those states. There is also an excellent collection of templates for
by-laws and articles of incorporation, sample organizational charts, board
policies and more. Go to:
www.hurwitassociates.com. The Nonprofit Law Resource Library can be
found at the left margin.
December
23 - 29,
2007
DataPlace
DataPlace is designed to serve as
a one-stop source for housing and demographic data. The site not only assembles
a variety of data sets from multiple sources, but it also provides tools and
guides to assist you in analyzing, interpreting, and applying the data so you
can make more informed decisions. DataPlace provides easy access to data at
geographic scales ranging from the neighborhood to the nation. The site
currently contains data from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses (demographic, economic,
housing, and social characteristics), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (home
mortgage applications and loans), Section 8 Expiring Use database (neighborhood-
and property-level data on federally assisted housing at risk of loss), and
Consolidated Plan special tabulations (data on housing needs by household income
level). DataPlace's data library will expand in the coming months to include
information on topics such as business establishments from the Census Bureau's
ZIP Business Patterns database and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments
from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. DataPlace is a
KnowledgePlex® initiative sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation. KnowledgePlex®
is an online resource serving affordable housing and community development
professionals. Go to:
www.dataplace.org
December
16 - 22, 2007
The Citizen's Guide to Lobbying Congress
A Citizen's Guide to Lobbying by Donald E deKieffer provides an important
perspective on lobbying and commendably demystifies the actual process of
lobbying. Aside from offering step by step lobbying tips, deKieffer’s book not
only dedicates an entire chapter to additional lobbying resources but it also
gives readers ten commandments for more effective lobbying, guidance on when a
professional lobbyist should be sought as well as savvy tips for when/if things
go wrong. While the book focuses on lobbying Congress, most of the information
is useful for state and local efforts as well. It is not limited to charities
and religious organizations, so these groups should avoid tips that involve
supporting or opposing candidates for office. Go to:
www.npaction.org
December
9 - 15,
2007
Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory
This inventory was designed by
the Amherst Wilder Foundation as a tool to assess the factors that influence the
success of a collaboration. Twenty such factors have been identified, and you
will be provided with summary scores for each of these factors upon completion
of the inventory. Go to:
surveys.wilder.org
December
2 - 8,
2007
Volunteer Management Resource Library
The Volunteer Management Resource
Library, hosted by Susan Ellis and the Energize, Inc. website, is organized by
subject and each subject page provides Online Bookstore links, free articles or
excerpts, free electronic books or guides, as well as an annotated list of Web
sites with more material on the subject. This is the most comprehensive – and up
to date – resource of its kind available. Go to:
www.energizeinc.com
November
25 - December 1,
2007
Volunteer Management Resource Library
The Volunteer Management Resource
Library, hosted by Susan Ellis and the Energize, Inc. website, is organized by
subject and each subject page provides Online Bookstore links, free articles or
excerpts, free electronic books or guides, as well as an annotated list of Web
sites with more material on the subject. This is the most comprehensive – and up
to date – resource of its kind available. Go to:
www.energizeinc.com
November
25 - December 1,
2007
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:
 |
Ensuring a rigorous approach and objective results |
|
|
Developing trusting partnerships as part of an
evaluation |
|
|
Building the conditions for a successful
participatory action research evaluation |
|
|
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
November
18 - 24,
2007
Stakeholder Analysis Tool
Your nonprofit
is "owned" by your stakeholders—your clients, the community you serve, your
volunteers, and host of others. Do you know what they think? Do you know the
best ways to motivate them when you need their support? A stakeholder analysis
will help get you there. The Fieldstone Alliance offers a Stakeholder Analysis
Tool adapted from Marcia Avner’s book The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for
Nonprofit Organizations, that you can use to gather and assess data from
constituents. The Stakeholder Analysis tool is one of many great tools in
Marcia's book. It has become widely used not just by people involved in
lobbying, but by any group wishing to understand, influence, and mobilize its
constituents. The tool will also prove useful as part of information gathering
and analysis to support strategic planning efforts. Go to:
www.fieldstonealliance.org
November
11 - 17, 2007
New Audit Standards Podcast
Two new auditing standards
directly impact those charged with a nonprofit’s governance. Andy Holman talks
with Pat Wyzbinski of the Nonprofit Management Fund about why an organization
engages in an audit, the changing auditor/organization relationship, and how the
new standards have redefined how and about what an auditor issues an opinion.
Andy Holman is a partner at the accounting firm Ritz, Holman, Butala, Fine LLP
and an adjunct professor in nonprofit accounting at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Go to:
www.smallpackageproductions.com/BoardStar.
When you visit the site, you can subscribe to BoardStar: On Being Board, free
weekly podcasts about matters of interest to nonprofit Board Directors.
November
4 - 10,
2007
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Newsletter
The Harvard Business School
publishes HBS Working Knowledge, a weekly newsletter available at no charge. The
newsletter offers information from the Harvard Business School to help you run
your organization better, announcements of special programs offered by the
School, the latest in management-related books and Web sites, and an ongoing
provocative dialogue with Professor Jim Heskett. Articles specific to nonprofit
organizations are frequently included. If you would like to receive this e-mail
newsletter each Monday, simply submit your e-mail address here:
workingknowledge.hbs.edu.
Once your subscription begins, be
sure to click on "Social Enterprise" in the left column for past articles on
nonprofit topics.
October
28 - November 3, 2007
Leadership Transition Resources
The Texas Commission on the Arts
has compiled a number of leadership transition resources including: information
on upcoming trends around retiring baby boomers and how that demographic shift
will impact your organization’s staff, board, donor base, and audience;
information about the next generation of leaders including ideas on how to
attract and retain them; tools to assess how ready your organization is ready
for the next generation; ideas for developing new arts leaders; an overview on
leadership transitions; tools to assess why the last leader left; a list of
steps to take to ensure a successful transition; tips and common mistakes to
avoid around transitions; information on the board’s role in leadership changes;
things to consider when the organization’s founder leaves; basic information for
starting off the new director on the right path; sample forms and questions for
exit interviews; survey for identifying the characteristics wanted in a new
leader; sample interview materials; sample evaluation forms; sample emergency
and succession plans; and more. Go to:
www.arts.state.tx.us
October
21 - 27, 2007
Nonprofit Literature Blog
This blog periodically spotlights
key books, pamphlets, articles, and other resources that have been acquired at
the Foundation Center Libraries. The blog has links to a number of other
resources. For daily updates of new items, you can subscribe to the Catalog of
Nonprofit Literature RSS feed. Go to:
cnl-librarian.blogspot.com
October
14 - 20, 2007
Boardstar Podcast: Founder’s Syndrome
It is not unusual for the
identity of a founder to be tied very closely to the identity of his or her
organization, but difficulties can arise when, over time, those identities are
not individuated. In addition to her renowned work with organizational
lifecycles, Susan Kenny Stevens has studied nonprofit founders and is herself a
founder. She talks with Pat Wyzbinski of the Nonprofit Management Fund about the
nature of founder’s syndrome and the challenges Boards face in governing a
organization run by its founder. Susan Kenny Stevens is the senior consultant at
LarsonAllen Public Service Group. Go to:
www.smallpackageproductions.com. You can subscribe to the podcast
series through the iTUNES store for free and receive automatic notices whenever
a new episode is posted.
October
7 - 13, 2007
Nonprofit Fundraising Web Resources
This extensive listing of over
560 resources, prepared by Jon Harrison, Funding Center Supervisor of the
Michigan State University Libraries, is intended as a starting point for those
who are interested in learning more about foundations, fundraising, proposal
writing, philanthropy and philanthropists, corporate philanthropy, international
philanthropy, government funding, nonprofit organizations, nonprofit
organization administration, planned giving, prospect research, and voluntarism,
but only want to look at resources available on the web. All of the linked have
been recently checked by Harrison’s staff to assure that they are not broken.
Go to:
www.lib.msu.edu
September
30 - October 6, 2007
Visionary Board Leadership Assessment
One of the most reliable ways the
board can strengthen its performance as a governing body is to periodically
assess its own performance. The Visionary Board Leadership Assessment
developed by Frank Martinelli of the Center for Public Skills Training focuses
on 25 qualities and competencies and characteristics which, when taken together,
delineate the profile of an effective future focused board. The results of the
assessment will be used to develop action plans to strengthen the visionary
leadership capacity of your board. Go to:
www.createthefuture.com
September
23 - 29, 2007
Staying Engaged, Stepping Up: Succession Planning and
Executive Transition Management for Nonprofit Boards of Directors
Staying Engaged, Stepping Up
by Tom Adams 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. In the first section,” Getting
Ready: First Steps,” you’ll find an organizational self-assessment to give you a
sense of how prepared you are to face a transition. This is coupled with an
action plan that sets out a full year’s worth of activities, broken into
manageable pieces. The next two sections of the monograph,” Getting Ready to Go:
Succession Planning” and “Good Endings, New Beginnings: Executive Transition
Management,” describe the basics of preparing for a leadership change. This
includes the up front work of succession planning before a leader leaves, as
well as executive transition management, an approach to managing the risks and
amplifying the possibilities associated with the actual transition period
itself. The monograph also includes a set of resources that can help you learn
more about these topics and help you on the way to preparing for your next
transition and for strengthening your organization and its vital work. To
download as a .pdf file, go to:
www.transitionguides.com
September
16 - 22, 2007
Verizon Foundation Resource Center
The Verizon Foundation Resource
Center offers a unique suite of online tools that give nonprofit managers access
to best-in-class national training partners and business resources. The Resource
Center's mission is to leverage the power of network technology to help local
and national nonprofit organizations enhance their management capabilities in
order to increase their capacity to create sustainable positive change. Tools
are available in six topic areas: planning, technology, communications,
fundraising, recruitment, and evaluation. Go to:
foundation.verizon.com
September
9 - 15, 2007
The Law Portal
Developed with support from the
Rockefeller Foundation, the goal of the Law
Portal is to present legal primers on matters that affect the arts, artists and
arts institutions. Some materials may be of use to those involved with other
types of nonprofits. Go to:
www.thelawportal.info
September
2 - 8, 2007
A Capital Projects Primer
This booklet is written for
nonprofit leaders, individual donors, foundation and corporate leaders, and
anyone concerned with nonprofit space needs. It will assist you with the
predevelopment phase of a capital project, as well as thinking through the
planning and financing options. If you are a community benefit corporation staff
or board leader, this booklet will help you understand the basics of capital
projects. If you are someone considering making a donation or a grant to a
nonprofit space project, this booklet will help you think through your options
in how to support such a project, and the questions to ask before you decide to
do so. To download as a .pdf file, go to:
www.compasspoint.org
August
26 - September 1, 2007
Toolkit for Developing a
Social Purpose Business Plan
Founded in 1986, the Structured
Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco), a national community
development operating intermediary, creates opportunities for low-wage workers
and their families by engaging with community partners and anchor institutions
to develop, operate and learn from model programs. As part of its Nonprofit
Venture Network program, Seedco developed the 'Toolkit for Developing a Social
Purpose Business Plan,' a resource for nonprofits that are considering starting
a revenue-generating activity or a business venture. Seedco’s business planning
web site provides:
Go to:
nvn-toolkit.seedco.org
August
19 - 25, 2007
The Arts & Economic Prosperity III Calculator
The Arts &
Economic Prosperity III Calculator is a free and simple tool that makes it
possible for you to estimate the economic impact of your nonprofit arts and
culture organization—or even your entire nonprofit arts community—on your local
economy. These analyses are based on research findings from the 156 communities
and regions that were part of Arts & Economic Prosperity III, Americans for the
Arts' national economic impact study of nonprofit arts and culture organizations
and their audiences. To open the Calculator, go to:
www.americansforthearts.org
August
12 - 18, 2007
Free Online Courses by SBA
Several free online courses are
offered by the SBA in the following topic area: Starting a Business, Business
Planning, Business Management, Financing & Accounting, Marketing & Advertising,
Government Contracting, Risk Management & Cyber Security, and E-Commerce. While
some courses will be more relevant to the needs of nonprofits, they are worth
checking out. These self-paced courses are easy to use and understand. Each
course takes about 30 minutes to complete. You can exit a course at any time.
Because most of the courses offer audio explanations, it is recommended that
your computer speakers be turned on. Before entering a course, you will be
prompted to complete an online registration form. The registration process is
simple, asks only a couple of questions and will take less than a minute to
complete. Go to:
www.sba.gov
July
29 - August 11, 2007
Social Innovation Podcast Channel
The Social Innovation Podcasting
Channel is an open and collaborative online platform for cross-sector and
multidisciplinary learning for social change. Social Innovation Conversations'
mission is to expand the reach of important and valuable knowledge to people who
otherwise wouldn't have access to it by recording and sharing the spoken words
of thought leaders in all sectors and disciplines and offering listeners a multi
stakeholder perspective on the world grand challenges and social issues. This
free online audio channel delivering conferences, speeches, and interviews from
leaders at the forefront of creating social change is co-hosted by Stanford
Social Innovation Review editors Eric Nee and Alana Conner. Social Innovation
Conversations in an initiative of the Center for Social Innovation at the
Stanford Graduate School of Business. Go to:
www.siconversations.org
July
22 - 28, 2007
Online Seminars
Idealware provides candid
Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of interest to
nonprofits, centralized into a website. Through product comparisons,
recommendations, case studies, and software news, Idealware allows nonprofits to
make the software decisions that will help them be more effective. Idealware
offers a number of technology related seminars designed to give nonprofits the
tactical advice they need to make software decisions. The seminars include all
the candid advice and product comparisons of the reports and articles on which
they are based, but offer plenty of extra guidance and insights straight from
the author. An internet connection and a phone line to participate. Each of
these seminars are only $40 per participant. Recordings of previous seminars are
available for $20. For a schedule of upcoming seminars, go to:
www.idealware.org/online_seminars
July
15 - 21, 2007
Finding the Right ED: Creating and Managing an Effective
Search Committee
For many
nonprofits, recruiting an executive director (ED) is a challenging experience.
And creating a search committee to oversee the recruitment process can seem like
a daunting task. What role should the committee play and what makes a good
search committee member? How do you go about selecting a search chair and what
exactly does a search chair do? Where do recruiting firms fit into the picture?
Having an organized, effective search committee is a key factor in the
successful recruitment of an ED. This resource produced by Bridgestar will
explain both how to create a search committee and how to equip it with the tools
necessary to find the right ED for your organization. Go to:
www.bridgestar.org/Resources. You will be prompted to register for free
access to this report and many other valuable resources. For registration, you
can also go directly to:
www.bridgestar.org/Membership
July
8 - 14, 2007
Google Earth Outreach
According to Google, hundreds of
millions of people use Google Earth to explore the world around them. The Google
Earth Outreach program can give your nonprofit the knowledge and resource
needed to reach their minds and their hearts. As a non-profit or public benefit
group, you can use Google Earth to capture the work you're doing, the people
you're helping, the challenges you face and the change you're helping to enable
- all in the visual context of the environment in which these stories take
place. By downloading your KML files, anyone, anywhere can fly in Google Earth
from where they live to where you do your work. This virtual visit to the
projects and people you support gets users engaged and passionate about what
you're doing and builds support for your cause. For more information about
Google Earth Outreach and how it might increase the impact of your nonprofit’s
work, go to:
earth.google.com
July
1 - 7, 2007
Guide to State Advocacy
Compiled by NP Action, a project
of OMB Watch, the Guide to State Advocacy is a one-stop resource that
offers a state by state listing to provide you with the means to locate and
correspond with your Congressional delegation, state legislature, statewide
elected officials, major media, local officials, key issues and pending
legislation. Go to:
www.npaction.org
June
24 - 30, 2007
Planning Resources
The Ontario Library Service North
and the Southern Ontario Library Service have compiled a collection of planning
resources. While the focus is on libraries, many of the resources will be useful
to any nonprofit organization. The resources are organized into the following
categories: general resources; planning process; situational analysis; surveys;
mission, vision and values; and sample plans. Go to:
www.library.on.ca
June
17 - 23, 2007
NFPerspectives Newsletter
The NFPerspectives Newsletter
published by Grant Thornton, provides vision and innovation for not-for-profit
organizations. Each issues features articles highlighting accounting, financial
and business management issues for nonprofit professionals. Go to:
www.grantthornton.com
June
10 - 16, 2007
Hiring Toolkit: Navigating the Hiring Process
Bridgestar has developed the Hiring Toolkit:
Navigating the Hiring Process to help you navigate every aspect of the hiring
process. The toolkit breaks the hiring process into five major components:
-
Defining Needs and the Search Process: How do you begin
the process of hiring for your position? This section of the hiring toolkit
provides questions to help you scope the position and write a
well-constructed job description.
-
Developing the Candidate Pool: How do you develop an
appropriate and diverse panel of candidates? This section discusses how to
identify and reach out to networks that will help you develop an
appropriately deep candidate pool.
-
Screening and Interviewing Candidates: How do you
evaluate applicants? This section guides you through the process of
screening resumes and interviewing candidates, with tips on topics ranging
from managing a rush of applications to planning a successful interview.
-
Finalizing the Choice: How do you close your search
with a successful candidate? This section walks you through the process of
checking references, extending and negotiating an offer, and saying no to
those you did not choose.
-
Managing the Transition: How do you prepare your new
hire for success? This section helps you think through how to integrate your
new hire into the organization to ensure a smooth transition.
In addition to detailed commentary on each of these five
components, the toolkit includes specific examples of tools Bridgestar
uses with clients (e.g., a search timeline, a candidate assessment tool, a
list of interview and reference-check questions, a primer on legal issues,
etc.). To download as a .pdf file, go to:
resources.bridgestar.org
June
3 - 9, 2007
To Go Forward, Retreat!
To Go Forward, Retreat! an
e-book authored by Sandra Hughes who serves as Executive Consultant to
BoardSource, provides nonprofit boards with proven techniques for hosting a
retreat. Whether a board is bringing on new members, starting a
strategic-planning process or conducting a self-assessment, a retreat presents
unparalleled opportunities for progress. The most effective retreats tie the
meetings, agenda, and activities clearly to the organization's strategic
challenges and goals. “To Go Forward, Retreat,” distills lessons learned from
more than 20 years of experience leading retreats and consulting with nonprofit
organizations. To download a copy at no charge, go to:
www.boardsource.org
May
27 - June 2, 2007
Evaluation Tools and Resources
The Planning & Evaluation
Resource Center has gathered a number of evaluation tools that vary in
complexity. Some are brief, easy to read and understand, and even people who are
new to evaluation will be able to use them. Others are much more complex and
require an advanced understanding of evaluation concepts. Categories of tools
and resources include: Evaluation Planning, Vision, Mission, and Values,
Developing Theories of Change and Logic Models, creating Indicators and
Benchmarks, Data Collection and Methods, Analyzing Data, Tools for Sharing
Findings, and Tools for Modifying Practice. Go to:
www.evaluationtools.org
May
20 - 26, 2007
The MBA-Nonprofit Connection
The MBA-Nonprofit Connection (MNC)
provides a variety of services that help to bring MBA skills and energy to the
nonprofit sector while bringing exciting new job opportunities to the business
school student/alumni community. The MNC serves as an extension to the career
services programs of its partner business schools. MBAs can benefit from the
“Advice for Job Seekers” page, or seek one-on-one support in developing a
nonprofit career search through personalized career advising. Nonprofit
organizations can recruit graduates from leading schools of business and
management through the job posting service. Go to:
mnc.nonprofitoffice.com
May 13
- 19, 2007
Calculating the Economic Impact of Volunteers
How can a realistic economic
value be put on volunteer time? By putting a value in what volunteers do at the
task level. The Economic Impact of Volunteers Calculator created by the Points
of Light Foundation makes this possible. It estimates the appropriate wage rate
for volunteer time based on what the person does, the value of specific tasks
according to market conditions as reported by the US Department of Labor.
Organizations can use the Calculator to determine the value of the time their
volunteers give doing a wide variety of volunteer jobs. To use the calculator,
search for the job description using the drop-down menu box. Then enter the
number of hours given by all volunteers performing that particular task. Repeat
this task until all volunteer positions have been entered. The system
automatically calculates the totals for each job category and for the total
across all volunteer jobs. Go to:
www.pointsoflight.org
May
6 - 12, 2007
AFP Resource Center
Drawing from dozens of
publications and backed by the power of the Internet, the AFP Resource Center
provides research assistance on fundraising issues and best practices. An
extensive library of Frequently Asked Questions is organized according to the
following categories: grants and grant proposal writing, internet fundraising,
case for support and case statements, donor gifts, contribution dates for
year-end gifts, deductibility of membership dues, evaluating fundraising costs,
fundraising salaries, planned giving terminology, form 990 rules and more. Go
to:
www.afpnet.org
April
29 - May 5, 2007
Stanford Social Innovation Review Ask an Expert Service
Stanford
Social Innovation Review and the Stanford Graduate School of Business Alumni
Consulting Team (ACT) have teamed up to form a new pro-bono service which
provides answers to questions you have about managing nonprofits. They provide
three ways for you to get your questions answered: you can pose a question to
their team of experts from ACT, browse their inventory of previously-asked
questions and answers, or visit the Ask ACT knowledge management site for
additional advice on these subjects. Go to:
www.ssireview.org
April
22 - 28, 2007
Effective and Promising Practices
The New York State Office of
Child and Family Services (OCFS) has added an Effective and Promising Practices
page to its website. The purpose of this page is to provide resources for
service providers and all stakeholders involved in programs to improve outcomes
for children and families. It provides valuable information for providing
effective evidence-based programs, developing and measuring outcomes, research
on effective practices, and implementation issues. Go to:
www.ocfs.state.ny.us
April
15 - 21, 2007
Resources for Engaging in the Policy Process
The National Council of Nonprofit
Associations has assembled a collection of resources on nonprofit advocacy and
public policy. The resources are organized in the following categories: Advocacy
Stories & Strategies, Strengthening (or Starting!) Your Policy Program, Engaging
in Advocacy & Lobbying, Election Cycle Activities, and Additional Resources.
Included in the “Strengthening (or Starting!) Your Policy Program” section is
the Building Capacity for Public Policy Tool Kit, one of the best resources
available for nonprofits that want to get serious about advocacy and public
policy work. Go to:
www.ncna.org
April
8 - 14, 2007
Business Planning for Nonprofits
The Bridgespan Group has
assembled an excellent set of resources on business planning for nonprofits. In
“Business Planning for Nonprofits,” Bridgespan draws on client experience to
illustrate the key components of the business-planning process. Companion pieces
include articles that delve deeper into selected facets of the process; case
studies that help bring business planning to life; and sample plans that
illustrate different formats for the resulting product. You may be prompted to
register to access this resource. It’s free and you’ll be able to tap into one
of the very best websites for nonprofits. Go to:
www.bridgespan.org
April
1 - 7, 2007
A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools
Fully updated in March 2007, "A
Few Good E-Mail Newsletter Tools" provides an excellent review of major options
available to nonprofits wishing to utilize online newsletter tools. Maybe you
want to send fancy eNewsletters, or maybe just text action alerts. Perhaps
you’re hoping for a tool that can send emails to tens of thousands of people, or
perhaps just a few hundred. Maybe you need something that can integrate with
your offline database, customize the content for large donors, send emails to
tailored segments of your list, or allow custom eNewsletter templates. This
guide and several others have been developed by Idealware, an organization that
provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of
interest to nonprofits, centralized into a website. Through product comparisons,
recommendations, case studies, and software news, Idealware allows nonprofits to
make the software decisions that will help them be more effective. For the
newsletter guide and other valuable resources, go to:
www.idealware.org
March
25 - 31,
2007
Collaborative Capacity Instrument
The Collaborative Capacity
Instrument is a tool intended to be used as a self-assessment by alcohol and
other drug (AOD) service and child welfare service (CWS) agencies and dependency
courts who are preparing to work with each other or who may be seeking to move
to a new level of cooperation after some initial efforts. The questions have
been designed to elicit discussion among and within both sets of agencies and
the court about their readiness for closer work with each other. There are two
versions, one for persons working at the statewide level, the other for those at
the local level. The approach of this assessment tool could be adapted in whole
or in part for other collaborative efforts. Go to:
www.aodsystems.com
March
18 - 24,
2007
Sample Volunteer Job Descriptions
The Community
Services Council of Newfoundland and Labrador whose mission is to encourage
citizen engagement, has created an excellent resource for the development of
volunteer job descriptions. To learn more about creating job descriptions for
volunteers, go to:
www.envision.ca.
To view a
variety of sample volunteer job descriptions to help determine the type of
volunteer you are looking for, go to:
www.envision.ca. Then to create volunteer job descriptions, you can use an
interactive template. You can view your job descriptions online, print them or
email them, go to:
www.envision.ca
March
11 - 17,
2007
NTEN Webinar Events
NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology
Network hosts many events each year on topics related to nonprofit technology.
You can learn about and register for all of upcoming webinars as well as
information and materials from events held in the past. A sampling of topics
include: Getting Started With Online Donation Tools, Telling More Compelling
Stories: How video can engage more people online, Technology Essentials for
Nonprofit Managers, Four Ways for Nonprofits to Use Blogs, Choosing an
eNewsletter Tool, IT Budgets that Don't Bite: A Template for IT Budgeting, 10
Mistakes in Choosing Donor Databases, TXT for Change: Mobile Messaging for
Advocacy, and much more. Go to:
nten.org/events/webinar
March
4 - 10,
2007
Good to Great Diagnostic Tool
Based on his book Good to
Great, Jim Collins's Good to Great Diagnostic Tool is for entrepreneurs and
organization leaders who are working to improve their professional performance.
This tool offers set of worksheets covering four major areas: disciplined
people, disciplined thought, disciplined action, and building greatness to
last. Go to:
www.jimcollins.com
February
25 - March 3,
2007
Social Innovation Podcasting Channel
The Social Innovation Podcasting
Channel is an open and collaborative online platform for cross-sector and
multidisciplinary learning for social change. Social Innovation Conversations'
mission is to expand the reach of important and valuable knowledge to people who
otherwise wouldn't have access to it by recording and sharing the spoken words
of thought leaders in all sectors and disciplines and offering listeners a multi
stakeholder perspective on the world grand challenges and social issues. Social
Innovation Conversations in an initiative of the Center for Social Innovation at
the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Social Innovation Conversations is
part of the Conversations Network, an online platform for podcast distribution.
Go to:
www.siconversations.org
February
18 - 24,
2007
Using Real-Time Communications with Volunteers
“Using Real-Time Communications
With Volunteers" provides more information in very down-to-earth language on
using these real-time computer, audio and video tools with volunteers: what the
various tools are, how agencies are using them to interact with volunteers, and
tips to encourage and maintain participation in synchronous communications. This
resource will be of special interest for those who wish to learn more about
real-time communications via the Internet but are not "techies". Go to:
www.coyotecommunications.com
February
11 - 17,
2007
Four Steps to Selecting Donor Management Software
This highly useful toolkit
includes a recommended selection process, and overview of some of the available
tools, and a number of useful worksheets - a feature checklist, process map
templates, a functional requirement worksheet, and more - to help organizations
pick a donor database. Go to:
www.npowerseattle.org
February
4 - 10,
2007
Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy
Revolution
Now more than ever, people are
coming together—in coalitions or organizations—to harness the power of
technology for policy change. This new Internet-based approach to
advocacy—electronic advocacy (e-advocacy)—is a multifaceted process that uses an
array of technology tools, tailored to specific campaign goals. Produced by
PolicyLink, Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy Revolution
cites examples of organizations that have used e-advocacy to reach “hard to
reach” communities; organize for mass mobilization; strengthen their offline
tactics (such as tabling, rallying, and protest marches); reach out to media;
connect to more supporters for online donations; and target decision-makers,
rapidly and forcefully, to pass or defeat proposed legislation. In addition to
case studies, this report is loaded with technology tips to create an advocacy
website, format emails and newsletters for maximum effectiveness, and connect to
audiences and enable supporter action. It also examines barriers and
opportunities for organizations that want to integrate technology into their
communications strategies, and a detailed list of technology vendors. To
download a copy as a .pdf file, to go:
www.policylink.org
January
28 - February 3, 2007
TechAtlas
Managed by NPower, TechAtlas is an online tool that helps
nonprofits assess, plan for and manage the technology they need to make an even
greater difference in their communities. TechAtlas walks nonprofits through the
technology planning process, from creating a vision of how technology could be
most effective in their organizations, to assessing and prioritizing their
needs, to generating a final report that can be shared with board and staff.
Additionally, advanced features of TechAtlas provide tools to manage existing
technology more effectively, such as online inventorying, help desk tracking and
special assessments. To date, more than 13,000 nonprofits have used TechAtlas to
help manage their technology and plan for future needs. Go to:
www.npowerpa.org
January
21 - 27, 2007
Tools for Dismantling Structural Racism
The Aspen Institute’s Community
Roundtable on Community Change Project on Race and Community Building has
developed a resource inventory of organizations that have created materials,
tools, methodologies, etc. that are potentially useful to community builders
working to dismantle structural racism. This inventory includes a list of
organizations, along with brief descriptions of their anti-racism tools. Each
tool is classified according to type (strategic, analytic, educational, etc.);
level (does it address individual-, organizational-, community-, institutional-,
or structural-level problems); and domain (education, criminal justice,
employment, regionalism, etc.). New additions are made regularly. Go to:
www.aspeninstitute.org
January
14 - 20, 2007
ForwardThinking Governance Newsletter
ForwardThinking, Grant Thornton’s
not-for-profit board governance newsletter, highlights best governance practices
for governance of not-for-profit organizations. It also provides board and
committee members with timely information on current trends, regulatory
proposals and other key matters affecting not-for-profit organizations. Articles
in a recent issue include: Next practices: Enhancing fiscal transparency through
public disclosure of management letters; Should your audit committee serve as
your compliance committee?; and Grant Thornton’s fourth annual Board Governance
Survey for Not-for-Profit Organizations. ForwardThinking has been developed in
response to the many questions and comments regarding board governance issues,
policies and legislation we have received from nonprofit organizations. Go to:
www.grantthornton.com
January
7 - 13, 2007
Experts Online Webcast Series
Experts Online
is a service provided by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). LISC
provides these webcasts, in partnership with
KnowledgePlex, free of charge as a
support and training service to community development practitioners nationwide.
Anyone with access to the Internet and a phone can participate in an Experts
Online live event from his/her own desk at the scheduled time. Participants will
be able to hear the expert(s) speak, view the corresponding visual presentation
in real time, and pose written or oral questions to the speaker(s) during the
event. Links to past webcasts are also available. Recent training topics include
Leadership Series for Board Members - How to Create a Dynamic ED - Board Chair
Partnership; Dashboard Dialogue -- Mission Reporting and Financial Management
Metrics; HR Handler - Who's Handling Your Human Resources Function? and more. Go
to:
www.lisc.org
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
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. |
