2009 Resources of the Week
December
20, 2009 - January 2, 2010
The Troublemaker's Teaparty, A Manual for Effective Citizen
Action
The Troublemaker's Teaparty is an updated and expanded
version of The Citizen's Handbook. It contains all of The Handbook plus
additional material on preventing grassroots wilt, strategic action, direct
action and media advocacy. To download a copy, go to:
www.vcn.bc.ca
December
13 - 19, 2009
E-Advocacy for Nonprofits
More nonprofits are discovering the power of the Internet
to promote their public policy agendas. This guide comprehensively addresses the
laws governing Internet advocacy, from voter education websites to e-mail action
alerts. E-Advocacy for Nonprofits answers many of the questions raised by
activists about how the laws of nonprofit advocacy apply in cyberspace. It
represents the best research and thinking available on how nonprofits can use
the Internet for lobbying and electoral advocacy while staying within the law.
Go to:
www.afj.org
December
6 - 12, 2009
An Overview of the Nonprofit and Charitable Sector
This report by the Congressional Research Service explores
a number of policy issues have direct or indirect consequences for the nonprofit
and charitable sector, including the establishment of a social innovation
initiative, changes in the tax treatment of charitable donations, responses to
the economic downturn, and health care reform. The first section of this report
provides a formal definition of the nonprofit and charitable sector. The next
section reports on the size and scope of the charitable sector. Charitable
organizations are estimated to employ more than 7% of the U.S. workforce, while
the broader nonprofit sector is estimated to employ 10% of the U.S. workforce.
The third section of this report examines how charities are funded. Finally, the
report concludes by surveying what policy options are considered most important
by charitable organizations themselves including (1) increasing government
grants and subsidies to charitable organizations; (2) creating an oversight
agency within the federal government to gather data, conduct research, and
advocate for the charitable sector; (3) implementing policies designed to help
charities and foundations in economic downturns; (4) changing the itemized
deduction for charitable contributions by limiting, converting to a credit, or
making the deduction more widely available; and (5) a variety of other tax
issues. To download a copy of the report, go to:
www.fas.org
November
22 - December 5, 2009
Podcasts 100
BoardStar is
created a library of 100 podcasts on board governance topics. Through
inspirational 8-10 minute interviews with nonprofit leaders, Board Directors can
learn about their roles and responsibilities, as well as receive quick points to
strengthen their nonprofit Boards. Perfect for introducing a topic for
discussion, BoardStar invites you to share a podcast at your next Board meeting.
The podcasts are accessible online at no charge. CD and DVD compendiums are
available for purchase. You can also download a PDF podcast episode guide. Go
to:
web.memberclicks.com
November 15 - 21, 2009
Writing Effective Job Descriptions
A clear and comprehensive job description is key to
attracting candidates who are well suited to the position you're trying to fill.
Before embarking on the process of writing a job description, however, you'll
need to have developed a clear sense of the role in question, its
responsibilities, and the qualifications that an ideal candidate would possess.
Once your team has clarified these dimensions, you can begin to craft the job
description. Besides offering tips for writing the job description, this
article from Bridgespan provides an Organization Overview Sample to start your
descriptions off on the right foot, an Email Job Announcement Sample to help you
spread the word of your open position, and several Nonprofit Job Description
Samples for a number of senior management roles. Go to:
www.bridgestar.org
November
8 - 14, 2009
Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice
Since their release in 2007, the Principles for Good
Governance and Ethical Practice have helped thousands of organizations
across the nonprofit community strengthen their operations. Now, the
Principles Workbook: Steering Your Board Toward Good Governance and Ethical
Practice provides further support for nonprofits, foundations, and corporate
giving programs committed to examining and improving their governance practices.
The Principles Workbook will make it easier for boards of directors and
staff leaders to assess the areas where their organizations are doing well and
where there is room for improvement. It distills the core concepts in each of
the 33 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. Free registration is required to download the
workbook.
November
1 - 7, 2009
Nonprofit Social Media Primer
Having a social media strategy is not its own objective.
Rather, social media strategies can support your existing objectives. Reflect on
your organization’s current objectives: Do you want to cultivate supporter
relationships, build cause awareness, do online fundraising, or connect with new
supporters? Those are all goals social media can help support, and the Nonprofit
Social Media Primer examines a multitude of ways to get started and how your
organization can benefit. The Nonprofit Social Media Primer was authored by
Frank Barry, Director of Professional Services, Blackbaud Internet Solutions. To
download a free copy, go to:
www.blackbaud.com
October
25 - 31, 2009
Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds
Grant makers tend to be cautious about funding advocacy,
and for good reason — yet advocacy can play a crucial role in advancing a
foundation’s mission. In this Grantcraft guide, contributors explain that
advocacy includes a lot of opportunities to improve public policy through work
that is well within the limits of the law. Whether your purpose is to advance
an idea, argue a position, or enrich the policy debate, the guide offers
resources and strategies for planning your work, reaching your audience,
assessing impact, and more. Go to:
www.grantcraft.org
October
18 - 24, 2009
Checklist for Accountability
Independent Sector has developed a set of excellent tools
to assess your nonprofit’s accountability and transparency IQ and then use the
results of the assessment to strengthen your organization in these critical
areas. The Checklist for Accountability combines recommendations made by
Independent Sector and the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector. It was developed with
the additional input of the Ethics and Accountability Committee and
Communications and Marketing Advisory Task Force. Go to:
www.independentsector.org
October
11 - 17, 2009
Social Media Resources for Your Nonprofit Job Search
Nonprofits are increasingly incorporating social networking
tools-such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter-into their marketing, fundraising,
advocacy, and recruiting efforts. To learn more about the role that social
networking can and should play in a professional's search for a nonprofit
management position, Bridgespan talked with Beth Kanter, the author of Beth's
Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media. She explains how to get the most out
of social networking during your job search-even if you're a new-media novice.
Go to:
www.bridgestar.org
October
4 - 10, 2009
The Smart Chart
The Interactive Smart Chart is based on the Spitfire
Strategies Smart Chart 3.0 – a planning tool that helps nonprofits make smart
choices and develop high-impact communications strategies. This online version
of the Smart Chart offers an interactive approach to the planning process. As
you work your way through the Chart, you'll have several opportunities to
evaluate your answers and ensure you are making the smartest choices. You can
also stop and save your answers at any time, and come back and finish later.
This allows you to finish the planning process in your own time – and gives you
maximum flexibility so you can get input on your choices from staff, board
members or other outside resources as needed. At the end of the process, you
will have a fully completed Smart Chart that links your organization's goals to
the many strategic decisions necessary for a successful communications effort.
Go to:
www.smartchart.org
September
27 - October 3, 2009
30 Second MBA
The 30 Second MBA is a feature of Fast Company Magazine. A
wide array of organizational and industry experts provide answers to questions
in the form of 30 second video clips. Recent topics have included: What Is the
Single Most Important Task for a Leader? What Do You Do When You Don't Know What
to Do? How Do You Retain and Nurture Talent?
What Did You Learn From Your Last Business "Near Death" Experience?
How can teams make better decisions? And more. Go to:
www.fastcompany.com
September
20 - 26, 2009
Nonprofit Resource Library
The Non-Profit Sector Leadership Program at the Dalhouse
University College of Continuing Studies has developed an online resource
library for nonprofits. The library offers program resource materials as well as
selected links to other websites that also offer useful information on
leadership and management topics. Under all three headings one will find links
to a number of the most active organizations, in North America and beyond,
working on behalf of the nonprofit sector in advocacy, research and education.
Go to:
collegeofcontinuinged.dal.ca
September
13 - 19, 2009
Models of Collaboration
“Models of Collaboration” is a publication of the ASU
Lodestar Center, an academic center that seeks to advance nonprofit leadership
practice. The brief was authored by Marc Hager and Tyler Curry. This outstanding
publication describes eight models of collaboration: fully integrated merger,
partially integrated merger, joint program office, joint partnership with
affiliated programming, joint partnership for issue advocacy, joint partnership
with the birth of a new formal organization, joint administrative office and
back office operations, and confederation. Each of the eight models is defined
along with a listing of conditions that can be addressed by the selected model,
as well as challenges and benefits of the model. There are brief capsule studies
of collaborations that reflect each model. This publication is based in part on
an analysis of nonprofits competing for the Collaboration Prize created by the
Lodestar Foundation. To download a copy, go to:
www.asu.edu
September
6 - 12, 2009
Comparison of Board Governance Models
Ruth L. Johnson has prepared a monograph entitled
Stewardship to Leadership in which she compares and contrasts 13 approaches to
board governance. The descriptions of each governance model, accompanied by
graphics are especially helpful in seeing the differences and similarities among
the various governance approaches. Johnson has served as a three term Board
member for the Clark County School District, one of the largest school districts
in the nation. She was repeatedly elected by her peers to serve as president of
her Board and also served in other officer positions including president of the
Nevada Association of School Boards and Vice-president of the Pacific Region of
the National School Boards Association. To download the monograph, go to:
www.nvasb.org
August
30 - September 5, 2009
Hallmarks of A Risk Aware Nonprofit
Over the past two years, the Nonprofit Risk Management
Center has identified 12 Hallmarks, along with practical strategies and tools to
help turn your nonprofit organization into one that manifests the hallmarks of a
risk-aware nonprofit. This Hallmarks tool developed by the Nonprofit Risk
Management Center has three purposes:
Each Hallmark is followed by practical suggestions and
additional resources to help you get started.
To access the Hallmark Tool, go to:
nonprofitrisk.org
August
23 - 29, 2009
GuideStar Webinar Archive
GuideStar maintains an online archive of on demand webinars
for nonprofits on a variety of subjects. Recent titles include: How to Build an
Organizational Dashboard: Track and Measure Organizational Performance Easily
and Inexpensively, Creating Sustainable Funding in Economically Challenging
Times, Frictionless Fundraising, Nonprofit Research and Analysis Tools to Get
the Job Done, and more. Go to:
www2.guidestar.org
August
16 - 22, 2009
The Just Enough Planning Guide™
Developed by Spitfire Strategies, and the Communications
Leadership Institute, with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,
The Just Enough Planning Guide™ was developed to help those looking to create
winning policy campaigns, issue campaigns, corporate campaigns or public
education campaigns. Based on findings from a comprehensive search to find the
perfect approach to campaign planning, this unique tool provides organizations
and coalitions with just enough of a process for planning successful campaigns.
The Interactive Just Enough Planning Guide™ provides users with an online,
interactive approach to the planning process. As you work your way through the
tool, you'll have several opportunities to evaluate your answers and ensure you
are making the smartest choices. You can also stop and save your answers at any
time, and come back and finish later. This allows you to finish the planning
process in your own time — and gives you maximum flexibility so you can get
input on your choices from staff, board members or other outside resources as
needed. At the end of the process, you will have a fully completed plan that
links your organization's objectives to the many strategic decisions necessary
for a successful campaign. To download a copy of the guide, go to:
www.justenoughplanning.org
August
9 - 15, 2009
Capacity Building Resources
The Fieldstone Alliance has
compiled an extensive collection of capacity building resources including links
to all types of providers active in the field of capacity building. Go to:
www.fieldstonealliance.org
July
26 - August 8, 2009
Giving Circles
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
19 - 25, 2009
Community Organizing Fundraising Guide
In this guide, UNTAPPED: How
Community Organizers Can Develop and Deepen Relationships with Major Donors And
Raise Big Money, the authors examine how to apply the basics of community
organizing to raising money from major donors. The guide begins with an
overview of the potential and the challenges of major donor fundraising. The
authors introduce findings from a survey of major donors and other sources of
information. They go on to describe different types of major donors, how and
where to find them, and some key things to keep in mind about major donor
fundraising. At the heart of the guide is an examination of each of the five
main findings from the survey and the implications for organizers, leaders, and
those raising money for community organizing. Sample scenarios, talking points,
organizing examples, reference information, and a list of other resources are
included. To download a copy of the guide, go to:
www.communitychange.org
July
12 - 18, 2009
Crisis Management Plan Templates
Holly Hart, a Wisconsin based
consultant, has completed crisis management, pandemic and continuity of
operations plan documents for non-profits, small businesses and schools. They
are available for download at no charge. The materials are in word documents so
that people can take sections of the documents to add to what they already have
or so that they can take the entire document and customize it to fit their
organization’s needs. Also included are training manuals in PDF form to explain
the reasoning behind the contents of the crisis response plan documents. Go to:
www.hollyhartconsulting.com
July
5 - 11, 2009
Nonprofit Cost Analysis Toolkit
Bridgespan has developed a
Nonprofit Cost Analysis Toolkit. This toolkit is intended primarily for
senior leaders (e.g. executive directors, directors of finance, development
directors, regional directors) of small to medium nonprofit organizations with
multiple programmatic areas or multiple geographic sites. It may also be useful
for leaders of larger nonprofits in those cases where this knowledge does not
exist already among the organization's staff. Smaller nonprofits with a single
program area and a single geographic site are unlikely to require true-cost
analysis as offered in this toolkit, which focuses on allocating financials
across multiple areas. This toolkit may also prove useful for foundations
looking to understand their grantees’ true-cost structure, or to help their
grantees gain economic clarity. The toolkit assumes that its users possess a
basic understanding of financial concepts and a strategic purview of the
organization. To access the Toolkit, go to:
www.bridgespan.org
June
28 - July 4, 2009
Mashable Launches Hub for Twitter Resources
Founded in July 2005, Mashable
bills itself as the world's largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and
Social Media news. Mashable has prepared the "The Twitter Guide Book" to help
organizations use twitter effectively. The guidebook is described as a one-stop
shop for getting up to speed with everything Twitter, from managing your Twitter
stream to promoting an organization. The Twitter Guide Book will be updated a
regular basis to bring the latest tips and tricks as Twitter evolves. Go to:
mashable.com
June 21 - 27, 2009
Capacity Building Toolkit
The Capacity Building Toolkit has
been designed to support nonprofit leaders who wish to engage in capacity
building in a
systematic way. The toolkit facilitates an organization’s engagement
in the four Capacity Building Process core activities: capacity building
assessment and benchmarking, capacity building action plans based on the results
of the assessment, implementation of the action plan, and reassessment to track
actual gains in organizational capacity. This toolkit further outlines the four
capacity building activity components along with specific capacity building
tools designed to guide an organization’s engagement in each of the four
activities. This Capacity Building Action Planning Toolkit was originally
developed by Frank Martinelli and Shelly Schnupp for use by local associations
of the Great Lakes Alliance of the YWCA as part of the GLA Capacity Building
Project. To access the capacity building toolkit, go to:
www.createthefuture.com/CBtoolkit.htm
June
14 - 20, 2009
185 Cutback Strategies
185 Cutback Strategies Excerpted
from Coping with Cutbacks: The Nonprofit Guide to Success When Times Are Tight
published by the Fieldstone Alliance. The first two categories address
strategies for reducing costs and increasing revenues and will be helpful in
budget planning. The authors note: "Use these suggestions as a starting point
for your own brainstorming, and use the categories to help you organize your
thinking and analyze your current approach to fulfilling your mission. But don't
get locked into any one strategy--cut them up, pull them out of a hat, mix and
match them. Do whatever helps you spur new ideas that fit your specific
situation. Here's our caveat: Just because we've listed a strategy, don't think
we endorse it. In fact, we dislike some, and some may conflict with your
mission, values, or human resource policies." Go to:
www.fieldstonealliance.org
June
7 - 13, 2009
The Dynamic Board: Lessons from High-Performing Nonprofits
The Nonprofit Practice of
McKinsey & Company:” The Dynamic Board: Lessons from High-Performing Nonprofits”
This report from the Nonprofit Practice of McKinsey & Company, explores the
issue of board effectiveness. The report summarizes the best practices
identified through McKinsey’s interviews with the directors or board chairs of
32 highly-regarded nonprofits. Go to:
www.mckinsey.com . McKinsey & Company also provides a valuable board
self-assessment tool for nonprofits. This is one of the best board assessment
tools available and in available in 5, 15 and 30 minute completion time
versions. To access the assessments, go to:
www.mckinsey.com and scroll down to “The Dynamic Board: Self-Assessment
Tool”. (Free registration may be required to access this article)
May
31 - June 6, 2009
Web.Dots
Web.Dots is a technology resource
guide designed to provide nonprofit organizations with links to online
information on a broad range of topics. These resources have been identified
through the Nonprofit Management Fund's ongoing research efforts towards
advancing nonprofit technology. This guide is a categorized compilation of Web
sites that will assist a nonprofit organization's efforts to improve
effectiveness through technology. Web.Dots is maintained by ENTECH. ENTECH
provides technology consulting and direct service to nonprofit organizations in
Southeast Wisconsin. ENTECH has no vested interest in any particular technology,
product or approach, and looks at your needs from a genuinely independent
perspective. Go to:
epic.cuir.uwm.edu
May
24 - 30, 2009
Avoiding Common Hiring Pitfalls
There are a number of ways that recruiting and hiring
processes can go wrong, and hiring the right people into the right positions is
too important to leave to chance. Whether your organization has dedicated human
resources professionals or not, there are a number of common hiring mistakes
that can be easily avoided as outlined in this article from GuideStar. Go to:
www.guidestar.org
May
17 - 23,
2009
Nonprofit Management Training Presentations
Complete presentation packages,
prepared by the Faculty and participants of the Master in Not-for-Profit
Leadership Program at Seattle University, are provided at this site in Adobe
Acrobat PDF format. Each package comes complete with a script, originals for
hand-outs and ready-to-use transparencies. The presentation text is based on the
curriculum of the Not-for-Profit Leadership Program at Seattle University. The
subjects were chosen by the faculty in consultation with alumni and current
students. The topics focus on strengthening key factors for success in nonprofit
organizations. There is no charge. Cooperation with the evaluation process is
expected. Go to:
www2.seattleu.edu
May
10 - 16,
2009
Nonprofit Sustainability Guide
NeighborWorks America today
released a comprehensive sustainability guide to help community development
corporations and other non-profits to evaluate and improve the environmental and
sustainable footprint of their organizations, or in short, "Go Green." Produced
in association with Strategic Sustainability Consulting, Herndon, VA, the
easy-to-read, straight-forward guide, "Greening Your Non-Profit from the Inside
Out: A NeighborWorks Guide for Community Development Organizations" is built off
of 22 actual sustainability audits of nonprofit organizations and uses these
examples to tailor a "Go Green" guide for non-profit organizations. To download
the practical, hands-on guide for free, go to:
www.nw.org
May
3 - 9,
2009
Social Networking Guides and Resources for Nonprofits
Networking for Good has compiled
an excellent collection of introductory articles and resources to help you
determine whether or not online social networks including services like Facebook,
MySpace, and blogs fit your needs, and if so, how to get started. You can access
the collection at
www.fundraising123.org. A great place to start is the article
entitled “10 Things You Need to Do Prior to Diving into Social Media”. Go to:
www.fundraising123.org
April
26 - May 2,
2009
Alliance Resource Center
The Alliance Resource Center is a
searchable database of resources for nonprofits. The database has been complied
by the Alliance for Nonprofit
Management. It includes information on
organizations, websites, books, newsletters and other products and services for
nonprofit organizations. You can search the database by entering a search terms,
by selecting a “Resource Type” or by “Resource Category”.
Go to:
www.allianceonline.org
April
19 - 25,
2009
Web-based Community Organizing Training Module
Marshall Ganz has developed an
excellent web-based resource on organizing. Professor Ganz is a long-time
organizer; a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University; and a principal of Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit
Organizations. This Web module contains learning materials that address the
following questions:
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What is organizing?
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How do people organize?
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What skills are required of
organizers? |
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How can these skills be
shared with others? |
This module is designed for
organizers, students, and trainers of organizers alike. Organizers and students
will find readings, video lecture clips and Web links on organizing ("Learning
Resources" tab on the left margin). In addition, trainers will find a pedagogy
of organizing developed by Professor Ganz and his colleagues ("Trainer's
Workshop"). Go to:
isites.harvard.edu
April
12 - 18, 2009
Video: Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
These 11 videos from BoardSource
are based on BoardSource's Governance Series. The videos will help board
members, chief executives, and senior staff understand the fundamental elements
of service common to most boards, including board member responsibilities, how
to structure the board in the most efficient manner, and how to accomplish
governance work in the spirit and mission of the organization. The Governance
Series, can be purchased in the BoardSource bookstore. To access the videos, go
to:
www.boardsource.org
April 5 - 11,
2009
VolunteerSpot
VolunteerSpot is a free online sign-up tool that simplifies grassroots
volunteering. The site makes it easy for anyone to quickly mobilize and
coordinate volunteers in their community, congregation or social network. This
is a tool for all-volunteer group officers, committee chairs, special event
planners, and others who need to schedule and organize many other
volunteers. The leader creates a schedule of volunteer needs on the online
calendar and invites people to sign up with an e-mail. Volunteers click a link
to see what spots are available and choose when and how they want to help.
VolunteerSpot sends automated confirmation and reminder messages, helping
everyone keep their commitments. Since it happens in real-time, the schedule is
always current, significantly reduces coordination time, and makes the process
easier for everyone. VolunteerSpot is a free service for local-level volunteers.
Corporations and larger groups wanting to brand the Web site or obtain planned
premium features, such as hours tracking, will be charged a fee. But you can
test the system immediately at no cost.  Go to:
www.volunteerspot.com
March
29 - April 4,
2009
Urban Institute Outcome Indicators Project
The Urban
Institute has developed and applied an Outcome Framework to program areas
(examples: Transitional Housing, Youth Tutoring and Mentoring, Emergency
Shelter, Advocacy. 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. Go
to: www.urban.org
March
22 - 28,
2009
Systems Thinking Resources
Linda Booth Sweeney, a systems
educator and writer, has developed a website that offers a number of excellent
resources on systems thinking and its application to organizational and
community problem solving. Linda translates the concepts of complex systems
theory into accessible materials and seminars for innovation in organizations,
schools and communities. She is also the author of several books and numerous
articles. Go to:
lindaboothsweeney.net
March
15 - 21,
2009
Focus on the Economic Crisis
The Foundation Center has
collected the most recent data available on U.S. foundation support in response
to the economic crisis, offering a picture of how foundations are aiding
nonprofits as they struggle with the fallout from the downturn. The Center has
made this information publicly available in an interactive map on its web site.
The map displays the data by state, county, city, ZIP code, or congressional
district. New grants will be added to the map on an ongoing basis to provide the
most current picture of foundation giving for programs and issues relating to
the downturn. This mapping resource is part of the Center's broader initiative
to provide the latest information, news, and research to shed light on the
potential impact of the economic climate on the field of philanthropy. Visit
"Focus on the Economic Crisis" at
foundationcenter.org
March
8 - 14,
2009
Grantstation Series: How to Increase Office Productivity
Using Free Software
How to Increase Office
Productivity Using Free Software from Grantstation is an eight-part series that
covers everything nonprofits need to know about moving from costly desktop
office software to Google's free online office tools suite. This series offers
tutorials for getting started with Google – using and configuring Google Mail
(Gmail); Google Calendar; and Google Docs, including the spreadsheet and
presentation functions – as well as a host of other free applications that
increase productivity and are fun to learn. This series will show you how your
organization can easily make use of Google's tools to achieve organizational
objectives for both novice and experienced computer users. "Introducing Google's
Free Online Suite of Tools," the first article in this series, briefly outlines
why nonprofit organizations might use free software and explores its benefits.
Go to:
www.grantstation.com
March
1 - 7,
2009
HR Village
HR Village is an HR website
covering a wide variety of HR issues. Created by a number of senior HR
consultants and professionals from the US, it offers a good range of resources
for the HR professional. It provides specific information and tools for each
level of HR practitioner, from specialists within multinationals, to managers of
smaller start-up ventures. The site provides helpful knowledge from experienced
professionals. The hrToolkit includes sample job descriptions, administrative
forms, an employee handbook and other HR documents, which can be customized to
meet your needs. The site also hosts a considerable database of common and
not-so-common FAQ to browse through on a wide range of HR-related disciplines,
which are broken down into clearly defined sections. This and the toolkit are
probably the most useful sections for nonprofits. Go to:
www.hrvillage.com
February
22 - 28, 2009
Communication Evaluation Tool
Track the impact of your
communications strategies with a new evaluation -- Are We There Yet? A
Communications Evaluation Guide produced by The Communications Network. This
free tool gives nonprofits and foundations nine steps to create an evaluation
plan that will assess the impact of their communications efforts. Go to:
www.comnetwork.org
February
15 - 21,
2009
Avoiding Common Hiring Pitfalls
There are a number of ways that
recruiting and hiring processes can go wrong, and hiring the right people into
the right positions is too important to leave to chance. Whether your
organization has dedicated human resources professionals or not, there are a
number of common hiring mistakes that can be easily avoided as outlined in this
article prepared by GuideStar. Go to:
www.guidestar.org
February
8 - 14, 2009
CensusScope
CensusScope
is an easy-to-use tool for investigating U.S. demographic trends. This resource
is provided by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN) at the
University of Michigan. With eye-catching graphics and exportable trend data,
CensusScope is designed for both generalists and specialists. The site includes:
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Charts and trend data for
States, Metro Areas, and Counties based on Census 2000 and Trend Data
going back to 1990, 1980, and sometimes even further
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State and county-level
rankings by population growth, race, educational attainment, language,
and gender |
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Segregation exposure and
dissimilarity measures for 1246 individual US cities with population
exceeding 25,000 and for all metropolitan areas, based on single and
multiple race populations as identified in Census 2000 |
Go to:
www.censusscope.org
January
25 - February 7, 2009
Constant Contact
With more than 300 easily
customized email templates, a step-by step Email Wizard, and point-and-click
interface, Constant Contact is a powerful resource for nonprofits wishing to
create high-impact email newsletters and promotions, manage contact email lists
and measure results of email marketing efforts. Go to: constantcontact.com
January
18 - 24, 2009
Community Organizing Resources
GrantCraft has just released a
new guide, “Funding Community Organizing: Social Change through Civic
Participation,” on community organizing for grantmakers. The purpose of the
guide is to offer a grounding in the basics of community organizing, as well as
examples of what the work can accomplish in many different fields and
communities. Though is primary audience is the grantmaking community, others
interested in community organizing will find the publication very helpful. To
download a copy of the guide, go to:
survey.grantcraft.org. You’ll need to register in
order to access the download. While developing this guide, grantmakers offered a
wide range of resources in several areas of community organizing. GrantCraft has
compiled an extensive listing of books, films, articles, research reports,
toolkits, and more on community organizing. To access the resource list, go to:
www.grantcraft.org
January
11 - 17, 2009
Free GuideStar Webinars
Last year, GuideStar began
offering free on-line seminar for grantmakers and nonprofits. Based on the
success of these webinars, GuideStar will continue to series. Future Webinars
will focus on a variety of topics, such as grantmaker due diligence,
fundraising, the new IRS Form 990, and governance. Check back at
www.guidestar.org to learn about future offerings.
The first webinar in 2009,
"Compensation Best Practices," will be held Tuesday, January 27, 2009, at
1 p.m. ET. Attorney and former state charity official Karl Emerson and GuideStar
vice president Chuck McLean will discuss IRS regulations governing nonprofit
compensation and the steps nonprofit leaders should take to protect their
organizations from penalties. The Webinar is being offered at no charge; for
more information or to register, go to
www.livemeeting.com.
January
4 - 10, 2009
NCCS FAQs
The National Center for
Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is the national repository of data on the nonprofit
sector in the United States. The NCCS FAQs provide answers to many frequently
asked questions about the nonprofit sector. More detailed technical notes are
also available by clicking on the "FAQ+/KnowledgeBase" link on the margin of the
page link referenced below. The frequently asked questions are organized in the
following categories:
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General Nonprofit Information
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Nonprofit Funding and
Finances |
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Nonprofit Employment and
Wages Information
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Foundation Information
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Charitable Giving
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Legal Questions |
Go to:
nccs.urban.org
December
28 , 2008 - January 3, 2009
Promising Practices Catalogue
The Promising Practices
Catalogue, a service of the Nonprofit Library Commons, showcases successful
initiatives with proven community or organizational impact. You can browse a
full listing featuring the following topics: innovation, collaboration,
effective communication, leadership in governance, financial sustainability and
more. Through this collection you can also find a reference to each project's
funding partner, or community investor. Go to:
nonprofitscan.imaginecanada.ca
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. |
