Links to Other Useful Resources
The following is a non-exhaustive list of resources that we think are valuable
in carrying out your roles as leaders, managers, and innovators. Please submit
additional suggestions to Becky Andrews at .
Board Tools
Collaboration
Community Building
Cultural Competence
Finance
Funders' Resources
Lobbying, Advocacy, & Organizing
Management, Leadership, & Capacity Building
Marketing, Fundraising, & Social Enterprise
Technology
Trends, Research, & News
Volunteer Engagement
Alphabetical List of All Links
| Board Tools |
| Board Café www.boardcafe.org Board Café is the electronic newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Short enough to read over a cup of coffee, Board Café offers a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. Each issue will bring you a cornucopia of "Little Ideas," as well as one "Big Idea" you can use in your board work. The Best of the Board Café is a compilation of the most-requested articles. |
| BoardSource www.boardsource.org Provides resources to nonprofit leaders through workshops, training, and an extensive Web-based database. |
| Free Complete Toolkit for Boards www.mapnp.org/library/boards/boards.htm Developed by Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, this toolkit covers many topics such as board roles and responsibilities, recruiting members, evaluating the board, etc. |
| Collaboration |
| National Network for Collaboration http://crs.uvm.edu/nnco The information presented on their site utilizes the knowledge and expertise of specialists from the National Network for Collaboration to provide a guide to begin, strengthen and sustain the collaborative journey, for the building and sustaining of positive change. |
| Community Building |
| The Aspen Institute www.aspeninst.org or www.nonprofitresearch.org Focus: microenterprise, workforce development. |
| Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) www.northwestern.edu See their site for asset-based community mapping tools. You can also join their listserv of community builders around the country to share experiences and exchange ideas. |
| Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) http://acosa.org ACOSA is a membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators. They sponsor the Journal of Community Practice. Their site includes relevant bibliographies put together by various members. |
| Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) www.microenterpriseworks.org Focus: microenterprise. |
| Center for Community Change www.communitychange.org A progressive social justice organization whose central project is to support the emergence of one or more movements for social and economic justice in the U.S. The Center strives to transform the national debate and national politics as well as the institutions, economic systems and policies that affect low-income people and working class people, especially people of color. |
| CharretteCenter.com www.charrettecenter.com Focus: commercial district revitalization, community planning and design |
| Claritas www.claritas.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| The Collaboratory for Community Support http://thecollaboratory.us Offers services to help communities respond to the need to act quickly, the need to develop and support catalytic leadership, the need for local support, and the need to create links. |
| Committee for Economic Development www.ced.org An independent, nonpartisan organization of business and education leaders dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors. |
| Community Driven Institute www.help4nonprofits.com They have a wealth of online resources, books, and audio training. |
| Community Initiatives www.communityinitiatives.com Offers one-source access to change-management consultants, leadership and initiative sustainability coaches, keynote speakers, and trainers and curriculum developers. |
| Community Media Workshop www.newstips.org The Workshop trains people working on community problems to tell their stories to the media, tips sensitive journalists to the importance of these stories, and tries to create better relationships between the media and the diverse communities which make up Chicago and the Midwest. The focus is on Chicago, but the resources can be used by any nonprofit. |
| Community Tool Box http://ctb.ku.edu/ Supports your work in promoting community health and development. The Tool Box provides over 6,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics. Topic sections include step-by-step instruction, examples, check-lists, and related resources. |
| Congress for New Urbanism www.cnu.org Focus: neighborhood planning and design |
| Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) www.cfed.org Focus: microenterprise, public policy |
| Demographics Now
www.demographicsnow.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| Development Training Institute www.dtinational.org Focus: community leadership development |
| Enterprise Foundation www.enterprisefoundation.org Focus: workforce development |
| Etzioni, Amitai www.amitaietzioni.org Amitai Etzioni founded the Communitarian Network, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to shoring up the moral, social and political foundations of society. In 2001, Etzioni was named among the top 100 American intellectuals. These web sites include many of his thought-provoking pieces. |
| Fannie Mae Foundation www.fanniemaefoundation.org (see especially this site’s KnowledgePlex, which offers online community development information) Focus: community development information and resources, primarily focused on housing |
| FINCA International, Inc. www.villagebanking.org Focus: international microlending |
| HandsNet http://webclipper.handsnet.org Publishes WebClipper Digest, a weekly overview of crosscutting human services news from throughout the World Wide Web. |
| Initiative for a Competitive Inner City www.icic.org see also www.neighborhoodconnections.org Focus: neighborhood business and economic analysis |
| Institute of Cultural Affairs www.ica-usa.org Their "client stories" section includes informative community building case studies. |
Interaction Institute for Social Change |
| International Council of Shopping Centers www.icsc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| International CPTED Association (Crime Protection Through Environmental Design)
www.cpted.net Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership www.emkf.org Focus: entrepreneurial development |
| KnowledgePlex www.knowledgeplex.org KnowledgePlex® is designed to support practitioners, grantors, policy makers, scholars, investors, and others involved in affordable housing and community development. The site includes case studies, best practices, news, discussion forums, and a calendar. |
| Landscape Forms www.landscapeforms.com Focus: products and resources for streetscape improvements |
| Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) www.lisc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| National Business Incubation Association www.nbia.org Focus: business incubators |
| National Community Capital Association (NCCA) www.communitycapital.org Focus: lending |
| National Community Reinvestment Coalition www.ncrc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization, microenterprise |
| National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) www.ncced.org NCCED is the trade association for community development corporations (CDCs) and the community economic development (CED) industry. |
| National Development Council (NDC) www.nationaldevelopmentcouncil.org Focus: lending and real estate development |
| National Federation for Community Development Credit Unions www.natfed.org Focus: finance |
| National Housing Institute (NHI) www.nhi.org Publishers of Shelterforce, The Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Building. |
| National League of Cities (NLC) www.nlc.org Provides knowledge for cities and towns and the people who live in them to enable them to address the challenges of improving their communities. Also showcases news and activities in cities and provides visitors direct links to NLC member city web sites. |
| National Trust Main Street Center National Trust for Historic Preservation www.mainst.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation www.nw.org Focus: community economic improvement |
| Neighboring www.pointsoflight.org/programs/neighboring The Points of Light Foundation has joined forces with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to produce "Neighboring" a web site geared toward building and strengthening communities. There are some nice resources and templates on media-related activities under the "influence" section and ideas on how to engage and mobilize volunteers under the "leverage" section. |
| New Village Press www.newvillagepress.net Focuses on works about creative, citizen-initiated efforts—“the good news” of social transformation. Their non-fiction books profile innovative solutions to seemingly intractable social, environmental, and economic challenges. |
| Opportunity Finance Network (formerly National Community Capital Association—NCCA) www.opportunityfinance.net Active in all 50 states, this network invests in small businesses, quality affordable housing, and vital community services that benefit economically disadvantaged people and communities. Their web site includes many free, downloadable resources. |
| PolicyLink www.policylink.org Focus: nonprofit research; offers information on gentrification |
| Public/Private Ventures www.ppv.org Focus: workforce development |
| Seedco and Non-Profit Assistance Corporation www.seedco.org Focus: community partnerships with larger institutions, particularly with universities |
| Service Leader - Center for Volunteerism & Community Engagement www.serviceleader.org Volunteer management and community engagement online resources. |
| Social Compact www.socialcompact.org Focus: regional and neighborhood economic analysis |
Sweet’s Product Marketplace |
| Urban Land Institute www.uli.org/indexJS.htm Focus: real estate development |
| Woodstock Institute www.woodstockinst.org Focus: community reinvestment and economic development |
| Cultural Competence |
Bureau of Health Professionals |
| California Endowment www.calendow.org An excellent series of six monographs on approaches to organizational development and capacity in cultural competence. |
| California Tomorrow www.lpfch.org The report, "Cultural Competency: What It Is and Why It Matters" makes the case for cultural competence and "Leading by Example" offers tools and resources to strengthen diversity and equity practices. |
| Council on Foundations www.cof.org Diversity resources including general information, diversity in grantmaking, board and workplace diversity, and a sample statement on inclusiveness. |
| DiversityRx www.diversityrx.org A clearinghouse of information on how to meet the language and cultural needs of minorities, immigrants, refugees and other diverse populations seeking health care. |
| Minnesota Council on Foundations www.mcf.org Their toolkit—based on their Diversity Framework—offers help on how grantmaking organizations can address inclusivity in their roles as funders, employers, businesses, and community citizens. |
The Minority Executive Directors Coalition of King County |
National Center for Cultural Competence |
| Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation www.noyes.org See their succinct brochure for a good overview of why and how the Foundation embraces diversity and what their diversity policy is. |
| Rural Assistance Center www.raconline.org Cultural competence and limited english proficiency resources. |
| Finance |
| Nonprofit Books www.nonprofitbooks.com Offers nonprofit-specific software for managing your office, your books, and development. QuickBooks compatible. You can view a demo on their web site. |
| Nonprofits Assistance Fund www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org They provide financing for working capital, cash flow, equipment and facilities projects with a focus on strengthening the operation and mission of nonprofits. Their site offers financial management advice and resources such as articles, templates, and samples. |
| Funders' Resources |
| American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel www.aafrc.org |
The Aspen Institute |
| Charities Review Council of Minnesota www.crcmn.org The Council provides tools and accountability standards to help donors make informed charitable giving decisions. |
| Charity Channel www.charitychannel.com An worldwide community of nonprofit professionals. You can look up discussions on a variety of topics. The site is hosted by American Philanthropy Review. |
| Council on Foundations www.cof.org The Council on Foundations is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and giving programs worldwide. They provide leadership expertise, legal services, and networking opportunities among other services to their members and to the general public. |
| The Foundation Center www.fdncenter.org Provides a variety of resources for grant givers including Philanthropy News Digest, custom searches, a learning lab, and more. They also have topical resource lists to assist researchers and practitioners in identifying and locating relevant literature on timely topics. Items cited might be books, pamphlets, periodical articles, or videotapes, and most of the materials can be found in Foundation Center libraries. |
GrantCraft |
| Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) www.geofunders.org GEO is partnering with colleagues in the field to identify and highlight grantmaking practices that improve nonprofit performance. Resources and examples of successful practices are featured on their site and in e-newsletters and publications. They are co-publisher with Fieldstone Alliance of the Funder's Guide Series, including Power in Policy. |
| National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy www.ncrp.org NCRP is an independent nonprofit that works to strengthen the nonprofit sector by promoting greater philanthropic openness and accountability, and responsiveness to these individuals. It advocates for philanthropic policies and practices that are more relevant to critical public needs. |
| National Network of Grantmakers (NNG) www.nng.org NNG is an organization of individuals involved in funding social and economic justice. They are not a funding group. |
| Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG) www.nfg.org If you are a staff member or trustee of a foundation and are looking for strategies and information on how to strengthen your community-based grantmaking, you should consider becoming a member. NFG provides information, learning opportunities, critical thinking and other professional development activities. |
Philanthropy Journal |
| Women in Philanthropy www.women-philanthropy.umich.edu Provides an extensive list of resources. |
| Lobbying, Advocacy, & Organizing |
| Advocacy Center at ISC www.advocacy.org They have a mission of helping ordinary people influence the key institutions and decisions that shape their lives—and a deep-seated belief that societies thrive only when their nonprofit sectors are strong and autonomous. The Center offers training to emerging leaders and established nonprofits around the world and in the United States. |
Alliance for Justice |
| Alliance for Nonprofit Management www.allianceonline.org The Alliance focuses on capacity building for nonprofit organizations, including advocacy. The link above is to a helpful article by Liz Baumgarden. |
Benton Foundation |
Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) |
| The Communications Network www.comnetwork.org An association of foundations that provides training and resources in public relations and strategic communications. |
| Community Media Workshop www.newstips.org The Workshop trains people working on community problems to tell their stories to the media, tips sensitive journalists to the importance of these stories, and tries to create better relationships between the media and the diverse communities which make up Chicago and the Midwest. The focus is on Chicago, but the resources can be used by any nonprofit. |
| Council on Foundations www.cof.org Their public policy web page includes key resources for foundations including information about foundations that have been nationally recognized for their work in the public policy arena. |
Domini Social Investments |
| Environmental Support Center www.envsc.org ESC provides support to environmental groups that are working at the local, state, and regional levels. |
Forum of Regional Association of Grantmakers www.givingforum.org/policy/toolkit.html |
| Funder’s Committee for Civic Participation Funders' Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) works to encourage more attention and support of the broad issues of citizen engagement, both electorally and in society. For more information contact Geri Mannion at Carnegie Corporation of New York. |
| GiveVoice.org http://givevoice.org This is a program of the National Council of Nonprofit Organizations. Their site includes public policy capacity building resources and information on federal and state policy issues. |
| Grantcraft www.grantcraft.org See Grantcraft's informative primer called Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds for information about the why and how of funding advocacy. |
| Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) www.geofunders.org GEO is partnering with colleagues in the field to identify and highlight grantmaking practices that improve nonprofit performance. Resources and examples of successful practices are featured on their site and in e-newsletters and publications. They are co-publisher with Fieldstone Alliance of the Funder's Guide Series, including Power in Policy. |
Grantmakers in Health |
| Grassroots Solutions www.grassrootssolutions.com A consulting firm that specializes in grassroots advocacy, field consulting, training, and targeting. The organization provides clients with a resource that focuses exclusively on engaging, organizing, and mobilizing people. |
| Independent Sector www.independentsector.org Independent Sector is an association of national voluntary organizations and foundations whose membership includes a wide variety of causes and concerns. It is also a leading organization on federal policy issues affecting charitable giving, advocacy, and nonprofit operations. Contact them for information about issues affecting the nonprofit sector and for resources. |
| Nonprofit Action www.npaction.org Hosted by OMB Watch (a nonprofit government watchdog organization) to support capacity building for nonprofit advocacy. The site includes articles, a calendar, a resource area with downloadable files, forums, a "take action" contact system, quizzes, polls, and surveys, a newsfeed, and more. |
| Nonprofit Good Practice Guide www.npgoodpractice.org Provides information designed to help anyone manage a nonprofit organization efficiently and effectively. You'll find articles, tips, resources and glossaries in ten separate topic areas. Hosted by Grand Valley State University. |
| Northern California Grantmakers Association www.ncg.org The primary goal of this web site is to demystify public policy grantmaking with an eye towards building the capacity of funders to engage in public policy initiatives. See their Public Policy Grantmaking Toolkit. |
| NPAction www.NPAction.org An all in one place to learn about public policy advocacy and to use web-based tools for advocacy directed at government and media. |
| OMB Watch www.ombwatch.org They exist to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy. Nonprofit advocacy is one of OMB Watch’s issue areas. OMB Watch hosts NPAction (see above) and cohosts Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project (see below). |
| Organizer's Collaborative http://organizerscollaborative.org Technology and training to advance and sustain social change. Among other resources, they have free software for organizers. |
| The Philanthropic Initiative www.tpi.org A nonprofit organization offering individuals, foundations, institutions, and corporations a disciplined and results-oriented approach to philanthropy. In addition, TPI actively promotes giving though its work with community foundations, the Regional Associations of Grantmakers, and others. |
| PolicyLink www.policylink.org Focus: nonprofit research |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.rwjf.org Their Connect Project brings together grantees and policymakers for educational purposes and to build working relationships. |
| Southeast Asia Resource Action Center www.searac.org SEARAC is a national organization advancing the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through leadership development, capacity building, and community empowerment. |
| The SPIN Project www.spinproject.org Provides accessible and affordable strategic communications consulting, training, coaching, networking opportunities, and concrete tools. The SPIN Project’s skills and expertise are blended with its commitment to strengthen social justice organizations and help them engage in communications to achieve their goals. |
| Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project www.ombwatch.org/snap National research findings on the factors that influence nonprofit public policy participation including legal, foundation, and monetary influence from OMB Watch, Tufts University, and Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest. |
| Thomas Legislative Information http://thomas.loc.gov U.S. federal legislative information including congressional records, activity, bills, resolutions, schedules, and resources. |
| University of Southern California www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/philanthropy They have a number of research papers and other resources on philanthropy and it's role in public policy. |
| Urban Institute www.urban.org/nonprofits Shares research and discussion papers on the topic of advocacy prepared for the Urban Institute's Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy's seminar on nonprofit advocacy. The papers investigate important questions about the basis for and nature of nonprofit advocacy in the U.S. political process. |
| Wellstone Action www.wellstone.org Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leadership development for the progressive movement. Their mission is to honor the legacy of Paul and Sheila Wellstone by continuing their work through training, educating, mobilizing and organizing a vast network of progressive individuals and organizations. Their goal is to help activists win on issues and elect progressive candidates. |
| W.K. Kellogg Foundation www.wkkf.org The Kellogg Foundation recently launched "Effective Advocacy at All Levels of Government,"a new online tool to help nonprofits more effectively engage in the public policy process.Developed by the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, it is a plain language approach that includes sample strategic plans and case stories from a wide range of charities. |
| Management, Leadership, & Capacity Building |
| FREE Management Library http://www.managementhelp.org This is a not-to-be-missed resource. A joint effort between the Management Assistance Program in St. Paul, MN, and Authenticity Consulting, LLC, the Free Management Library is a complete, highly integrated online web site-based resource for nonprofit and for-profit organizations with an index of 675 topics. |
| About.com http://nonprofit.about.com A broad range of information including: how to start a nonprofit, nonprofit careers, technology issues, news, and more. |
Alliance for Nonprofit Management |
| American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) www.apqc.org APQC provides expertise in benchmarking and best practices research. It also offers access to studies, but you do have to pay a fee. |
| Benchmarking Centre www.benchmarking.co.uk They offer guidance on running a successful benchmarking project, have a discussion forum on benchmarking, offer seminars and research services, and have an online bookstore. You have to register to participate, but registration is free. |
| Capability Company www.capabilitycompany.com They do executive searches for nonprofits. Their site also has useful resources for consultants to nonprofits. |
| Capaciteria |
| Center for Nonprofit Management www.cnm.org Provides educational services, consultation, and information on a wide variety of nonprofit management issues to nonprofits across the state of Tennessee, especially in the Middle Tennessee region. |
| Center for What Works www.whatworks.org The Center for What Works provides a common place for nonprofits to find information about benchmarking, performance measurement, and share what works. |
| CompassPoint Nonprofit Services www.compasspoint.org Provides training, consulting and tool for nonprofits. Publishes (among other tools) the Board Cafe e-zine. Offices are in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. |
| Corporate Alternatives, Inc. www.missionbased.com Home of Peter Brinckerhoff's Mission-Based Management publications, training, and consultation for not-for-profit organizations. The web site includes management, marketing, and technology ideas, free tools, including a self-assessment, and resources for Brinckerhoff's current training clients. |
| Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management www.pfdf.org Their mission is to strengthen the leadership of the social sector. Their site includes the Drucker self-assessment tool and many other resources. |
| Executive Alliance www.exec-alliance.org They are a membership association whose mission is to promote a powerful nonprofit sector supporting a healthy community and a thriving economy. They currently have a membership of over 170 Chief Executive Officers and community leaders representing many of the most recognized and effective organizations in the Puget Sound Region. |
| FirstGov for Nonprofits www.firstgov.gov A network of links to U.S. Federal government information and services. |
| Greater Chicago Nonprofit Gateway http://gateway.northpark.edu Gateway is Chicago's premier online resource center. Hosted and managed by the Axelson Center, this site does focus on Chicago events and job openings, but it also has an "Ask the Expert" section that any nonprofit can participate in. |
| GuideStar www.guidestar.org A searchable database of more than 700,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations. If your nonprofit isn't listed, it should be. |
| Idealist www.idealist.org Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders. With links to 20,000 organizations in 150 countries, it provides information on volunteer, job, and internship opportunities. Idealist also hosts The Nonprofit FAQ. |
| Impact Manager www.measuringimpact.com Offers software and consulting to empower nonprofits to identify and set performance measures, communicate results, benchmark for best practices, track financial, management, and programmatic metrics, establish accountability, and monitor progress toward goals. You can also track and report the actual performance of a specific grant across key financial, management and programmatic indicators. |
| Independent Sector www.independentsector.org Independent Sector serves as the premier meeting ground for the leaders of America's charitable and philanthropic sector. Their site offers tools, resources, and links to help nonprofits and foundations improve practice. They also publish The New Nonprofit Almanac & Desk Reference which gives facts and figures about the size, scope, and nature of the sector. |
| Innovation Network (Innonet) www.innonet.org Their site provides practical tools such as an Evaluation Plan Builder, Organizational Assessment Tool, Logic Model Builder, and more. |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) www.irs.ustreas.gov/charities/index.html Good information on a variety of topics including requirements for tax exemption, permitted activities, etc. |
| Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org www.newsreleaseworkshop.org The Knight News Release Workshop offers a step-by-step guide to thinking about, writing and polishing a clear and useful release. The Knight Foundation makes grants to help transform journalism and communities. |
| La Piana Consulting www.lapiana.org This management consulting firm specializes in strategic restructuring (mergers, joint ventures, etc.). It's also engaged in research aimed at bringing new and promising practices to the sector. |
| Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits (Saint Paul, MN) www.mapfornonprofits.org MAP's free management library includes original material, which is updated regularly by MAP consulting managers, specialists in nonprofit management practices. The site also provides links to the best nonprofit resources on the Internet. It is a free community resource intended for users across the world. |
| National Association of Attorneys General www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php This particular link will bring you to a database of all US Attorneys General. Often, state offices have good information and resources for nonprofits. |
| National Center for Charitable Statistics http://nccsdataweb.urban.org This is a program of the Urban Institute. It's the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States. If you want to know how many organizations there are in the U.S. or your state, or want a quick answer about the nonprofit sector, check out this site. |
| National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) www.ncna.org NCNA is a network of thirty-nine state and regional associations. State associations are membership-based, with membership open to nonprofit organizations in their state or region. You can look-up your state association from this site. |
Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) |
| Nonprofit FAQ www.nonprofits.org The Nonprofit FAQ provides information on all sorts of topics by participants in many online discussions about nonprofits and their work. |
| Nonprofit Genie www.genie.org The Genie provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions about nonprofit management. |
Nonprofit Good Practice Guide |
| Nonprofit Management Education Center (at the University of Wisconsin) www.uwex.edu/li/learner The Learner Resource Center (click "Library") has links to free web-based articles organized by nonprofit management topic. |
Philanthropy News Network Online (PNN Online) |
| Society for Nonprofit Organizations www.snpo.org The Society provides many resources to nonprofits including Nonprofit World magazine, a certificate in nonprofit management through their Learning Institute, funding alerts, job postings, and more. |
| Third Sector New England www.tsne.org They publish the Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, and offer programs and services that enhance the knowledge, power and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. |
| Upstate Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence www.upstatealliancenp.org The Upstate Alliance is a collaboration of nonprofits, consultants and funders in upstate New York. Their web site includes a database of consultants, education calendar, job mart, assessment tools, and resource library. |
| Marketing, Fundraising, & Social Enterprise |
| Ashoka www.ashoka.org Ashoka searches the world for social entrepreneurs extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities. Ashoka identifies and invests in these social entrepreneurs when no one else will. |
| Blue Ribbon Foundation www.bcnepa.com Helpful links for grant seekers. |
| Brody•Weiser•Burns www.brodyweiser.com They are a management consulting firm with a mission to help focus and strengthen the efforts of organizations working toward progressive social change. |
Cause Marketing Forum |
| Claritas www.claritas.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| Communications Network www.comnetwork.org An association of foundations that provides training and resources in public relations and strategic communications. |
| Community Media Workshop www.newstips.org The Workshop trains people working on community problems to tell their stories to the media, tips sensitive journalists to the importance of these stories, and tries to create better relationships between the media and the diverse communities which make up Chicago and the Midwest. The focus is on Chicago, but the resources can be used by any nonprofit. |
| Community Wealth Ventures www.communitywealth.org A for-profit enterprise that delivers strategic counsel to corporations, foundations, and nonprofit organizations interested in creating community wealth. |
| Corporation for Public Broadcasting http://majorgivingnow.org They have made their major gifts and planned giving training and web tools available for development people. Along with a description of the key elements of an integrated development plan, you'll also find templates for building a budget for your program and for operational and action plans. |
| Demographics Now www.demographicsnow.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| Echoing Green Foundation www.echoinggreen.org Provides full-time fellowships to emerging social entrepreneurs in the United States and internationally. |
| eGroups.com www.egroups.com/invite/nonprofit_entrepreneurship This is an online discussion group about nonprofit entrepreneurship. |
| Entreworld www.entreworld.org Entreworld is a project of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership that includes publications and links on entrepreneurship. |
| Foundations Online www.foundations.org Provides a variety of links such as community foundations, government grants, fund-raising consultants, grant writers, and more. |
Fundraisers.com |
| Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) www.socialvc.net This competition awards a Grand Prize of $25,000 to the social venture plan that achieves the best blended value (high economic and social returns). |
| Grantsmanship Center (TCGI) www.tgci.com TGCI conducts 200 workshops annually in grantsmanship, enterprise development, and fundraising. They publish the Grantsmanship Center Magazine and grant proposal writing guides. |
| Headwaters Foundation for Justice www.headwatersfoundation.org Headwaters provides grants and organizational assistance to grassroots groups addressing the root causes of injustice in our community. |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) www.irs.ustreas.gov/charities/index.html Good information on a variety of topics including requirements for tax exemption, permitted activities, etc. |
| Michigan State University Social Sciences Collections www.lib.msu.edu/harris23 A bibliography listing books and videos available at the Michigan State University library collections. It is intended as a starting point for those who are interested in learning more about foundations, fundraising, proposal writing, nonprofit organizations, nonprofit organization administration, philanthropy and philanthropists, corporate philanthropy, international philanthropy, government funding, planned giving, prospect research, and voluntarism. |
| Morino Institute www.morino.org The Institute has a special interest in venture philanthropy as an approach to bringing resources to the nonprofit sector. |
| National Center for Social Entrepreneurs (NCSE) www.missionmoneymatters.org A nonprofit consulting firm that helps organizations become more effective and financially self-sufficient. |
| National Gathering for Social Entrepreneurs www.nationalgathering.org Exclusively devoted to providing support for social entrepreneurs. They have an annual conference that provides training and networking for both novice and experienced managers in this field. |
| Opportunity Finance Network (formerly National Community Capital Association—NCCA) www.opportunityfinance.net Active in all 50 states, this network invests in small businesses, quality affordable housing, and vital community services that benefit economically disadvantaged people and communities. Their web site includes many free, downloadable resources. |
| Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) www.redf.org A philanthropic venture of The Roberts Foundation. Their web site includes publications on social return on investment and on managing social purpose enterprises. |
| Rolfe Larson Associates www.rolfelarson.com Rolfe is the author of Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization. Rolfe Larson Associates is a marketing, finance and venture consulting firm. |
| Social Enterprise Alliance www.se-alliance.org This is a very good resources for information about nonprofit enterprise. The Alliance's web site includes a directory of social enterprise research that's been done, standardized definitions, a list of major publications and relevant articles, surveys, and more. |
| Social Enterprise Group, LLC www.socialenterprisegroup.com A consulting firm that provides a variety of services, from assessing a nonprofit's readiness to engage in social enterprise, to bringing stakeholders together to develop an actionable strategic plan, to creating a solid business plan. |
| Social Enterprise Reporter http://sereporter.com They provide social entrepreneurs with practical news and information, business tools, and inspiration. Their site includes a good list of additional resources. |
Social Fusion |
| Social Venture Partners (SVP) http://www.svpseattle.org SVP helps build the organizational capacity of the nonprofits they fund. Their site includes good information on their capacity building model. |
| Small Business Administration www.sba.gov Offers information and resources on starting and financing a small business. |
| Small Business Administration’s Online Women’s Business Center www.onlinewbc.gov They exist to “level the playing field” for women entrepreneurs and offer resources and programs to help women start and build successful businesses. |
| Tools of Change www.toolsofchange.com This site, founded on the principles of community-based social marketing , offers specific tools, case studies, and a planning guide for helping people take actions and adopt habits that promote health and/or are more environmentally-friendly. |
Virtue Ventures |
| Technology |
| About.com http://nonprofit.about.com A broad range of information including: how to start a nonprofit, nonprofit careers, technology issues, news, and more. |
| Antharia www.antharia.com They provide all sorts of web related solutions. To quote from their web site: "We understand that solving issues organizations face is not a 9-to-5 task; we push our glasses up our noses, roll up our sleeves, and make your problem our own until it's solved. Two cases of Coca-Cola, 14 tins of Penguin Red Caffeinated Mints, and 18 cans of Red Bull Energy Drink usher us through a typical 7-day work week couple this with the visionary designers and tech-savvy developers, and you know we DO WHATEVER it takes to make sure we do it right -for you." |
| Convio www.convio.com Convio offers products and services for online fundraising, advocacy, volunteer fundraising, membership management, email marketing and Web site publishing. Their site includes free guides such as "The Basics of Email Marketing for Nonprofits" that you can download. |
| Corporate Alternatives, Inc. www.missionbased.com Home of Peter Brinckerhoff's Mission-Based Management publications, training, and consultation for not-for-profit organizations. The web site includes management, marketing, and technology ideas, free tools, including a self-assessment, and resources for Brinckerhoff's current training clients. |
| Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (N-TEN) www.nten.org They have TechFinder (an online directory of technology service providers for nonprofits); 501 Tech Clubs (local nonprofit technology networking groups); and a range of online resources to help nonprofits make more effective use of technology. |
| NPower www.npower.org Their site includes guides and papers, links, tools, and more. |
| Organizer's Collaborative http://organizerscollaborative.org Technology and training to advance and sustain social change. Among other resources, they have free software for organizers. |
| TechSoup www.techsoup.org Created by CompuMentor, TechSoup.org is a comprehensive source of technology information just for nonprofits. |
| Trends, Research, & News |
| American Demographics www.adage.com/americandemographics Great site for trends by age group. |
| American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) www.apqc.org APQC provides expertise in benchmarking and best practices research. It also offers access to studies, but you do have to pay a fee. |
| Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary
Action (ARNOVA) www.arnova.org ARNOVA researches, disseminates, and shows how to apply data about voluntary action, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy. |
| The Brookings Institution www.brook.edu The Brookings Institution, one of Washington's oldest think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, and public education with an emphasis on economics, foreign policy, governance, and metropolitan policy. |
| Center for Public Policy www.temple.edu/cpp Investigates effective solutions to complex social problems. |
| Chronicle of Philanthropy http://philanthropy.com The number one news source, in print and online, for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise. |
| Diversity Data www.diversitydata.org Provides metropolitan-area level data regarding a number of indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life and health for various racial and ethnic population groups. |
| Gilbert Center--Nonprofit Online News http://news.gilbert.org/ A good scan of news affecting nonprofits. Includes news as well as information such as how to use email, how to prevent spam, and more. |
| GuideStar www.guidestar.org A searchable database of more than 700,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations. If your nonprofit isn't listed, it should be. |
| Independent Sector www.independentsector.org Independent Sector serves as the premier meeting ground for the leaders of America's charitable and philanthropic sector. Their site offers tools, resources, and links to help nonprofits and foundations improve practice. They also publish The New Nonprofit Almanac & Desk Reference which gives facts and figures about the size, scope, and nature of the sector. |
| Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) www.ssc.wisc.edu/irp IRP is a university-based center for research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. |
International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) |
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) |
| La Piana Consulting www.lapiana.org This management consulting firm specializes in strategic restructuring (mergers, joint ventures, etc.). It's also engaged in research aimed at bringing new and promising practices to the sector. |
| Milken Institute http://bestcities.milkeninstitute.org The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. Components include job, wage and salary and technology growth. |
| National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) http://nccsdataweb.urban.org This is a program of the Urban Institute. It's the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States. If you want to know how many organizations there are in the U.S. or your state, or want a quick answer about the nonprofit sector, check out this site. |
| Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) www.naccouncil.org This is an organization comprised of academic centers at accredited schools focused on the study of nonprofit organizations, voluntarism, and/or philanthropy. |
| The Nonprofit Times www.nptimes.com They offer news, a report on America's 100 largest nonprofits, and free web casts. |
| The Research Forum at the National Center for Children in Poverty www.researchforum.org Site features a searchable database of summaries of large- and small-scale research project, key topics pages, resources pages, and lists of recent publications related to children in poverty. |
Rutgers University Libraries |
| Urban Institute www.urban.org They are a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization. Their site includes reports on a broad range of nonprofit topics. |
U.S. Census Bureau |
| Wilder Research Center www.wilder.org/research/index.html One of the largest nonprofit applied research and evaluation teams in the United States dedicated solely to the human service field. |
| Volunteer Engagement |
| 1-800-Volunteer.org www.1-800-volunteer.org A volunteer management system that matches nonprofits and volunteers. |
Corporation for National and Community Service |
| Energize, Inc. www.energizeinc.com Resources for all things related to volunteer management. The site includes monthly tips on timely topics, practical advice from colleagues, and information on where to find and list volunteer opportunities. |
EnVision |
| e-Volunteerism The Electronic Journal of the Volunteerism Community http://e-Volunteerism.com Quarterly electronic publication for volunteer leaders/managers who want to "go beyond the mundane in the volunteerism field." Every item in the publication is interactive, inviting you to contribute comments and additional materials. |
| Idealist www.idealist.org Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders. With links to 20,000 organizations in 150 countries, it provides information on volunteer, job, and internship opportunities. Idealist also hosts The Nonprofit FAQ. |
| JFFixler & Associates www.jffixler.com They offer customized services that strengthen nonprofit organizations by enhancing organizational effectiveness and increasing organizational capacity. They specialize in volunteer engagement and offer a free webinar on Boomer volunteer engagement at Volunteer Match's Learning Center. |
| Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) www.mavanetwork.org As the largest alliance of volunteer administrators in the state of Minnesota, MAVA is a powerful resource for the volunteer community. They provide news, information, professional development and training opportunities to their members. MAVA is the leading voice for volunteerism in Minnesota, advocating for increased awareness about the profession of volunteer administration and better resources for leaders of volunteers. |
HandsOn Network |
| Service Leader - Center for Volunteerism & Community Engagement www.serviceleader.org Volunteer management and community engagement online resources. |
| VolunteerMatch www.VolunteerMatch.org VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. They are the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 63,000 nonprofit organizations. |
| Alphabetical List of All Links |
| 1-800-Volunteer.org www.1-800-volunteer.org A volunteer management system that matches nonprofits and volunteers. |
| About.com http://nonprofit.about.com A broad range of information including: how to start a nonprofit, nonprofit careers, technology issues, news, and more. |
| Advocacy Center at ISC www.advocacy.org They have a mission of helping ordinary people influence the key institutions and decisions that shape their lives—and a deep-seated belief that societies thrive only when their nonprofit sectors are strong and autonomous. The Center offers training to emerging leaders and established nonprofits around the world and in the United States. |
| Alliance for Justice www.allianceforjustice.org You'll find information on judicial, nonprofit, foundation, and student advocacy. The Alliance for Justice provides publications (many of which are free), workshops, and technical assistance with important legal information about the dos and don’ts related to lobbying and other legislative advocacy, election-related activities, grant agreements, building grantees advocacy capacity; and evaluating advocacy. Their Foundation Advocacy Initiative helps increase grantmakers' support for nonprofit advocacy. Premised on the belief that nonprofits play a unique and necessary role in forming good public policy, the initiative seeks to inform grantmakers about their legal rights to provide resources and support for their grantees’ and their own public policy advocacy efforts. Also see AFJ's Nonprofit and Foundation Advocacy Blog. |
Alliance for Nonprofit Management www.allianceonline.org/Members/Enhance/enhance_-_june_2004.enh/building_capacity_for.epage |
| American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel www.aafrc.org |
| American Demographics www.adage.com/americandemographics Great site for trends by age group. |
| American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) www.apqc.org APQC provides expertise in benchmarking and best practices research. It also offers access to studies, but you do have to pay a fee. |
| Antharia www.antharia.com They provide all sorts of web related solutions. To quote from their web site: "We understand that solving issues organizations face is not a 9-to-5 task; we push our glasses up our noses, roll up our sleeves, and make your problem our own until it's solved. Two cases of Coca-Cola, 14 tins of Penguin Red Caffeinated Mints, and 18 cans of Red Bull Energy Drink usher us through a typical 7-day work week couple this with the visionary designers and tech-savvy developers, and you know we DO WHATEVER it takes to make sure we do it right -for you." |
| Ashoka www.ashoka.org Ashoka searches the world for social entrepreneurs extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities. Ashoka identifies and invests in these social entrepreneurs when no one else will. |
| The Aspen Institute www.aspeninst.org or www.nonprofitresearch.org The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF) of the Aspen Institute researches philanthropic practices and the changing environment for philanthropy. The goal of this program is to develop new knowledge that informs efforts to create more strategic philanthropy in response to social and technological changes. |
| Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd/abcdci.html See their site for asset-based community mapping tools. You can also join their listserv of community builders around the country to share experiences and exchange ideas. |
| Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) http://acosa.org ACOSA is a membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators. They sponsor the Journal of Community Practice. Their site includes relevant bibliographies put together by various members. |
| Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) www.microenterpriseworks.org Focus: microenterprise. |
| Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) www.arnova.org ARNOVA researches, disseminates, and shows how to apply data about voluntary action, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy. |
| Benchmarking Centre www.benchmarking.co.uk They offer guidance on running a successful benchmarking project, have a discussion forum on benchmarking, offer seminars and research services, and have an online bookstore. You have to register to participate, but registration is free. |
| Benton Foundation http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=publibrary#capacitybuilding This site has good information on how public service organizations can work in tandem with the media to reach wider audiences, promote diverse voices and ideas, and increase the quality of services provided. |
| The Blue Ribbon Foundation www.bcnepa.com Helpful links for grant seekers. |
| Board Café www.boardcafe.org Board Café is the electronic newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Short enough to read over a cup of coffee, Board Café offers a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. Each issue will bring you a cornucopia of "Little Ideas," as well as one "Big Idea" you can use in your board work. The Best of the Board Café is a compilation of the most-requested articles. |
| BoardSource www.boardsource.org Provides resources to nonprofit leaders through workshops, training, and an extensive Web-based database. |
| Brody•Weiser•Burns www.brodyweiser.com They are a management consulting firm with a mission to help focus and strengthen the efforts of organizations working toward progressive social change. |
| The Brookings Institution www.brook.edu The Brookings Institution, one of Washington's oldest think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, and public education with an emphasis on economics, foreign policy, governance, and metropolitan policy. |
| Bureau of Health Professionals http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/diversity They have a variety of resources including diversity grant information, cultural competence definitions, and training programs. |
| California Endowment www.calendow.org An excellent series of six monographs on approaches to organizational development and capacity in cultural competence. |
| California Tomorrow www.lpfch.org The report, "Cultural Competency: What It Is and Why It Matters" makes the case for cultural competence and "Leading by Example" offers tools and resources to strengthen diversity and equity practices. |
| Capability Company www.capabilitycompany.com They do executive searches for nonprofits. Their site also has useful resources for consultants to nonprofits. |
| Capaciteria www.capaciteria.org This is a comprehensive, searchable database directory of administrative resources that help nonprofits leverage their own capacity. It promotes peer review because MEMBERS can comment on and rate individual resource links as well as add useful new links. Like Google, search requests return link results weighted to rise based on ratings and popularity given to them by nonprofit users. Members can use the 'Favorites' feature to personalize their list of easily accessible links in Capaciteria. |
| Cause Marketing Forum www.causemarketingforum.com Includes "Cause Marketing 101" with case studies and best practice information. They also offer workshops and teleclasses. |
| Center for Community Change www.communitychange.org A progressive social justice organization whose central project is to support the emergence of one or more movements for social and economic justice in the U.S. The Center strives to transform the national debate and national politics as well as the institutions, economic systems and policies that affect low-income people and working class people, especially people of color. |
Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) |
| Center for Nonprofit Management www.cnm.org Provides educational services, consultation, and information on a wide variety of nonprofit management issues to nonprofits across the state of Tennessee, especially in the Middle Tennessee region. |
| Center for Public Policy www.temple.edu/cpp Investigates effective solutions to complex social problems. |
| Center for What Works www.whatworks.org The Center for What Works provides a common place for nonprofits to find information about benchmarking, performance measurement, and share what works. |
| Charities Review Council of Minnesota www.crcmn.org The Council provides tools and accountability standards to help donors make informed charitable giving decisions. |
| Charity Channel www.charitychannel.com An worldwide community of nonprofit professionals. You can look up discussions on a variety of topics. The site is hosted by American Philanthropy Review. |
| CharretteCenter.com www.charrettecenter.com Focus: commercial district revitalization, community planning and design |
| Chronicle of Philanthropy http://philanthropy.com The number one news source, in print and online, for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise. |
| Claritas www.claritas.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| The Collaboratory for Community Support http://thecollaboratory.us/collaboratorycs/ Offers services to help communities respond to the need to act quickly, the need to develop and support catalytic leadership, the need for local support, and the need to create links. |
| Committee for Economic Development www.ced.org An independent, nonpartisan organization of business and education leaders dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors. |
| The Communications Network www.comnetwork.org An association of foundations that provides training and resources in public relations and strategic communications. |
| Community Driven Institute www.help4nonprofits.com They have a wealth of online resources, books, and audio training. |
| Community Initiatives www.communityinitiatives.com Offers one-source access to change-management consultants, leadership and initiative sustainability coaches, keynote speakers, and trainers and curriculum developers. |
| Community Media Workshop www.newstips.org The Workshop trains people working on community problems to tell their stories to the media, tips sensitive journalists to the importance of these stories, and tries to create better relationships between the media and the diverse communities which make up Chicago and the Midwest. The focus is on Chicago, but the resources can be used by any nonprofit. |
| Community Tool Box http://ctb.ku.edu/ Supports your work in promoting community health and development. The Tool Box provides over 6,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics. Topic sections include step-by-step instruction, examples, check-lists, and related resources. |
| Community Wealth Ventures www.communitywealth.org A for-profit enterprise that delivers strategic counsel to corporations, foundations, and nonprofit organizations interested in creating community wealth. |
| CompassPoint Nonprofit Services www.compasspoint.org Provides training, consulting and tool for nonprofits. Publishes (among other tools) the Board Cafe e-zine. Offices are in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. |
| Congress for New Urbanism www.cnu.org Focus: neighborhood planning and design |
| Convio www.convio.com Convio offers products and services for online fundraising, advocacy, volunteer fundraising, membership management, email marketing and Web site publishing. Their site includes free guides such as "The Basics of Email Marketing for Nonprofits" that you can download. |
| Corporate Alternatives, Inc. www.missionbased.com Home of Peter Brinckerhoff's Mission-Based Management publications, training, and consultation for not-for-profit organizations. The web site includes management, marketing, and technology ideas, free tools, including a self-assessment, and resources for Brinckerhoff's current training clients. |
| Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) www.cfed.org Focus: microenterprise, public policy |
| Corporation for National and Community Service www.nationalservice.gov The Corporation is the United States largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering. Through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, they provide service opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds. |
| Corporation for Public Broadcasting http://majorgivingnow.org They have made their major gifts and planned giving training and web tools available for development people. Along with a description of the key elements of an integrated development plan, you'll also find templates for building a budget for your program and for operational and action plans. |
| Council on Foundations www.cof.org The Council on Foundations is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and giving programs worldwide. They provide leadership expertise, legal services, and networking opportunities among other services to their members and to the general public. |
| Demographics Now www.demographicsnow.com Focus: market analysis and demographics |
| Development Training Institute www.dtinational.org Focus: community leadership development |
| Diversity Data www.diversitydata.org Provides metropolitan-area level data regarding a number of indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life and health for various racial and ethnic population groups. |
| DiversityRx www.diversityrx.org A clearinghouse of information on how to meet the language and cultural needs of minorities, immigrants, refugees and other diverse populations seeking health care. |
| Domini Social Investments www.domini.com/shareholder-advocacy/index.htm A great place to learn about the world of shareholder advocacy. The link above takes you a web site section on shareholder activism. |
| Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management www.pfdf.org Their mission is to strengthen the leadership of the social sector. Their site includes the Drucker self-assessment tool and many other resources. |
| Echoing Green Foundation www.echoinggreen.org Provides full-time fellowships to emerging social entrepreneurs in the United States and internationally. |
| eGroups.com www.egroups.com/invite/nonprofit_entrepreneurship This is an online discussion group about nonprofit entrepreneurship. |
| Energize, Inc. www.energizeinc.com Resources for all things related to volunteer management. The site includes monthly tips on timely topics, practical advice from colleagues, and information on where to find and list volunteer opportunities. |
| Enterprise Foundation www.enterprisefoundation.org Focus: workforce development |
| Entreworld www.entreworld.org Entreworld is a project of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership that includes publications and links on entrepreneurship. |
| Environmental Support Center www.envsc.org ESC provides support to environmental groups that are working at the local, state, and regional levels. |
| Etzioni, Amitai www.amitaietzioni.org Amitai Etzioni founded the Communitarian Network, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to shoring up the moral, social and political foundations of society. In 2001, Etzioni was named among the top 100 American intellectuals. These web sites include many of his thought-provoking pieces. |
| e-Volunteerism The Electronic Journal of the Volunteerism Community http://e-Volunteerism.com Quarterly electronic publication for volunteer leaders/managers who want to "go beyond the mundane in the volunteerism field." Every item in the publication is interactive, inviting you to contribute comments and additional materials. |
| EnVision http://envision.ca Voluntary sector information for Canada. |
| Executive Alliance www.exec-alliance.org They are a membership association whose mission is to promote a powerful nonprofit sector supporting a healthy community and a thriving economy. They currently have a membership of over 170 Chief Executive Officers and community leaders representing many of the most recognized and effective organizations in the Puget Sound Region. |
| Fannie Mae Foundation www.fanniemaefoundation.org (see especially this site’s KnowledgePlex, which offers online community development information) Focus: community development information and resources, primarily focused on housing |
| FINCA International, Inc. www.villagebanking.org Focus: international microlending |
| FirstGov for Nonprofits www.firstgov.gov A network of links to U.S. Federal government information and services. |
| Forum of Regional Association of Grantmakers www.givingforum.org/policy/toolkit.html The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers is a national network of local leaders and organizations across the United States that support effective charitable giving. The Forum’s network encompasses thirty-one regional associations of grantmakers that collectively represent more than 4,000 grantmakers and others interested in philanthropy. The forum’s web site provides information and resources for grantmakers about public policy strategies, events and results. |
| Funder’s Committee for Civic Participation Funders' Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) works to encourage more attention and support of the broad issues of citizen engagement, both electorally and in society. For more information contact Geri Mannion at Carnegie Corporation of New York. |
| The Foundation Center www.fdncenter.org Provides a variety of resources for grant givers including Philanthropy News Digest, custom searches, a learning lab, and more. They also have topical resource lists to assist researchers and practitioners in identifying and locating relevant literature on timely topics. Items cited might be books, pamphlets, periodical articles, or videotapes, and most of the materials can be found in Foundation Center libraries. |
| Foundations Online www.foundations.org Provides a variety of links such as community foundations, government grants, fund-raising consultants, grant writers, and more. |
| Free Complete Toolkit for Boards www.mapnp.org/library/boards/boards.htm Developed by Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, this toolkit covers many topics such as board roles and responsibilities, recruiting members, evaluating the board, etc. |
| Free Management Library http://www.managementhelp.org This is a not-to-be-missed resource. A joint effort between the Management Assistance Program in St. Paul, MN, and Authenticity Consulting, LLC, the Free Management Library is a complete, highly integrated online web site-based resource for nonprofit and for-profit organizations with an index of 675 topics. |
| Fundraisers.com www.fundraisers.com "Your guide to the world of fundraising." Their site includes examples of successful campaigns, a list of vendors providing related services, a free newsletter, and more. |
| Gilbert Center--Nonprofit Online News http://news.gilbert.org/ A good scan of news affecting nonprofits. Includes news as well as information such as how to use email, how to prevent spam, and more. |
| GiveVoice.org http://givevoice.org This is a program of the National Council of Nonprofit Organizations. Their site includes public policy capacity building resources and information on federal and state policy issues. |
| Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) www.socialvc.net This competition awards a Grand Prize of $25,000 to the social venture plan that achieves the best blended value (high economic and social returns). |
| GrantCraft www.grantcraft.org A project of the Ford Foundation, GrantCraft offers guides, videos, and case studies that present the practitioner's view on philanthropy. See their informative primer called Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds for information about the why and how of funding advocacy. |
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) |
| Grantmakers in Health www.gih.org Their Funding Health Advocacy report gives effective strategies for funding health advocacy. Among other things, this report makes the distinction between public policy and advocacy; presents a legal framework for funding and engaging in advocacy, including lobbying activities; provides tools and strategies for advocacy, and presents lessons learned. |
| The Grantsmanship Center (TCGI) www.tgci.com TGCI conducts 200 workshops annually in grantsmanship, enterprise development, and fundraising. They publish the Grantsmanship Center Magazine and grant proposal writing guides. |
| Grassroots Solutions www.grassrootssolutions.com A consulting firm that specializes in grassroots advocacy, field consulting, training, and targeting. The organization provides clients with a resource that focuses exclusively on engaging, organizing, and mobilizing people. |
| Greater Chicago Nonprofit Gateway http://gateway.northpark.edu Gateway is Chicago's premier online resource center. Hosted and managed by the Axelson Center, this site does focus on Chicago events and job openings, but it also has an "Ask the Expert" section that any nonprofit can participate in. |
| GuideStar www.guidestar.org A searchable database of more than 700,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations. If your nonprofit isn't listed, it should be. |
| HandsNet http://webclipper.handsnet.org Publishes WebClipper Digest, a weekly overview of crosscutting human services news from throughout the World Wide Web. |
| HandsOn Network www.handsonnetwork.org A network of more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers where volunteers can find projects and programs with needs in their local community. |
| Headwaters Foundation for Justice www.headwatersfoundation.org Headwaters provides grants and organizational assistance to grassroots groups addressing the root causes of injustice in our community. |
| Idealist www.idealist.org Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders. With links to 20,000 organizations in 150 countries, it provides information on volunteer, job, and internship opportunities. Idealist also hosts The Nonprofit FAQ. |
| Impact Manager www.measuringimpact.com Offers software and consulting to empower nonprofits to identify and set performance measures, communicate results, benchmark for best practices, track financial, management, and programmatic metrics, establish accountability, and monitor progress toward goals. You can also track and report the actual performance of a specific grant across key financial, management and programmatic indicators. |
| Independent Sector www.independentsector.org Independent Sector serves as the premier meeting ground for the leaders of America's charitable and philanthropic sector. Their site offers tools, resources, and links to help nonprofits and foundations improve practice. They also publish The New Nonprofit Almanac & Desk Reference which gives facts and figures about the size, scope, and nature of the sector. |
| Initiative for a Competitive Inner City www.icic.org see also www.neighborhoodconnections.org Focus: neighborhood business and economic analysis |
| Innovation Network www.innonet.org Their site provides practical tools such as an Evaluation Plan Builder, Organizational Assessment Tool, Logic Model Builder, and more. |
| Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) www.ssc.wisc.edu/irp IRP is a university-based center for research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. |
| Institute of Cultural Affairs www.ica-usa.org Their "client stories" section includes informative community building case studies. |
| Interaction Institute for Social Change http://interactioninstitute.org Their site includes seven principles of community building. |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) www.irs.ustreas.gov/charities/index.html Good information on a variety of topics including requirements for tax exemption, permitted activities, etc. |
| International Council of Shopping Centers www.icsc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| International CPTED Association (Crime Protection Through Environmental Design) www.cpted.net Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) www.jhu.edu/~istr/ ISTR promotes research and education in the fields of philanthropy, civil society, and the nonprofit sector. |
| Internet Nonprofit Center www.nonprofits.org Publishes the Nonprofit FAQ, a resource of information provided by participants in many online discussions about nonprofits and their work. |
| JFFixler & Associates www.jffixler.com They offer customized services that strengthen nonprofit organizations by enhancing organizational effectiveness and increasing organizational capacity. They specialize in volunteer engagement and offer a free webinar on Boomer volunteer engagement at Volunteer Match's Learning Center. |
| Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership www.emkf.org Focus: entrepreneurial development |
| Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org www.newsreleaseworkshop.org The Knight News Release Workshop offers a step-by-step guide to thinking about, writing and polishing a clear and useful release. The Knight Foundation makes grants to help transform journalism and communities. |
| KnowledgePlex www.knowledgeplex.org KnowledgePlex® is designed to support practitioners, grantors, policy makers, scholars, investors, and others involved in affordable housing and community development. The site includes case studies, best practices, news, discussion forums, and a calendar. |
| La Piana Consulting www.lapiana.org This management consulting firm specializes in strategic restructuring (mergers, joint ventures, etc.). It's also engaged in research aimed at bringing new and promising practices to the sector. |
| Landscape Forms www.landscapeforms.com Focus: products and resources for streetscape improvements |
| Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) www.lisc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits (Saint Paul, MN) www.mapfornonprofits.org MAP's free management library includes original material, which is updated regularly by MAP consulting managers, specialists in nonprofit management practices. The site also provides links to the best nonprofit resources on the Internet. It is a free community resource intended for users across the world. |
| Michigan State University Social Sciences Collections www.lib.msu.edu/harris23 A bibliography listing books and videos available at the Michigan State University library collections. It is intended as a starting point for those who are interested in learning more about foundations, fundraising, proposal writing, nonprofit organizations, nonprofit organization administration, philanthropy and philanthropists, corporate philanthropy, international philanthropy, government funding, planned giving, prospect research, and voluntarism. |
| Milken Institute http://bestcities.milkeninstitute.org The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. Components include job, wage and salary and technology growth. |
| Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) www.mavanetwork.org As the largest alliance of volunteer administrators in the state of Minnesota, MAVA is a powerful resource for the volunteer community. They provide news, information, professional development and training opportunities to their members. MAVA is the leading voice for volunteerism in Minnesota, advocating for increased awareness about the profession of volunteer administration and better resources for leaders of volunteers. |
| Minnesota Council on Foundations www.mcf.org Their toolkit—based on their Diversity Framework—offers help on how grantmaking organizations can address inclusivity in their roles as funders, employers, businesses, and community citizens. |
| The Minority Executive Directors Coalition of King County http://evansforum.org Their "working definition of cultural competency" includes guiding principles and their implementation commitment. |
| Morino Institute www.morino.org The Institute has a special interest in venture philanthropy as an approach to bringing resources to the nonprofit sector. |
| National Association of Attorneys General www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php This particular link will bring you to a database of all US Attorneys General. Often, state offices have good information and resources for nonprofits. |
| National Business Incubation Association www.nbia.org Focus: business incubators |
| National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) http://nccsdataweb.urban.org This is a program of the Urban Institute. It's the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States. If you want to know how many organizations there are in the U.S. or your state, or want a quick answer about the nonprofit sector, check out this site. |
| National Center for Cultural Competence www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc You'll find conceptual frameworks and values, definitions, curricula enhancement modules, and more. |
| National Center for Social Entrepreneurs (NCSE) www.missionmoneymatters.org A nonprofit consulting firm that helps organizations become more effective and financially self-sufficient. |
| National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy www.ncrp.org NCRP is an independent nonprofit that works to strengthen the nonprofit sector by promoting greater philanthropic openness and accountability, and responsiveness to these individuals. It advocates for philanthropic policies and practices that are more relevant to critical public needs. |
| National Community Capital Association (NCCA) www.communitycapital.org Focus: lending |
| National Community Reinvestment Coalition www.ncrc.org Focus: commercial district revitalization, microenterprise |
| National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) www.ncced.org NCCED is the trade association for community development corporations (CDCs) and the community economic development (CED) industry. |
| National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) www.ncna.org NCNA is a network of thirty-nine state and regional associations. State associations are membership-based, with membership open to nonprofit organizations in their state or region. You can look-up your state association from this site. |
| National Development Council (NDC) www.nationaldevelopmentcouncil.org Focus: lending and real estate development |
| National Federation for Community Development Credit Unions www.natfed.org Focus: finance |
| National Gathering for Social Entrepreneurs www.nationalgathering.org Exclusively devoted to providing support for social entrepreneurs. They have an annual conference that provides training and networking for both novice and experienced managers in this field. |
| National Housing Institute (NHI) www.nhi.org Publishers of Shelterforce, The Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Building. |
| National League of Cities (NLC) www.nlc.org Provides knowledge for cities and towns and the people who live in them to enable them to address the challenges of improving their communities. Also showcases news and activities in cities and provides visitors direct links to NLC member city web sites. |
| National Network for Collaboration http://crs.uvm.edu/nnco/ The information presented on their site utilizes the knowledge and expertise of specialists from the National Network for Collaboration to provide a guide to begin, strengthen and sustain the collaborative journey, for the building and sustaining of positive change. |
| National Network of Grantmakers (NNG) www.nng.org NNG is an organization of individuals involved in funding social and economic justice. They are not a funding group. |
| National Trust Main Street Center National Trust for Historic Preservation www.mainst.org Focus: commercial district revitalization |
| Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG) www.nfg.org If you are a staff member or trustee of a foundation and are looking for strategies and information on how to strengthen your community-based grantmaking, you should consider becoming a member. NFG provides information, learning opportunities, critical thinking and other professional development activities. |
| Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation www.nw.org Focus: community economic improvement |
| New Village Press www.newvillagepress.net Focuses on works about creative, citizen-initiated efforts—“the good news” of social transformation. Their non-fiction books profile innovative solutions to seemingly intractable social, environmental, and economic challenges. |
| Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) www.naccouncil.org This is an organization comprised of academic centers at accredited schools focused on the study of nonprofit organizations, voluntarism, and/or philanthropy. |
| Nonprofit Action www.npaction.org Hosted by OMB Watch (a nonprofit government watchdog organization) to support capacity building for nonprofit advocacy. The site includes articles, a calendar, a resource area with downloadable files, forums, a "take action" contact system, quizzes, polls, and surveys, a news feed, and more. |
| Nonprofit Books www.nonprofitbooks.com Offers nonprofit-specific software for managing your office, your books, and development. QuickBooks compatible. You can view a demo on their web site. |
| Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) www.new.org NEW offers several programs to strengthen nonprofit management. BoardConnect is a board training and matching service that builds the leadership skills of nonprofit and community members. ResourceConnect is a one-stop online directory. Use it to find service providers, web sites, and print resources on all aspects of nonprofit management. |
| Nonprofit FAQ www.nonprofits.org The Nonprofit FAQ provides information on all sorts of topics by participants in many online discussions about nonprofits and their work. |
| Nonprofit Genie www.genie.org The Genie provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions about nonprofit management. |
| Nonprofit Good Practice Guide www.npgoodpractice.org Provides information designed to help anyone manage a nonprofit organization efficiently and effectively. You'll find articles, tips, resources and glossaries in ten separate topic areas. Hosted by Grand Valley State University. |
| Nonprofit Management Education Center (at the University of Wisconsin) www.uwex.edu/li/learner The Learner Resource Center (click "Library") has links to free web-based articles organized by nonprofit management topic. |
| Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (N-TEN) www.nten.org They have TechFinder (an online directory of technology service providers for nonprofits); 501 Tech Clubs (local nonprofit technology networking groups); and a range of online resources to help nonprofits make more effective use of technology. |
| The Nonprofit Times www.nptimes.com They offer news, a report on America's 100 largest nonprofits, and free web casts. |
| Nonprofits Assistance Fund www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org They provide financing for working capital, cash flow, equipment and facilities projects with a focus on strengthening the operation and mission of nonprofits. Their site offers financial management advice and resources such as articles, templates, and samples. |
| Northern California Grantmakers Association www.ncg.org The primary goal of this web site is to demystify public policy grantmaking with an eye towards building the capacity of funders to engage in public policy initiatives. See their Public Policy Grantmaking Toolkit. |
| Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation www.noyes.org See their succinct brochure for a good overview of why and how the Foundation embraces diversity and what their diversity policy is. |
| NPower www.npower.org Their site includes guides and papers, links, tools, and more. |
| OMB Watch www.ombwatch.org They exist to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy. Nonprofit advocacy is one of OMB Watch’s issue areas. OMB Watch hosts NPAction (see above) and cohosts Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project (see below). |
| Opportunity Finance Network (formerly National Community Capital Association--NCCA) www.communitycapital.org www.opportunityfinance.net Active in all 50 states, this network invests in small businesses, quality affordable housing, and vital community services that benefit economically disadvantaged people and communities. Their web site includes many free, downloadable resources. |
| Organizer's Collaborative http://organizerscollaborative.org Technology and training to advance and sustain social change. Among other resources, they have free software for organizers. |
| The Philanthropic Initiative www.tpi.org A nonprofit organization offering individuals, foundations, institutions, and corporations a disciplined and results-oriented approach to philanthropy. In addition, TPI actively promotes giving though its work with community foundations, the Regional Associations of Grantmakers, and others. |
| Philanthropy Journal www.philanthropyjournal.org The journal delivers news that helps people better understand, support and work in the nonprofit sector. Their web site offers free e-newsletters as well as events calendars, job postings, and announcements about grants/gifts and people working in the sector. |
| Philanthropy News Network Online (PNN Online) www.pnnonline.org An online news service covering corporate giving, education, foundations, fundraising, and other nonprofit topics. |
| PolicyLink www.policylink.org Focus: nonprofit research; offers information on gentrification |
| Public/Private Ventures www.ppv.org Focus: workforce development |
| Research Forum at the National Center for Children in Poverty www.researchforum.org Site features a searchable database of summaries of large- and small-scale research project, key topics pages, resources pages, and lists of recent publications related to children in poverty. |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.rwjf.org Their Connect Project brings together grantees and policymakers for educational purposes and to build working relationships. |
| Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) www.redf.org A philanthropic venture of The Roberts Foundation. Their web site includes publications on social return on investment and on managing social purpose enterprises. |
| Rolfe Larson Associates www.rolfelarson.com Rolfe is the author of Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization. Rolfe Larson Associates is a marketing, finance and venture consulting firm. |
| Rural Assistance Center www.raconline.org Cultural competence and limited english proficiency resources. |
| Rutgers University Libraries www.libraries.rutgers.edu Their market research guide includes pointers to several important sources of statistical data on income, consumption, and demographics, to help you understand and define the market for your product or service. |
| Seedco and Non-Profit Assistance Corporation www.seedco.org Focus: community partnerships with larger institutions, particularly with universities |
| Service Leader - Center for Volunteerism & Community Engagement www.serviceleader.org Volunteer management and community engagement online resources. |
| Small Business Administration www.sba.gov Offers information and resources on starting and financing a small business. |
| Small Business Administration’s Online Women’s Business Center www.onlinewbc.gov They exist to “level the playing field” for women entrepreneurs and offer resources and programs to help women start and build successful businesses. |
| Social Compact www.socialcompact.org Focus: regional and neighborhood economic analysis |
| Social Enterprise Alliance www.se-alliance.org This is a very good resources for information about nonprofit enterprise. The Alliance's web site includes a directory of social enterprise research that's been done, standardized definitions, a list of major publications and relevant articles, surveys, and more. |
| Social Enterprise Group, LLC www.socialenterprisegroup.com A consulting firm that provides a variety of services, from assessing a nonprofit's readiness to engage in social enterprise, to bringing stakeholders together to develop an actionable strategic plan, to creating a solid business plan. |
| Social Enterprise Reporter http://sereporter.com They provide social entrepreneurs with practical news and information, business tools, and inspiration. Their site includes a good list of additional resources. |
| Social Fusion www.socialfusion.org Social Fusion is an incubator for entrepreneurs to grow for-profit and nonprofit businesses that produce sustainable social and environmental impact. |
| Social Venture Partners (SVP) http://www.svpseattle.org SVP helps build the organizational capacity of the nonprofits they fund. Their site includes good information on their capacity building model. |
| Society for Nonprofit Organizations www.snpo.org The Society provides many resources to nonprofits including Nonprofit World magazine, a certificate in nonprofit management through their Learning Institute, funding alerts, job postings, and more. |
| Southeast Asia Resource Action Center www.searac.org SEARAC is a national organization advancing the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through leadership development, capacity building, and community empowerment. |
| The SPIN Project www.spinproject.org Provides accessible and affordable strategic communications consulting, training, coaching, networking opportunities, and concrete tools. The SPIN Project’s skills and expertise are blended with its commitment to strengthen social justice organizations and help them engage in communications to achieve their goals. |
| Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project www.ombwatch.org/snap National research findings on the factors that influence nonprofit public policy participation including legal, foundation, and monetary influence from OMB Watch, Tufts University, and Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest. |
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| TechSoup www.techsoup.org Created by CompuMentor, TechSoup.org is a comprehensive source of technology information just for nonprofits. |
| Third Sector New England www.tsne.org They publish the Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, and offer programs and services that enhance the knowledge, power and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. |
| Thomas Legislative Information http://thomas.loc.gov U.S. federal legislative information including congressional records, activity, bills, resolutions, schedules, and resources. |
| Tools of Change www.toolsofchange.com This site, founded on the principles of community-based social marketing , offers specific tools, case studies, and a planning guide for helping people take actions and adopt habits that promote health and/or are more environmentally-friendly. |
| University of Southern California www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/philanthropy They have a number of research papers and other resources on philanthropy and it's role in public policy. |
| Upstate Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence www.upstatealliancenp.org The Upstate Alliance is a collaboration of nonprofits, consultants and funders in upstate New York. Their web site includes a database of consultants, education calendar, job mart, assessment tools, and resource library. |
| Urban Land Institute www.uli.org/indexJS.htm Focus: real estate development |
| Urban Institute www.urban.org They are a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization. Their site includes reports on a broad range of nonprofit topics. |
| U.S. Census Bureau www.census.gov A terrific resource for all sorts of demographic information. |
| Virtue Ventures www.virtueventures.com Virtue Ventures is a consulting firm that helps nonprofits manage the delicate balance between their social mission and their financial objectives. Their site has many good resources such as a business plan reference guide. |
| VolunteerMatch www.VolunteerMatch.org VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. They are the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 63,000 nonprofit organizations. |
| Wellstone Action www.wellstone.org Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leadership development for the progressive movement. Their mission is to honor the legacy of Paul and Sheila Wellstone by continuing their work through training, educating, mobilizing and organizing a vast network of progressive individuals and organizations. Their goal is to help activists win on issues and elect progressive candidates. |
| Wilder Research Center www.wilder.org/research/index.html One of the largest nonprofit applied research and evaluation teams in the United States dedicated solely to the human service field. |
| W.K. Kellogg Foundation www.wkkf.org Their Policy Toolkit provides "worry-free" lobbying advice. |
| Women in Philanthropy www.women-philanthropy.umich.edu Provides an extensive list of resources. |
| Woodstock Institute www.woodstockinst.org Focus: community reinvestment and economic development |