Resources for nonprofit planning, development and innovation

On this page you will find links to free how-to articles and practical guidance for strengthening the work of your organization. You will also find additional resources on my blog, which you can subscribe to by following this opt-in link.

  • Grant writing and fundraising tips: The Foundation Center is a leading source of information on foundations and how to seek grants. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Prospecting column offers ongoing fund raising tips, tricks and advice. For news and announcements that are highly relevant to grantseekers in the Bay Area and California, Philanthropy Front and Center - San Francisco is a favorite source. My blog post titled, Fundraising: It's all about relationships features 10 Tips for Building Relationships with supporters and prospective donors.
  • Development planning: Grantspace, a new service of the Foundation Center, offers an excellent introduction to fundraising planning. If you cannot make it to one of their live workshops, this online resource is a handy place to learn how you can create an effective fundraising plan.
  • Strategic planning: Many leaders of community-based organizations are well connected to the needs of the community or the issue area for their work. Some may direct the work of their organizations following their instincts. Oftentimes, their instincts are right. Yet, to be sustainable, a process that methodically engages stakeholders and documents community needs and strategic directions could make a substantial difference in your organization's effectiveness and ability to raise funds.
    How-to articles: Strategic planning: Five Steps to a More Secure Future (Philanthropy News Digest) and How Do I Develop a Strategy? (The Bridgespan Group)
  • Evaluation: To demonstrate that you are tracking the impact of your programs and using data and other information to make informed decisions, evaluation is key. There is no one size fits all approach for evaluating the performance of your programs, but even on a small budget, there are steps you can take to begin collecting enlightening information that can also help you build toward a more formal process in the future. If you are applying for grant funding, you can be sure that your foundation prospect will want to know how you evaluate your programs. You should be prepared to show a process, and even better, results.
    How-to articles: Root Cause provides a comprehensive resource on performance measurement and you can find ready-to-use tools by searching the Foundation Center's Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact (TRASI) database.
  • Marketing and social media: In this blog post, 11 new resources for social change organizations, I list several top resources for helping you make the most of your marketing and social media efforts.
  • Your board of directors: Blue Avocado magazine provides candid and practical advice on building an effective board in the Board Cafe column.