FREE TEMPLATES & RESOURCES

The following organizations are professional groups and nonprofit stakeholders focused on increasing the impact and improving the processes of the nonprofit sector. Most of them are nonprofits themselves, and I use all of these free templates and resources on a regular basis as I continue to keep up with changes for consulting in the nonprofit sector (I personally vet each of these organizations, so bear with me as I build this list slowly, but meticulously). My personal goal is to help make improvements in the social sector nation-wide, as well as my own local community... but whatever resource you use, I promise you will be better off having utilized and learned from it.

The Center for Social Philanthropy (www.socialphilanthropy.org) Provides innovative research, resources and tools to multiply philanthropy’s force for long-term social and environmental impact.

Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group (http://nonprofitprofessionals.com/) Founded from the simple notion that every organization, regardless of its budget or geographic footprint can better fulfill its mission with a highly tailored, innovative, and strategic approach to acquiring and retaining its most important resource: talent. They have an incredible library (http://nonprofitprofessionals.com/library_main.htm) with free articles written for both nonprofit job seekers and employers, as well as a regularly maintained recommended list of books.

New Philanthropy Center (NPC) (www.philanthropycapital.org) A consultancy and think tank dedicated to helping funders and charities achieve a greater impact. Their mission is to put effectiveness at the heart of how all charities work and how all funders give. They have done a great deal of research they make available, and have a long list of must-read publications for policy makers, funders, charities and individual donors, such as this penny stock publication.

Social Edge (www.socialedge.org) Funded by the Scoll Foundation, this is a blogging and discussion site dedicated to advancing social impact.

Nonprofit Ready (www.nonprofitready.org) Provides more than 300 online courses, videos, and how-to guides to help you make an even greater impact in the nonprofit sector.

The National Council of Nonprofits (www.councilofnonprofits.org) Produces and curates tools, resources, and samples for nonprofits, all of which you can find at the Tools and Resources page.

Grant Space (www.grantspace.org) This Foundation Center provides free funding information through more than 450 Funding Information Network locations (formerly called Cooperating Collections) — libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers located across the U.S. and several countries.

Top Nonprofits (www.topnonprofits.com) The quality of research and data is important for today’s nonprofits. From gaining useful information to using research in daily operations, great resources like Top Nonprofits can help improve your organization.

npENGAGE (www.npengage.com) The premier nonprofit resource for trends, best practices, and need-to-know news.  With five unique categories, you can easily immerse yourself in the topics most relevant to you as well as access new ideas.

501 Commons (www.501commons.org) A valuable resource for nonprofits, this site includes an expansive resource directory that includes some of the best topics about nonprofits available. They include downloadable documents, webpages on our site, and resources on other websites.

TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) TechSoup includes topics on everything technology, specifically for nonprofits, as well as how-to tutorials, products, and links to services.

Idealware (www.idealware.org) Idealware is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides thoroughly researched, impartial and accessible resources about software to help nonprofits make smart software decisions.

Nonprofit Technology Network (www.nten.org) ​NTEN is the membership organization of nonprofit technology professionals. Members share the common goal of helping nonprofits use all aspects of technology more effectively.

Spiceworks (www.spiceworks.com) A free IT community designed to assist nonprofit organizations with technology planning needs. Spiceworks also provides diagnostic and planning tools, and a framework for evaluating technology needs.

Nonprofit Recycling Network (www.recycles.org) Focused on the productive transfer and reuse of office and school equipment, assists teachers, technicians, schools, churches, and community leaders who are interested in reusing office and school technology.

Idealist (www.idealist.org/) A website that connects volunteer opportunities with those interested in volunteering.

Network For Good Recruiting Volunteers (www.networkforgood.org) Provides articles, resources, tools, and success stories about volunteer recruitment.

Service Leader (www.serviceleader.org) Includes information on all aspects of volunteer management getting an organization ready to involve volunteers, screening, matching, record-keeping and evaluation, legal issues, and more.

The Evaluation Exchange (www.gse.harvard.edu). Harvard Family Research Project's evaluation periodical, this site addresses current issues facing program evaluators of all levels, and highlights innovative methods and approaches to evaluation.

Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook (www.wkkf.org) Guides grantees through the entire external and internal evaluation process. Although it is based on Kellogg's evaluation philosophy and is written for their grantees, it is useful to anyone seeking to design a productive evaluation.

Nonprofit Good Practice Guide (www.npgoodpractice.org) Provides access to copious information on data collection, legal considerations, outcome evaluation, process, and types of evaluation.