There are a vast number of resources and templates geared toward effective nonprofit leadership and organizational development available on the internet. While this breadth of resources at our fingertips may appear helpful at first glance, the reality is that not all that is available online is high quality or worth using, for a number of reasons. However, there is no doubt that readily available resources and templates go a long way to streamlining the work of nonprofit leaders.
LZF has partnered with experts in the field, who have proven experience working within and alongside SBCBs, to curate a library of resources and templates that are relevant to our grantee partners and organized within our five Focus Areas. These resources are available at no cost on the LZF website to any nonprofit organization who may need them.
Click a button below to see the subtopics and resources for that topic.
Click a subtopic below to access helpful resources in that category.
If you are a current or former LZF grantee partner, we encourage you to utilize these resources in tandem with our Catalytic Consulting program offering. LZF has identified a list of trusted consultants who have expertise in all of these topics. They would be glad to support you in applying one or more of these templates/resources to your work in a way that’s tailored to your organization, at no cost to you. Learn more about this program here.
Many nonprofits use a set of ‘standard’ / traditional bylaws that are regularly approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If you are interested in bylaws that delegate power in different ways (e.g. worker self-directed or community governed) the resources from SELC are a great place to start!
It can be difficult to think about creating board handbooks and onboarding procedures when there are so many other things to attend to. Once you’re able to invest time in curating these resources for your board, it can reduce the time it takes to orient board members and can support your group to navigate conflict that arises.
Amanda Valenzuela is a frequent contributor in the Nonprofit Democracy Network, and has published a number of articles and resources relevant to small, community-based organizations, particularly those interested in exploring alternative structures. Solidarity Economies Law Center was established to develop and support legal structures for alternative organizations. Resist is a Boston-based philanthropic foundation that transitioned to a worker self-directed nonprofit and has published materials about that journey.
An annual planning calendar helps with forward and backwards planning, and can help reduce last-minute scrambles to be ready for board meetings and reporting deadlines.
Forward planning: Building a plan/calendar that starts on day one and looks ahead to plan for major milestones and deadlines.
Backward planning: Starting with a future date (perhaps an event, an important deadline, or the end of the fiscal year), and working backwards to day one, noting major milestones and deadlines along the way.
Logic Models and Theories of Change have similar content, but traditional logic models are laid out in a linear fashion, where Theories of Change can have more circular connections.
Logic Models are often a visual representation of a program and its theory of change. They are useful in program planning, implementation, evaluation, and communication.
Theories of Change identify and utilize underlying assumptions and other factors to create causal pathways toward outcomes and impact for a program or organization. They are maps for activities, outputs, and outcomes that allow for long-term planning and evaluation.
There are MANY different ideas and theories about strategic planning, prioritization and decision making. Many of the tools out there are too time-consuming to make sense for small nonprofits! The options shared here are some highlights that are relevant for Small Budget, Community-Based Organizations (SBCBs).
Similar to strategic planning, there are many toolkits available for supporting development of vision, mission, and values.
Click a subtopic below to access helpful resources in that category.
If you are a current or former LZF grantee partner, we encourage you to utilize these resources in tandem with our Catalytic Consulting program offering. LZF has identified a list of trusted consultants who have expertise in all of these topics. They would be glad to support you in applying one or more of these templates/resources to your work in a way that’s tailored to your organization, at no cost to you. Learn more about this program here.
Once you’ve planned your budget for the following fiscal year, it’s time to put together your fundraising plan. “This article presents a systematic way of creating an annual fundraising plan for your organization. The focus of this process is on strategies for building a base of individual donors in order to create a reliable and repeatable source of income.”
This set of suggested activities and the related downloadable template are short and sweet! It’s great to do your fundraising and communications planning in parallel if you can.
Based on input from one of our Catalytic Consultants, as well as local experts like Resource Organizing Project, these are some of the most accessible and affordable donor management platforms.
We have intentionally not listed Salesforce, though it is one of the most well-known platforms. Salesforce was originally designed to serve the for-profit industry. Although there is a free or low cost version available for nonprofits, we have heard that organizations often spend thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars and staff time to get their otherwise “free” Salesforce account up and running. It is not very intuitive, sometimes has hidden or unforeseen costs, and requires extensive upkeep.
Nonprofit fundraising is both a science and an art – which makes it difficult to summarize into tools and templates! These templates are a good starting point to understand the range of strategies and advice that exist. This is a great way to use our Catalytic Consulting program, to get help with planning and prioritizing your fundraising efforts using these tools and templates.
Click a subtopic below to access helpful resources in that category.
If you are a current or former LZF grantee partner, we encourage you to utilize these resources in tandem with our Catalytic Consulting program offering. LZF has identified a list of trusted consultants who have expertise in all of these topics. They would be glad to support you in applying one or more of these templates/resources to your work in a way that’s tailored to your organization, at no cost to you. Learn more about this program here.
One of LZF’s Catalytic Consultants who has long-expertise working in and supporting Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), recommends templates from the Wallace Foundation for nonprofits of all sizes. Current and alumni grantees can also contact LZF for Catalytic Consulting to customize the templates so they are most useful for your organizations.
Nonprofits can access Quickbooks and other software online at a significant discount through TechSoup which has helpful resources about how to set up your Quickbooks and other tech.
Are you currently fiscally sponsored? Considering a fiscal sponsor? Considering leaving a fiscal sponsor to become an independent nonprofit? NOPI (the Nonprofit Organization for Philanthropic Initiatives) and the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors have a number of excellent resources to help you evaluate your options.
Click a subtopic below to access helpful resources in that category.
If you are a current or former LZF grantee partner, we encourage you to utilize these resources in tandem with our Catalytic Consulting program offering. LZF has identified a list of trusted consultants who have expertise in all of these topics. They would be glad to support you in applying one or more of these templates/resources to your work in a way that’s tailored to your organization, at no cost to you. Learn more about this program here.
Human Resources rules and regulations are tricky because organizations have to meet both state and federal regulations, and HR laws change. If you’re a current or alumni grantee of LZF struggling with an HR issue, reach out about our Catalytic Consulting program to get support! The links provided are regularly updated, so if you’re looking for something specific (e.g. policy language) these are a great place to start.
Thanks to TREC for this comprehensive staff handbook template for small organizations, which includes instructions about how to adapt it for your own purposes.
Because HR has a lot of legal rules and regulations, it can be really helpful to start with tools and templates to make sure you are staying within the boundaries of what is legal.
Recently, the IRS started cracking down on organizations employing people as contractors when those people should be employees (eligible for employer tax contributions, among other things.) These guidelines help you determine whether you are in compliance with IRS and other legal regulations.
One of our LZF Catalytic Consultants, who is also a certified HR professional, recommends these payroll platforms for Small Budget, Community-Based Organizations (SBCBs) who need to pay employees.
Click a subtopic below to access helpful resources in that category.
If you are a current or former LZF grantee partner, we encourage you to utilize these resources in tandem with our Catalytic Consulting program offering. LZF has identified a list of trusted consultants who have expertise in all of these topics. They would be glad to support you in applying one or more of these templates/resources to your work in a way that’s tailored to your organization, at no cost to you. Learn more about this program here.
This is a helpful self-evaluation tool to figure out what gaps you have in your digital toolbox. The Anti-Doxing Guidelines are helpful for protecting individual security in our difficult political climate.
There are so many types of insurance that it can be dizzying to understand what insurance you actually need. This helpful list gives an overview of different types of Nonprofit Insurance.
There are a wide range of logistical and operational needs amongst our grantees – ranging from lease negotiation and cleaning management for office and program spaces, transportation logistics, and background check requirements for those working with vulnerable populations. We have not attempted to curate operational resources for all of these different scenarios. However, if you are struggling with logistical and operational challenges, please reach out to us about our Catalytic Consulting program and we’ll find someone to help you!
The Lenny Zakim Fund is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization under the IRS.
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