Resource library · free toolkits, templates and guides
The practical library for people who build nonprofits
235 really practical toolkits, templates and guides for nonprofit and NGO leaders, and the consultants and funders who support them. A mix of the classics and newer methods.
Suggestions are welcome235 resources · 15 topics · 147 publishers · 218 free to use
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- Search: BoardSource
- 3.1C029
Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
A short book that sets out the 10 core responsibilities of a nonprofit board and places them in the context of current governance challenges. It separates the board's role from that of the chief executive and senior staff, and it has 2 appendices: one on the individual duties of board members and a sample self-assessment for board members. It is part of BoardSource's 6-book Governance Series and is used in board induction and role descriptions.
ClassicKey manual or guideBook - 3.4C040
Purpose-Driven Board Leadership
A discussion guide that helps a board apply BoardSource's 4 principles of purpose-driven board leadership: purpose before organisation, respect for the ecosystem, an equity mindset, and authorised voice and power. It offers 3 exercises: discussing a case from the Museum of Us, reviewing the board's most recent major decision against each principle, and working through an upcoming decision together. Boards use it in meetings and retreats.
CurrentTool or templateFree - 4.3C250
Avoiding the Glass Cliff
A short guide for boards hiring a new chief executive of color, written by BoardSource with Building Movement Project. It is set out in three stages: before a transition, during the search and handover, and after the new leader starts. For each stage it says what the board should do so the new leader does not inherit the whole job of advancing racial equity alone, from building an equity-centred culture before the search, to choosing a search firm with a track record of equitable hiring, to orientation, clear first-year goals and ongoing support.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 5.3C072
Awareness to Action
A BoardSource guide for boards and chief executives working on racial equity together. It offers 3 starting points to assess where a board stands now, each paired with action steps to move it forward. It notes that the work is nonlinear and needs sustained commitment. It also covers why the guide was written and policies and practices to avoid the glass cliff for new leaders of colour.
EmergingKey manual or guideFree - 3.1C228
Board Passages: Three Stages in a Nonprofit Board's Lifecycle
Karl Mathiasen's classic short paper on how boards change as an organisation grows. It describes three stages: the founding board, small and close to its leader or doing the work itself; the governing board, which shifts to policy, finances and sharing authority with staff; and the institutional board, larger and focused on major issues and fundraising. It closes with practical steps for moving between stages, such as term limits, regular self-assessment and a board development plan.
ClassicShort readFree
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