Resource library · free toolkits, templates and guides
The practical library for people who build nonprofits
211 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 welcome211 resources · 15 topics · 137 publishers · 197 free to use
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23 resources found
- Search: capacity building
- 13.1C168
Strengthening Nonprofit Capacity: Core Concepts in Capacity Building
A primer for grantmakers on supporting grantee capacity. It defines nonprofit effectiveness, capacity and capacity building, and covers trust between funders and grantees, links to funder strategy, grantee and funder readiness, and 5 types of support from unrestricted grants to collective capacity building. It sets out 3 principles: contextual, continuous and collective. Each section ends with questions for grantmakers, and a final section covers measuring impact.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 13.1C167
Capacity Building 3.0: How to Strengthen the Social Ecosystem
A paper that proposes a new way to talk about capacity building, drawing on TCC Group's 35 years of designing and evaluating capacity-building work. It has 4 sections: core concepts and definitions of capacity and capacity building; who needs to build capacity; how the idea of capacity has changed, leading to an organisational actualisation framework; and newer methods used in effective capacity building. Funders and consultants use it to frame their approach.
ClassicResearch and evidenceFree - 1.5C214
Nonprofit Lifecycles
A short book that sets out seven stages a nonprofit can pass through: idea, start-up, growth, maturity, decline, turnaround and terminal. For each stage it describes what programmes, management, governance, resources and systems typically look like. Leaders, boards, funders and consultants use it to place an organisation on the curve, spot the area that lags behind the others and plan capacity work that fits the stage. Copies are sold through the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute and partners such as SaskCulture.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideBook - 1.2C002
A Guide to Organizational Capacity Assessment Tools
A memo for funders, consultants and nonprofits on choosing and using organisational capacity assessment tools. Informing Change reviewed 91 assessment tools, checklists and guides for the Hewlett Foundation. Sections cover methodology, what a good assessment experience looks like, cross-cutting lessons, how to select a tool and specific situations for using one. A companion spreadsheet database lists the tools. Its main finding is that the process around a tool matters as much as the tool.
ClassicKey online resourceFree - 1.2C004
Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT)
A survey-based capacity assessment that a nonprofit's leaders complete to rate the organisation across a set of capacity areas, producing scores that show strengths and gaps. Social Venture Partners and other funders use it to open a conversation with grantees about where to invest in capacity. Social Venture Partners International hosts version 1 as a free Excel workbook.
ClassicTool or templateFree - 1.2C005
Capacity for Conservation
A free online platform for conservation organisations that want to assess their strengths, plan their development and find learning resources. Built by BirdLife International and Fauna & Flora, it includes self-assessment and planning tools on organisational development and resilience, a resource library of over 260 tools and case studies, an eLearning hub with over 40 courses and an archive of recorded webinars. Teams use it to assess themselves and then follow up with matched resources.
CurrentKey online resourceFree - 10.3C139
Transactions, Transformations, Translations
A report for funders and movement groups on how to measure movement building. It argues for metrics that capture both transactional and transformational change, with a matrix across 10 movement-building strategies. It looks beyond single organisations to whether groups can act together as a larger force, and asks that measures be co-created with the field. Recommendations cover new measures, capacity to use them, leadership development and movement-level metrics.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 13.1C169
Longitudinal evaluation of BUILD
The final report of an evaluation of the Ford Foundation's BUILD initiative, which gave grantees flexible multi-year funding and capacity support. It covers 289 grantee partners from the 2016 to 2019 cohorts, using a survey with 110 responses, 27 interviews, 4 focus groups and document review. Findings show BUILD helped impact and resilience, a second grant consolidated gains, and grantees need clear, timely word on future funding.
EmergingResearch and evidenceFree - 1.3C010
How to Build an Organisational Development Plan
A toolkit for Indian NGOs and their funders that takes an organisation from diagnosis to an OD plan. The plan document walks users through 4 steps to find where the NGO falls short and plan improvements. A companion Organisational Development Assessment Guide covers 13 capabilities and helps teams choose a short list to work on first. Bridgespan built it with 5 Indian intermediaries as part of Pay-What-It-Takes India. It is licensed CC BY 4.0.
Start hereCurrentTool or templateFree - 5.4C073
A Change Management & Deep Equity Primer
A primer by Sheryl Petty, co-released by GEO, on leading organisational change with equity at the core. It introduces Equity-Embedded Change Management and covers readiness, assessment, buy-in, consultant and client challenges, communication, implementation, getting unstuck, what progress means and leaders' inner work. It ends with a glossary, resources and a framework for deep equity capacity building. Staff, boards, consultants and funders use it to plan equity change.
Start hereCurrentShort readFree - 6.4C082
Resiliency Guide
A discussion and self-assessment guide that helps funders and nonprofits talk openly about the pressures nonprofits face and reflect on organisational strengths and weak spots. First developed in 2014, it has gone through several versions and draws on the 2020 study Resilience at Work. Grantmakers use it to decide where, when and how to invest in capacity building, and grantees use it with their funders.
Start hereCurrentTool or templateFree - 3.4C038
Oak Foundation Governance Assessment Tool
A framework for assessing the practices and processes of a grantee's governing body. Oak programme officers use it during due diligence and through the grant to give boards a consistent assessment, to discuss with grantees what an effective board looks like and to track governance over time. It also helps programme officers spot where capacity-building support would help and orients new staff to Oak's view of good governance.
ClassicTool or templateFree - 13.2C172
Breaking the Starvation Cycle
A research report on whether international funders cover the administration costs of national NGOs. It draws on 81 NGOs in 10 countries and financial data from 286 restricted funding agreements with 92 funders. It finds no group of funders paid a full and fair share. Half the NGOs had 21 days or less of unrestricted reserves. It recommends full cost cover, funding for reserves and cost recovery skills, and better data on cost coverage.
CurrentResearch and evidenceFree - 13.4C180
Time to Decolonise Aid: Insights and lessons from a global consultation
A report on how structural racism keeps power in the Global North across humanitarian, development and peacebuilding work. It presents findings from a 3-day online consultation in November 2020 with 158 activists, practitioners, academics, journalists and decision-makers, who left over 350 comments. It sets out recommendations for donors, INGOs and others. The report is available in 15 languages.
CurrentResearch and evidenceFree - 13.3C178
When Shift Happens: Navigating Toward a Framework for Responsible Philanthropic Exits
A journal article that sets out a framework for responsible exits when a foundation stops funding a field or grantee. Learning leaders from the Skillman Foundation, the California Health Care Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts drew on literature, focus groups, interviews with foundation staff and nonprofit leaders, and their own experience. The result is 7 core elements meant to keep a field resilient after funding ends.
EmergingResearch and evidenceFree - 1.1C001
The Barefoot Guide to Working with Organisations and Social Change
A do-it-yourself guide for leaders and facilitators who help organisations develop in healthier and more human ways. Written by a collective of development practitioners, it covers how to read an organisation, how to facilitate change, leadership, relationships, power and building a learning organisation. A library of downloadable exercises, readings, case studies and diagrams sits on the Barefoot website. Facilitators use it to plan OD processes and run sessions with teams.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 13.3C177
The Effective Exit: Managing the End of a Funding Relationship
A practical guide for grantmakers on ending a funding relationship well. 6 sections cover why exits are normal, communicating clearly with grantees, strengthening grantees' organisational capacity, helping them find new funding, getting the most from the final grant, and exits that are not routine. It includes exit strategies from 4 grantmakers and a sample Healthy Nonprofit Checklist from the New York Foundation.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 13.2C174
Open and Trusting Grant-making commitments
A set of 8 commitments for UK funders who want to make grant-making more open and trusting. Funders commit to be clear, ask only what is needed, accept risk, decide quickly, share openly, give flexible funding, communicate purposefully and keep reporting proportionate. The commitments grew out of the COVID-19 response, and funders sign up publicly. Charities and funders use them to check grant practice.
Start hereCurrentKey online resourceFree - 13.4C179
Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking
A guide to participatory grantmaking, where funders share funding decisions with the communities they serve. It explains why and how funders around the world do this, drawing on input from participatory grantmakers. It covers models, challenges, lessons learned and good practice for inclusive grantmaking. Funders use it to design a participatory process or to explain the approach to boards and staff.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 13.2C170
General Operating Support: Action Guide (executive summary)
The executive summary of GEO's 2007 action guide for grantmakers on general operating support. It covers what operating support is, why it matters, how to make it work and how to keep accountability. Foundation staff use it to decide when and how to give unrestricted grants. The full guide is not online.
ClassicShort readFree - 13.2C171
Pay-What-It-Takes Philanthropy
An article that argues funders should pay the real costs of the work they fund, in place of the common 15 percent cap on overhead. The Bridgespan authors show that indirect costs at 20 high-performing nonprofits ranged from 21 to 89 percent of direct costs, with a median of 40 percent. They describe the starvation cycle, show how cost structures differ by type of nonprofit, and propose reimbursing costs by segment.
ClassicShort readFree with sign-up - 13.2C173
Making the case for unrestricted funding
A short briefing that brings together IVAR's research on unrestricted funding. It is written for foundation staff and board members who want to consider unrestricted funding and argue for it inside their organisation and with peers. It finds that the preference for restricted funding rests on familiarity and lacks evidence, accepts that restricted grants sometimes fit, and sets out the value unrestricted funding brings to charities and funders.
CurrentShort readFree - 13.2C176
Trust-Based Philanthropy Self-Assessment Tool
A self-assessment that helps a grantmaking organisation reflect on how far it has put trust-based philanthropy into practice. It covers 4 areas: culture, structures, leadership and grantmaking practices. Each section gives reflective prompts on how trust shows up and where practice needs work. It is available as an online interactive tool and a fillable PDF. Foundation teams use it to plan changes.
CurrentTool or templateFree
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