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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9 resources found
- Search: case studies
- 2.5C209
Scaling Pathways: Pivoting to Impact
The opening report in the free Scaling Pathways series. It follows three organisations, Imazon, Evidence Action and VisionSpring, through their scaling journeys: the unit they scaled, the pathways they chose and how they changed course. It then names five common roadblocks, such as scaling without the right people and systems or without metrics and trip wires, with advice for leaders and funders. Teams use it to prepare for scale and expect pivots.
CurrentCase study or exampleFree - 8.1C103
Fundraising Bright Spots
A research report from the Resetting Development project, which grew out of the UnderDeveloped study of nonprofit fundraising. It tells the stories of social change organisations that raise steady money from individual donors. It is for nonprofit leaders, boards and fundraising staff. Readers use the cases to rethink who owns fundraising in their organisation. A 2017 companion, Fundraising Bright Spots in Action, follows programme participants as they change their approach.
ClassicResearch and evidenceFree with sign-up - 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 - 3.2C036
Getting on Board free guides
A set of free practical guides for UK charities on trustee recruitment and board diversity. How to Diversify Your Board gives advice, case studies and templates for recruitment and onboarding. How to Recruit Trustees for Your Charity draws on 30 charities and includes skills audit and advert templates and an 8-step recruitment process. From Here to Diversity, from Action for Trustee Racial Diversity, covers recruiting Black and Asian trustees.
Start hereCurrentKey manual or guideFree - 5.2C067
The Fearless Organization
A book by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson on psychological safety at work. It explains what psychological safety is, why it matters for learning and performance, and what happens when people stay silent. Using case studies from many sectors, it gives leaders a set of practices for setting the stage, inviting participation and responding well when people speak up, admit mistakes or raise concerns. Team leaders and managers use it to build candid teams.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideBook - 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 - 1.5C215
Growth of Youth-Serving Organizations
A free study by Bridgespan, commissioned by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, of 20 US youth-serving nonprofits that grew substantially. It looks at how they grew, what growth did to their finances, how their structures changed, including adding a chief operating officer, more formal systems and new board roles, and what helped or held them back. It comes as a white paper, executive summary and 20 case studies that leaders and funders use to plan for growth.
ClassicResearch and evidenceFree - 9.3C124
Advocacy in restricted spaces
A toolkit from Lifeline, a consortium of 7 NGOs, for civil society groups that want to do advocacy where civic space is closed or shrinking. It uses case studies and concrete examples to show ways of advocating while keeping risk to staff and partners low. CSOs, and the funders and consultants who support them, use it to plan advocacy that weighs safety alongside impact.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 12.3C159
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics for Nonprofits: Toolkit
A workshop kit that helps nonprofits design, deploy and use AI responsibly. This first part focuses on the principle of fairness. It contains a facilitator guide, a master slide deck, case studies, key AI and machine learning terms, AI ethics concepts and an example Miro board. Participants learn AI ethics basics, then apply fairness to humanitarian and international development use cases.
CurrentTool or templateFree
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