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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12 resources found
- Search: international development
- 12.2C157
Responsible Data Handbook
A handbook on the ethics and risks of collecting and using data about people in international development work. It follows the project lifecycle: designing a project, managing data, getting, understanding and sharing data, and closing a project. Chapters can be read alone or in sequence. A team of 12 practitioners wrote it in a 3-day book sprint. It is free under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 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 - 2.1C017
Strategic planning: a toolkit for small NGOs
A short, step-by-step strategic planning toolkit for small NGOs, including those that fund partners and those that work directly with communities. It is one of 5 toolkits from INTRAC's Strengthening Small Organisations with Big Ambitions project (2021 to 2022), funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It comes as a PDF and as a lighter online version for low-bandwidth and mobile users. It is licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Start hereCurrentKey manual or guideFree - 2.2C022
Theory of Change Thinking in Practice
Practical guidelines on theory of change for development organisations. Part A explains concepts, core components and the quality of practice, including power and gender. Part B sets out 8 steps, from clarifying the purpose of the process and describing the desired change to mapping pathways, setting monitoring and learning priorities, and using and adapting the theory. It also covers the theory of change as a product and a quality audit. Part C lists tools and facilitation resources.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 2.3C025
Power Analysis
A guide for development staff on why, when and how to do power analysis. It covers deciding to do an analysis, carrying it out, and a review of concepts and methods. Frameworks include political economy analysis, stakeholder influence mapping, Net-Map, power over, to, with and within, visible, hidden and invisible power, the Powercube, the Power Matrix, and closed, invited and claimed spaces. Teams use it when planning programmes and partnerships.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 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 - 10.2C136
Becoming locally led as an anti-racist practice
A guide from Bond, developed by The Social Investment Consultancy, for UK-based and other international NGOs that want to become locally led. It gives a baseline view of what locally led development looks like and tools to review how each department works, from HR and finance to programmes, communications and trustees. Staff at any level use it to start internal conversations, plan organisational change and discuss funding models with donors.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 9.2C119
Dóchas Guide to Ethical Communications
A guide from Dóchas, the Irish network of international development and humanitarian NGOs, for anyone who produces images and stories about the people NGOs work with. It updates the 2006 Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages. It sets out 3 core values and 4 commitments: authentic representation, contributor-led stories, informed consent, and doing no harm. Each commitment has practical steps, reality-check questions and a final checklist. Signatories follow 10 minimum requirements.
Start hereCurrentKey manual or guideFree - 5.4C074
Understanding effective safeguarding culture
A discussion tool from Bond, the UK network for international development organisations, for talking about what a positive safeguarding culture looks like. It describes behaviours that show whether a culture follows good safeguarding practice across 6 areas: policies and procedures, safer programming, a survivor-centred approach, awareness raising, safer recruitment and reporting. Staff at all levels use it in workshops, alongside a separate Bond tool for leaders.
CurrentTool or templateFree - 9.2C121
Putting the people in the pictures first
Guidelines from Bond, the UK network for international development organisations, on gathering and using images and stories ethically. The 2024 update reviews the 2019 original and brings it in line with Bond's core values, including anti-racism, do no harm and locally led development. It addresses colonial legacies and racism in NGO imagery and adds a new resources section. A 1-page Statement of Ethical Practice comes with the full PDF.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 10.2C137
Localisation Performance Measurement Framework (LPMF)
A framework from NEAR, a network of local and national civil society organisations, for measuring progress on localisation in humanitarian and development work. Developed between 2017 and 2019, it turns broad commitments, mainly those of the Grand Bargain, into clear areas of change with indicators. Local NGOs, international partners and donors use it to check whether funding, partnerships and decision-making are shifting toward local actors.
CurrentTool or templateFree - 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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