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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13 resources found
- Search: resilience
- 6.4C203
Toolkit for Building Organizational Resilience
A free toolkit from the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, designed with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. It helps a nonprofit team develop or update a crisis management plan, sharpen crisis communications, write a business continuity plan that keeps essential work running during disruption, and review disaster recovery plans. You request a copy with your name, email and organisation.
CurrentTool or templateFree with sign-up - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 6.3C081
Mental Health & Wellbeing
A themed resource page from GISF that treats staff wellbeing as part of an organisation's duty of care. It collects guides, toolkits, papers, articles and tip sheets on stress, burnout, resilience, traumatic stress, mindfulness, psychological first aid and mental health and psychosocial support for aid workers. Security and HR staff in humanitarian and development NGOs use it to find guidance and tools.
CurrentKey online resourceFree - 6.1C075
Employee Wellbeing Survey for Nonprofit Organizations
A 12-question staff survey template for nonprofit teams that takes about 5 minutes to complete. It covers retention, workload and boundaries, burnout risk, purpose, psychological safety, manager and team support, pay fairness and organisational care, plus 1 open question. Responses are anonymous. Leaders run it twice a year, or quarterly in periods of change, then pick 1 or 2 actions and report back to staff within 2 weeks.
Start hereEmergingTool or templateFree with sign-upNonprofit Builder tool - 6.2C076
Do-It-Yourself Sabbatical Guide for Nonprofits, with Sample Policies
A practical guide for nonprofit executive directors who want to plan a sabbatical without a funded programme. It sets out a timeline from 6 to 12 months before departure through the time away, the return to work and life after sabbatical. It also reproduces staff sabbatical policies from 6 organisations, including Peace Over Violence, CPAF, SAJE and GEO, which boards and HR leads can adapt.
Start hereClassicTool or templateFree - 6.3C079
Managing Stress in Humanitarian Workers
Guidelines that help humanitarian organisations build policies and systems for staff care. They set out key principles and standards for staff psychosocial wellbeing across the deployment cycle, and apply to both national and international staff. HR teams and managers use them to review their staff care system and plan improvements. Available in 5 languages.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 6.2C077
Sabbatical Programs for Nonprofit Leaders
A how-to guide for foundations that want to fund sabbaticals for nonprofit leaders, written from the Durfee Foundation's own programme. It explains why funders should sponsor rest, then covers legal points, eligibility, applications, selection, cover for the leader's job, orientation, awards, reporting, evaluation, peer support, retreats and budget. It ends with a list of 9 other funder sabbatical programmes. Funders use it to design and run a programme.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 6.2C078
Trust, Rest, and Joy
A short article from the Spring 2024 issue of SSIR, in a supplement sponsored by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. Leaders from the Durfee and Satterberg foundations describe how they fund rest: Durfee's sabbaticals since 1997 and its Lark Awards for staff wellbeing, and Satterberg's support for a BIPOC executive director sabbatical and retreat programme. It discusses who gets to rest and why funders need to trust grantees on what restores them.
CurrentShort readFree with sign-up - 6.3C080
What's the Point of the Revolution if We Can't Dance?
A book based on the experiences of more than 100 women human rights activists around the world. It looks at how activists keep going over time, covering fear, hope, exhaustion, grief, pleasure, humour and spirituality, and practical problems such as lack of funding, conflict inside movements and burnout. Activists, movement groups and funders use it to talk about collective care. Free PDFs are available in 6 languages.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree
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