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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24 resources found
- Search: social impact
- 7.5C101
The Compass
A plain-language introduction to outcomes and social impact measurement from the Centre for Social Impact in Australia. It explains the key topics, concepts, questions and principles of measuring outcomes, for people who want to know whether and how their work creates change and how to communicate it. It is written as a starting point and avoids jargon. Small and large organisations use it before choosing a framework.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 2.5C204
Pathways to Social Impact
A 14-page working paper from Duke's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, later revised for Stanford Social Innovation Review as "Scaling Social Impact". It asks what you are spreading (a programme, an organisation or a set of principles) and how: dissemination, loose to tight affiliation, or branching. Each option is tested against five R's: readiness, receptivity, resources, risk and return. Leaders and funders use its questions to pick a scaling path, including the option to wait.
ClassicShort readFree - 15.1C221
Lean Impact
Ann Mei Chang, former chief innovation officer at USAID and Mercy Corps, adapts lean startup methods to the social sector. The book shows how to test value, growth and impact with small experiments, how to find a model that can reach many more people, and how funders can back this kind of learning. It's full of examples from nonprofits, social enterprises and aid agencies.
ClassicKey manual or guideBook - 7.5C100
Building a Performance Measurement System
A short book from Root Cause that sets out a 5-step process for creating or improving a performance measurement system in a nonprofit. It covers choosing what to measure, building dashboards and involving managers, staff and board members in using the data. It also introduces performance measurement in general and the problems specific to nonprofits. Appendices include dashboard templates and a performance audit.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 15.2C191
Start Your Social Enterprise
A 28-page start-up guide for people setting up a social enterprise or trading venture. After an introduction to what social enterprise is, it has chapters on mission, market, money, social impact, people, sales and marketing, legal structure, the business plan and looking after yourself, ending with a summary. Founders work through it chapter by chapter as they shape their plan.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 7.5C099
A Practical Guide to Measuring and Managing Impact
A guide from EVPA for venture philanthropy funders, social investors and the organisations they support on putting impact measurement into practice. It was launched in 2013 and updated in 2015, and gives practical tips for each of 5 steps in the impact measurement process. Funders use it to agree impact measures with the organisations they back and to build measurement into their investment process.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 9.1C116
Framing Issues for Social Justice Impact
An online directory from the Commons Social Change Library that collects framing and messaging research on about 35 issues, from abortion and climate to crime, economy, housing, human rights and transport. Each entry gives the title, the producing organisation, country, year, format and a short summary of findings. Campaigners and communicators use it to find tested messaging research before writing their own messages and narratives.
CurrentKey online resourceFree - 15.1C222
Social Entrepreneurship 101
A free 5-week online course from Acumen Academy for people new to social entrepreneurship. It covers 5 areas: what social entrepreneurship is, finding your problem and mission, theory of change and impact measurement, building a financially sustainable model, and scaling. It uses videos with founders such as Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, reading and workshop guides and a case study. Acumen Academy also has a free course on business models for social enterprise.
Start hereCurrentKey online resourceFree - 14.2C189
Social Business Model Canvas
A method page from Elrha's Humanitarian Innovation Guide for innovation teams in humanitarian and development work. It explains the Social Business Model Canvas, Tandemic's version of the Business Model Canvas. The social version separates funders from users, splits the value created for each and adds a box for impact measures. A team session takes 2 to 3 hours, and the page advises reviewing the canvas over time.
CurrentTool or templateFree - 10.1C132
Centering Equity in Collective Impact
An article from the Winter 2022 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review in which the authors of the collective impact approach revisit it with equity at the centre. It sets out 5 strategies: use local data and context to aim solutions, pursue systems change alongside programmes, share power within the collaborative, listen to and act with the community, and build equity-focused leadership and accountability. Coalitions and funders use it to review their own collective impact work.
CurrentShort readFree with sign-up - 9.2C118
Stories Worth Telling
A guide from Georgetown's Center for Social Impact Communication and the Meyer Foundation, based on a review of storytelling at more than 150 social impact organisations. It covers 5 building blocks of a story: character, trajectory, authenticity, action-oriented emotions and a hook. It then walks through a story cycle of planning, production, distribution and evaluation, and ends on building a storytelling culture. Companion checklists and tools include a culture self-assessment and a story bank guide.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree with sign-up - 2.5C205
Three Questions for Nonprofits That Want to Solve Social Problems at Scale
A free Bridgespan article for nonprofit and NGO leaders who want impact at scale without building an ever larger organisation. Drawing on advisory work and interviews with 11 organisations, it poses three questions: what is the highest-impact role your organisation can play, what capabilities and structures that role needs, and how you will learn and adapt as conditions change. Teams use it to frame a scaling strategy before choosing tactics.
Start hereCurrentShort readFree - 2.5C206
A New Look at Strategic Pathways for Solving Social Problems at Scale
The research companion to Bridgespan's "Three Questions" article. The team reviewed the strategies of about 80 organisations in the US, Asia and Africa and interviewed leaders of 11, then grouped what they found into eight main pathways to impact at scale, from expanding direct services to shifting policy and practice. Leaders and funders use it to see which routes exist and which fit their model. It updates Bridgespan's 2014 work with new cases.
CurrentResearch and evidenceFree with sign-up - 2.5C208
Scaling Out, Scaling Up, Scaling Deep
A free report prepared for the McConnell Foundation and Tamarack Institute, drawn from a decade of the foundation's Applied Dissemination grants and peer learning group. It sets out three ways to spread a social innovation: scaling out to more people and places, scaling up into policy and law, and scaling deep into culture, values and relationships. It shares lessons and strategies from grantees, plus what made the peer learning process work. Teams use it to plan beyond simple replication.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 10.1C131
Net Gains
A handbook by Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor for people who build and run networks for social change. It covers how such networks form, grow and are managed, and it shares lessons on using networks to reach large-scale impact. Network coordinators, members and funders use it to plan a network's design, growth and coordination, and to compare their own experience with others.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 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 - 10.1C130
Catalyzing Networks for Social Change
A guide for grantmakers who want to work with a network mindset. It describes 5 network approaches: weave social ties, access diverse perspectives, build and share knowledge openly, create infrastructure for wide engagement, and coordinate resources and action. Later sections cover how foundations can cultivate networks, the roles they can play, a tool on traits of a healthy network, and how to assess network impact. It ends with resources and a glossary.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 9.3C125
Influencing for Impact Guide
An 81-page Oxfam guide for civil society organisations, activists and campaigners who design influencing strategies for programmes or stand-alone campaigns. It gives steps, tools and examples on context analysis, power analysis, setting objectives, building narratives and choosing tactics. Further sections cover research, lobbying, digital and social media, mobilisation, and changing behaviours and social norms. Teams use it to plan, run and learn from influencing work.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 10.1C133
Impact Networks
A 216-page book by David Ehrlichman for people who start, lead or fund networks of organisations working on complex problems. It covers how to build connection and trust among members, coordinate action, share governance and support self-organisation. The linked page is an excerpt on self-organisation published by Stanford Social Innovation Review. Network leaders use the book as a practical reference for running a network.
CurrentKey manual or guideBook - 10.1C129
The State of Network Evaluation
A framing paper for funders, network leaders and evaluators who want to assess networks for social change. It explains why networks matter, what makes them distinct, which parts of a network can be evaluated, and which designs, questions and methods fit. It closes on challenges for the field. A companion casebook from Network Impact, Evaluating Networks for Social Change, describes real funder-led network evaluations and their results.
ClassicKey manual or guideFree - 2.5C207
Big Enough. Simple Enough. Cheap Enough.
A short article by Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation on how to judge whether a solution can scale. Real scale usually depends on a "doer" and a "payer" other than the founding organisation, often government. Starr tests each model three ways: is the market big enough, is it simple enough for the doer to deliver, and is it cheap enough for the payer, benchmarked against what payers already spend. Founders use it to redesign models before scaling.
CurrentShort readFree - 15.3C198
The Matrix Map
An article setting out a 4-step method for judging programmes and fundraising activities on both mission impact and profitability. Teams list every business line, score impact on a 1 to 4 scale, work out whether each line makes a surplus or needs a subsidy, then plot the results on a grid. The 4 quadrants, Stars, Hearts, Money Trees and Stop Signs, guide what to grow, contain, nurture or close.
ClassicTool or templateFree - 2.2C023
Developing a Theory of Change
Guidance for funders and programme teams planning social change efforts. Part 1 explains theory of change concepts, benefits and limits. Part 2 gives step-by-step guidance, exercises and examples for writing an equitable theory of change. Part 3 provides fillable templates for components, assumptions and audiences. Part 4 shows example models. The guide stresses equity and community engagement, and it replaces a 2004 guide the foundation commissioned from ORS Impact.
CurrentKey manual or guideFree - 12.2C158
Data Maturity Assessment
A free online self-assessment that gives a snapshot of an organisation's data and AI maturity. It scores 3 areas: purpose, practice (data quality, security, ethics and infrastructure) and people (leadership, talent and culture), plus a separate AI score. Results come in a shareable format for talks with colleagues and funders, with recommended guides and resources for next steps. It is aimed at social impact organisations, government agencies, funders and universities.
CurrentTool or templateFree with sign-up
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