12 of My Favorite Nonprofit Resources

  Post by Dania Toscano Miwa

There are many more than 12 but this is just a start. The first 3 are Minnesota based, if you are out of MN, skip to number 4.

1. The Principals and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence – This document is available courtesy of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, which is also an excellent resource for Minnesota Nonprofits.

2. MAP for Nonprofits–  Also Minnesota specific, but many of the services they offer, like their board boot camp can be adapted for any board.  There are also templates such as an Executive Director evaluation template, local board position openings and a free management library.

3. Nonprofit Assistance Fund – Again, based in Minnesota, but like MAP has tools, webinars and other resources that apply to  nonprofits nationwide.

4. Chronicle of Philanthropy  – The Chronicle has news in philanthropy and nonprofits daily, a job board and resources for donors and people working for nonprofits.

5. Charity Channel– this is one of the hidden treasures of online fundraising communities. Many of the top fundraisers and thought leaders in the nonprofit sector are using this community, both as resource and as a place to offer mentoring and assistance. I have created a young professionals networking group and a mentorship group to share resources. Additionally I have found a great community of national fundraisers to compare notes, test ideas and learn the newest strategies and innovations as a fundraiser.

6. Foundation Center – Between Pub Hub, the foundation listing and the blog, I personally find this to be one of my to go-to places for information about the nonprofit sector. Plus, they have a fantastic twitter feed.

7. Sofii– This is a resource I have just recently discovered, aimed mostly at fundraisers. I find the reading room to be particularly valuable. There are pieces from top fundraisers and opinion articles about how to continue to innovate.

8. Idealist– A great place to network with over 300,000 nonprofit peers, job listings and a resource blog. They also have a listing of volunteer opportunities, internships and other ways to find/post local opportunities.

9. Nonprofit Technology Network – NTEN helps nonprofit organizations use technology skillfully to fulfill their missions. They have a robust community of nonprofit professionals who share technology innovation. They also have trainings and webinars to help organizations at all stages of technology development.

10. Tech Soup – Need a new database? Not sure the best way to host your website? Tech Soup can help. They have amazing articles, resources, discounts on software and lots of helpful people with answers to your questions. I realize I sound like a commercial, but I can’t say enough good things about Tech Soup.

11. Boardsource – This is a great resource for both new board members and those who have been serving on boards for awhile. They have  e-books, consultants, and trainings to help nonprofits makes the most our of their board of directors. When I joined my first board, I often checked here for questions about my responsibilities as a new board member to how best to structure committees.

12. Socialbrite – This site is also a recent discovery for me. There are tutorials on various social media forums. They also have free reports, sample policies, metrics resources and more. This site is a great place to start if your organization is interested in social media but doesn’t know where to start.

As I mentioned these are just a handful of the resources for nonprofits. Who did I miss?

Copyright 2011, The Good Counsel, division of Toscano Advisors, LLC. May be duplicated with citation.

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