Nonprofit Learning Library
Find helpful documents and reference materials on a range of topics that are critical to operating, leading, and evaluating a healthy nonprofit organization. Included are the Standards for Excellence educational resource packets, Board Member Quick Tips, checklist on How to Start a Nonprofit, and much more. Browse by category to see all that’s available! For a summary of our resources, download our Annotated Ed Packet and Board Room Quick Tips overviews. Download Resource.
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Increasing board members’ comfort level in advocating for your nonprofit, while also increasing their willingness to fundraiser, is not rocket science! As a board leader, you can help your fellow members develop a useful functional vocabulary and achieve the comfort level they need to succeed. This quick tip outlines some things to […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE A meeting agenda is imperative. Not only can it help you keep a meeting running efficiently and effectively but the agenda can serve as an organizational historian, creating a “Card Catalogue” for retrieving important documents and event information. Your agenda should be drawn up by the board president typically with the assistance […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Board reports help ensure that every board member is up to speed on all initiatives as they develop. This quick tip suggests a realistic report process, as well as fun and productive ways to get your board members to read them prior to meetings. Member Login
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE An executive committee (usually comprised of the board president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and staff executive director) is a necessary body for many nonprofits. The executive committee is typically authorized by the full board to take actions on its behalf in case of an emergency or immediate need when it is not […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Exit interviews allow you to collect important information with an eye towards maintaining continuity and making necessary improvements to the board member experience. This packet includes a draft data collection form to use/modify when conducting exit interviews. Member Login
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Board member term limits, if written properly, help to ensure the health of your nonprofit’s governing body. Term limits are not a permanent expulsion, rather they provide for a break – a time for both parties to re-assess what is in the organization’s and individual’s best interests. This tip helps you establish, […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Eliminate the “successor scramble” in key board positions (e.g. president, treasurer, committee chair and others) with some recommended “Strategies for Successful Succession – Questions to Ask and Things to Do.” Member Login
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Assigning a veteran board member (aka mentor) to a new board member can shorten the on-boarding process and ensure the new member’s long-term success. Make sure the mentor knows what is expected of them by having a New Board Member Mentor Job Description. This tip provides a customization sample so you don’t […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE There is a purposeful and necessary distinction between the role of the Board and the role of the Staff in a nonprofit organization. On the most basic level, the Board determines the mission of the organization and governs, while the Staff works to achieve or address that mission by running the day-to-day […]
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE RESOURCE Organizations that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into their work and as part of their missions are more effective in engaging and servicing people across different cultures, backgrounds and abilities. This educational resource packet is designed to assist with your DEI work and values, challenge you to think critically about your […]