Building Organizational Capacity
This page provides information on capacity-building resources for environmental organizations in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
- A Board-Staff Contract for Financial Accountability
Posted with permission from CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, this is a helpful guide for assuring financial accountability within nonprofit organizations.
- A Goodman - Good Ideas for Good Causes
A Goodman is a communications consulting firm that helps public interest groups, foundations, and progressive businesses reach more prople more effectively. It produces free-range thinking, a free monthly newsletter with tips on aspects of marketing an organization or issue.
- Alliance for Justice (AFJ)
AFJ works to strengthen the capacity of public interest groups to influence public policy. AFJ offers workshops, technical assistance, public education, voter education and legal guides (such as Strategies for Creating and Operating 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, and PACs; Worry-Free Lobbying for Nonprofits: How to Use the 501(h) Election to Maximize Effectiveness; and, Being a Player: A Guide to the IRS Lobbying Regulations).
- BoardSource
An online resource for building strong and effective nonprofit boards.
- Budgeting for Technology
There's no simple cookbook formula for technology budgeting in a small organization. Your organization's unique activities, current equipment, human resources and business requirements all will affect your technology budget. ONE/Northwest provides some general rules of thumb they have found helpful in working with their nonprofit clients.
- Building and Managing a Successful Coalition
This list of best practices for building and managing a successful coalition was created by M+R Strategic Services. M+R works with organizations and campaigns to develop smart and effective strategies, hone their messages, mobilize their members, build grassroots support, raise money, and communicate effectively with the media, public, and decisionmakers.
- Capaciteria
Capaciteria is a comprehensive, searchable database directory of resources that help nonprofits leverage their own capacity.
- CompassPoint's Board Café
Board Café is the free electronic newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Short enough to read over a cup of coffee, Board Café offers a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service.
- Discovering the Activation Point: Smart Strategies to Make People Act
The Activation Point builds on the Spitfire Strategies Smart Chart™ and focuses specifically on strategies for mobilizing concerned people to supportive action by identifying and leveraging their activation points.
- Environmental Support Center (ESC)
ESC's goal is to improve the environment by strengthening the capacity of nonprofit environmental organizations. Since 1990, ESC has assisted almost 1,300 local, state, and regional organizations to become better managed, funded and equipped. This is achieved through a training and organizational assistance program, a technology resources program, a workplace solicitation program, and a new loan fund.
- High Performance Nonprofit Organizations
Drawing on management techniques used by successful managers in both businesses and nonprofits, this book outlines approaches that nonprofits can use to build their capacity for learning, innovating, ensuring quality, and motivating staff.
- Hollyhock Leadership Institute
The Hollyhock Leadership Institute provides leadership training & strategic support for people working towards environmental & social change. Their aim is to broaden participant’s perspectives and knowledge, as well as provide direct skills and tools.
- How to Make Meetings Work
This book is an excellent resource for suggestions on running successful meetings that have actual outcomes. It even gives seven reasons for not having meetings!
- Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL)
ICL provides leadership training and tools to support leaders, organizations and networks. Their workbook, Benchmarking Your Organization's Success, helps organizations assess its practices against 46 best practices benchmarks, identify the most important benchmarks to improve, and set next steps for becoming stronger and more effective.
- NPower
NPower is a growing network of independent, locally based nonprofits dedicated to one thing: Putting technology know-how in the hands of nonprofits. NPower's mission is to ensure all nonprofits can use technology to expand the reach and impact of their work. NPower helps organizations plan for technological change, offers technological trainings, provides hands-on assistance, and maintains an electronic Internet library.
- Online Networking for the Environment (ONE/Northwest)
ONE/Northwest is a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides technology resources and expertise to environmental groups in the Northwest. For groups with more sophisticated technology needs, they are increasingly focusing on communications applications aimed at helping inform and involve constituents in protecting the environment. Their Web site contains technical recommendations, tips on how to use online communication effectively, and information to help you connect with nonprofit conservation groups in the area.
- Primer on Defamation for Environmental Groups
The First Amendment Project recently published this guide, which provides a basic understanding of the law regarding publication liability and offers a set of best practices to help environmental advocacy organizations avoid being sued -- and to respond appropriately if they are sued.
- Resource Media
Resource Media is a nonprofit organization that specializes in strategic communications and media outreach designed to improve coverage of environmental and public health issues. Founded in 1998, Resource Media has offices in five Western states serving the conservation community and reporters covering environmental issues.
- Rockwood Leadership Program
The Rockwood Leadership Program is a nonprofit organization that promotes social change through leadership training and consulting to progressive nonprofits.
- Spitfire Strategies Smart Chart™
The Spitfire Strategies Smart Chart™ is a step-by-step guide to building a successful communications campaign. The report comes complete with an updated communications planning tool you can fill in as you go.
- Technical Assistance for Community Services (TACS)
TACS provides training and consultation on management, governance, planning and funding issues to community-based nonprofits.
- TechSoup
TechSoup offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by providing free information, resources and support. In addition, their TechSoup Stock is an online product donation service that connects nonprofits with technology product donations from more than twenty leading providers. All products are available either for donation, or for prices that are deeply discounted just for nonprofits.
- Training Resources for the Environmental Community (TREC)
TREC provides organizational development and technical assistance primarily to grantees of the Wilburforce Foundation. This includes fundraising assistance, training and consulting subsidies, special training events, and online resources.