Learning Center
We have compiled the following list of web links and, in some cases, relevant articles pertaining to many important nonprofit areas, such as board management and development, business planning, marketing, market research, pricing, human resources, insurance, and legal issues.
The resources offer a variety of information that may be of value to your organization. All of the information included here is free and there is no agreement between the Great Bay Foundation and any member of this list regarding advertising and/or general promotion.
This resource is an ongoing work in progress. We will be updating it regularly and will welcome your thoughts and comments. Please contact us if you have any recommendations or additional categories you think should be included.
- Board Management
- Business Planning
- General
- Human Resources
- Insurance
- Legal
- Marketing
- Market Research
- Pricing
- Strategic Planning
Websites
Board Café - www4.compasspoint.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=652
Electronic newsletter for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Offers “a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service.”
BoardSource - www.boardsource.org/ or www.ncnb.org “Practical information, tools and best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide.”
Map for Nonprofits - www.mapfornonprofits.org The purpose of Map for Nonprofits is “to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to achieve mission-driven results.” Since 1979, they “have provided quality, affordable management consulting and board recruitment services to thousands of nonprofit groups.”
Free Toolkit for Boards of Directors - www.mapnp.org/library/strt_org/strt_bus/ad_prmot/ad_prmot/boards/boards.htm
Free community resource to be shared and contributed to by users and readers across the world. Enables “those with limited resources to access basic and practical information about personal, professional and organizational development.” Provides many links pertaining to board roles and responsibilities.
Nonprofit Genie - www.genie.org Provides a variety of links related to nonprofit organizations, including board management and development.
National Partnership for Community Leadership - www.npcl.org
“A nonprofit organization created for charitable and educational purposes. The mission of NPCL is to improve the governance and administration of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations and strengthen community leadership through family and neighborhood empowerment.”
Articles
“Strengthening Board Performance: Findings and Lessons from Demonstration Projects” was authored by Thomas Holland and Douglas Jackson and published in the Winter 1998 edition of Nonprofit Management and Leadership. The study investigated if six previously identified practices of board competency could be effectively used to structure a program of board development that would improve board performance.
“Board Performance and Organizational Effectiveness in Nonprofit Social Services Organizations” was authored by Jack Green and Donald Griesinger in the Summer 1996 edition of Nonprofit Management and Leadership. The study investigated the tasks and responsibilities of nonprofit directors and the relationship between board performance and nonprofit effectiveness.
“Do Intentional Efforts to Improve Boards Really Work? The Views of Nonprofit CEOs” was authored by Jeffrey L. Brudney and Vic Murray in the Summer 1998 addition of Nonprofit Management and Leadership. The study ascertained how many boards actually attempt to change the way they operate, the changes they attempted to make, what provokes their efforts, and what outcomes result.
Business Planning
Websites
Social Enterprise Reporter - www.SEReporter.com
SER provides North American social entrepreneurs and nonprofit enterprise directors with practical news and information, business tools, and inspiration that will improve the profitability and impact of their social purpose ventures. Published in PDF and HTML, each issue features innovative solutions and examples of entrepreneurship in action. Premium content and PDFs by subscription.
My Own Business - www.myownbusiness.org Comprehensive and Internet course for anyone STARTING A BUSINESS
Bplans - www.bplans.com
A wealth of information on business planning; includes a number of sample plans and other useful resources. Site offers a tremendous source of sample business plans; also provides the tools to help manage a business.
MIT Enterprise Forum - www.enterpriseforum.mit.edu/mindshare/planning Provides helpful information and links regarding business plans.
Small Business Administration -www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
Provides general information on business plan basics, writing a business plan, using a business plan, and more.
Yale School of Management – The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures - www.ventures.yale.edu Offers resources specific to nonprofit ventures; includes a business plan competition and access to winning plans.
SmallBusinessComputing.com – www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/news/article.php/3512616
Offers a brief article—entitled, “The Social Side of Business Planning”—by Dan Muse, that describes a new software system specifically designed for nonprofit enterprise business planning.
Articles
“How to Build a Business Plan” was authored by Cynthia W. Massarsky for the Yale School of Management – The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, and posted on the website (www.ventures.yale.edu/). The article provides a clear, straightforward outline of a business plan and insight into how best to write one.
“A Brief Tutorial on Business Planning for Nonprofit Enterprise” (www.ventures.yale.edu/) was authored by Cynthia W. Massarsky for the Yale School of Management – The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures. The article provides a brief description of a business plan and additional information relevant to the subject.
Whenever possible, we will try to categorize the resources we include here in relation to specific needs or information they address. Other times we will include general resources that cover a broad variety of interests.
A great example of this is the website (www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/) that accompanies the PBS “New Heroes” series about some of today’s most innovative Social Entrepreneurs.
Websites
www.managementhelp.org -A free downloadable library on a large number of management topics for nonprofit organizations, including social entrepreneurship.
www.egroups.com/invite/nonprofitentrepreneurship-An online discussion group about nonprofit entrepreneurship.
www.entreworld.org -An online resource for entrepreneurs; includes many publications and links.
The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund - www.redf.org The site is especially useful for its publications on calculating an organization's social return on investment and on managing social enterprise ventures.
www.fdncenter.org/learn/classroom/ft_tutorial/index.html - This online tutorial from the Foundation Center is designed to help you better understand the foundation world.
Websites
Map for Nonprofits - www.mapnp.org/library/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt.htm
A comprehensive database of information related to HR management in the nonprofit sector. Areas of focus include: getting the best employees; paying employees; training employees; and sustaining high-performing employees.
Society for Human Resource Management - www.shrm.org “The world’s largest association devoted to human resource management.” This does not have a specific nonprofit focus, but it does provide an extensive database of information and services.
Workforce Management - www.workforce.com/section/09
Provides news on a variety of workforce related areas and has a section devoted entirely to HR management.
Websites
Nonprofit Genie – www.search.genie.org/genie/ans_result.lasso?cat=Insurance Provides links concerning a number of different nonprofit insurance-related issues.
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center – www94311.temp.w1.com/csb/csb_ins.htm#intro The comprehensive site has a number of links and resources related to nonprofit insurance and risk management.
Books Coverage, Claims & Consequences: An Insurance Handbook for Nonprofits, produced by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, touches on a wide range of issues related to insurance in the nonprofit sector. It can be found at www.nonprofitrisk.org/pubs/coverage.htm
Websites
Hurwit and Associates - www.hurwitassociates.com Law firm that provides counsel for philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. The website includes resources for nonprofits exploring earned income ventures.
Books
Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations, 2nd Edition - www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047129845X.html Book written by Michael I. Sanders detailing the various legal issues surrounding social enterprise in the nonprofit sector.
Ready in Defense: A Liability, Litigation and Legal Guide for Nonprofits, produced by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, is a comprehensive resource for information pertaining to legal issues in the nonprofit sector. It can be found at www.nonprofitrisk.org/pubs/ready_def.htm Or at
www.nonprofitissues.com/get/NPR-20-BO?PHPSESSID=tvD8f46PQqGalSFyhfst
Websites
American Marketing Association - www.marketingpower.com Provides extensive information on marketing, including best practices, case studies, articles and reports.
Gorilla Marketing - www.gmarketing.com/articles/read/14 Offers daily marketing tips and many relevant articles, such as “Seven Steps for Creating Successful Marketing.”
Inc.com - www.inc.com/articles/marketing Has a section focusing specifically on marketing and advertising, and offers detailed information on a variety of related areas, such as marketing methods, marketing alliances, direct mail, etc.
Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov/starting_business/marketing/basics.html Provides general information on marketing basics, emarketing, competitive analysis, and more.
Websites
Inc.com - www.inc.com/articles/marketing/ or www.inc.com/guides/write_biz_plan/24018.html
The first site has a section, within marketing and advertising, focusing specifically on market research and strategy, and offers detailed information on a variety of related areas, such as branding and positioning, demographics research, choosing a name, etc. The second site provides links to several articles and resources for conducting market research.
Small Business Administration, Online Women’s Business Center - www.onlinewbc.gov/docs/market/mk_research_trad.html#what Defines market research, discusses its benefits and the information that can best be obtained.
Bizjournals - www.bizjournals.com
Contains business news from local markets and industries.
Hoovers - www.hoovers.com/free/?abforward=true Comprehensive source for information on businesses.
MarketResearch.com - www.marketresearch.com Comprehensive source for market research across a variety of sectors.
Mindbranch - www.mindbranch.com Provides companies with access to a comprehensive market research database.
Articles
“Knowing a Winning Business Idea When You See One” was authored by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in the September – October 2000 edition of Harvard Business Review. The article acknowledges that “identifying which business ideas have real commercial potential is one of the most difficult challenges that executives face,” and suggests that “tools to determine utility, prices, and business model can help them invest wisely.”
Articles
“Pricing in Nonprofit Ventures” www.ventures.yale.edu/docs/pricing.pdf was authored by Sharon Oster in the October 2000 edition of the Nonprofit Times (retrieved from the Yale School of Management – The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures website.) The article addresses the questions: “When is it appropriate for nonprofits to collect fees for services rendered? And, “how should fees be set?”
“Give it Away or Make Them Pay? Price Discrimination and Rationing by Nonprofit Organizations with Distributional Objectives” was authored by Richard Steinberg and Burton A. Weisbrod. It can be found in the “working papers” section of the National Center for Nonprofit Enterprise’s website, www.nationalcne.org.
Websites
Managementhelp.org - www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/str_plan.htm Provides extensive information on strategic management in nonprofit organizations, including links to many other related web pages.
This link www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/03/22.html from Idealist.org addresses the question: What is strategic planning? It provides an overview of the concept, discusses its relevance to long-term planning, and strategic thinking and strategic management, and also touches on "what strategic planning is not."
Genie.org - www.genie.org Provides a variety of links related to nonprofit organizations, including "strategic planning."
Alliance for Nonprofit Management - www.allianceonline.org/FAQ/strategic_planning Provides answers to a number of questions relevant to strategic planning.
Planware.org - www.planware.org/strategicsample.htm Provides a hypothical strategic plan for "AnyBiz Inc." The approach used can be replicated in other strategic planning processes.
NSBA.org - www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/spt.html
Offers specific tools for conducting a strategic planning process.
Articles
"Strategic Planning in Smaller Nonprofit Organizations - A Practical Guide for the Process." This article was written in 1999 by Jan W. Lyddon, Ph.D, Western Michigan University. It addresses a number of concepts related to strategic planning, including mission review and SWOT analysis. It can be found at www.wmich.edu/nonprofit/Guide/guide7.htm.
"Introduction to Strategic Planning." This article was produced by the US Small Business Administration. While it has a private sector focus, the information provided is applicable to nonprofits as well. It was written by Michael Policastro and can be found at: www.sba.gov/library/pubs/mp-21.txt
"Michael Porter's Big Ideas." This article written by Keith H. Hammonds for FastCompany magazine captures Porter's belief in the absolute necessity of creating and following a STRATEGY. http://pf.fastcompany.com/magazine/44/porter.html
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