Resources for Nonprofit Organziations
- Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afpnet.org) fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession. It offers the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) International credential, which verifies experience and knowledge of fundraising and philanthropy, as well as the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) credential for senior professionals. It represents more than 30,000 members in 200 chapters.
- Board Source (www.boardsource.org) provides tools and information on nonprofit governance through workshops, training, assessment tools, web-based materials, and a membership program. It offers a comprehensive selection of material on nonprofit governance, including publications and CDs. Board Source provides an annual conference for approximately 900 governance experts, board members, chief executives, and senior staff.
- California Association of Nonprofits (www.canonprofits.org) is a statewide network of nearly 2,000 member organizations. Its mission is to protect and promote: (1) the influence, accountability, and effectiveness of California nonprofits in a manner that builds their capacity to accomplish their missions and (2) the visibility, idealism, and value of nonprofits in California. CAN-sponsored workshops, conferences, and newsletters are posted online.
- Center for Nonprofit Management, (www.cnmsocal.org) located near downtown Los Angeles, offers seminars and training, a resource library with access to the Guide to Grants database published by The Chronicle of Philanthropy (www.philanthropy.com), the Foundation Directory Online, a database of 92,000 grantmakers published by Foundation Center (www.foundationcenter.org), the GrantStation (www.GrantStation.com) database, books on proposal writing, and staff on hand for guidance.
- Chronicle of Philanthropy (http://philanthropy.com) is a newspaper, in print and online, for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, grantmakers and others involved in the philanthropic enterprise. The Chronicle provides information on trends and key issues, profiles exemplary donors, highlights exceptional grantmaking, and discusses public policy related to charitable giving. It is published biweekly except the last two weeks in June and December. Subscribers can search corporate and foundation grants, updated every two weeks, on the electronic database, The Chronicle Guide to Grants (www.guidetogrants.com).
- Community Partners (www.communitypartners.org) provides incubator, fiscal sponsorship and consulting services for emerging non-profit organizations and projects with a focus on building a sustainable nonprofit infrastructure in Southern California. Nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs dedicated to implementing solutions to community problems are provided guidance, training, infrastructure and back office support.
- Foundation Center (www.fdncenter.org) is an independent national service organization established by foundations to provide an authoritative source of information on foundation and corporate giving. The Center maintains a comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants; issues a wide variety of print, electronic, and online information resources; conducts and publishes research on trends in foundation growth, giving, and practice; and offers an array of free and affordable educational programs for grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
- The Grantsmanship Center (www.tgci.com) offers training programs and publications on grantsmanship, proposal writing and program management for staff members of public and private nonprofit agencies. TGC conducts some 200 workshops annually in grantsmanship and proposal writing and has many online resources.
- GrantStation (www.GrantStation.com) is an interactive website that allows grantseekers to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects, and provides information on the grantseeking process. It offers a searchable database of grantmakers who are actively accepting inquiries and proposals from a variety of organizations; federal grant deadlines which are updated twice a week; links to state funding agencies; and a database of international grantmakers.
- Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) is a national database that provides the public with programmatic and financial information about more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized American charitable nonprofit organizations. The database includes brief descriptions of nonprofit organizations and their programs, funding sources, geographic location(s), and income/asset statements information, which are derived from organizations’ 990 tax submissions to the IRS. Database information can be used to research the sector, find a nonprofit or benchmark an organization's performance.
- Idealist (www.idealist.org) is an interactive site with offices in the United States and Argentina designed to enable people and organizations to exchange resources and ideas and locate opportunities and supporters. Nonprofit organizations may post their organization online and list program information and events. It offers podcasts of stories of Idealist.org members and other organizations doing work to improve their communities and hosts a comprehensive nonprofit FAQ, an encyclopedia of information for nonprofit leaders. New and revised information is added dynamically through online discussions.
- Independent Sector (www.independentsector.org) serves as a meeting ground and forum for charitable and philanthropic leaders committed to advancing the common good in America and abroad. Its coalition of nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs sponsors research, conducts advocacy for public policy that supports a dynamic, independent sector, and develops resources for staff, boards, and volunteers to better serve their communities.
- Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/index.html) provides information and forms for charitable organizations related to tax exemption and filing requirements under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
- The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide (www.npgoodpractice.org), a free online service of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University, provides comprehensive information on effective nonprofit management and innovative practices for both grantmakers and grantseekers. It includes nearly 7,000 glossary terms and links to tools and articles organized within topics such as nonprofit data and statistics, evaluation, fundraising, governance, legal and accountability issues, as well as marketing and communications.