Toolkits
Toolkits – Too much to do. Too little time. I have been there. That is why I wrote the Nonprofit Toolkit series. Each 5×7” book is 100 pages or less. The writing is succinct and to the point, making them easy to read in one setting and addressing relevant topics for any nonprofit manager.
The nine toolkits can be purchased individually or all 9 from this website at a discounted price.
Toolkit 1 Volunteer Handbooks
One of the most underutilized nonprofit tools is the volunteer handbook. Not only can a well written and eye-appealing handbook be a great help in volunteer recruitment, it can also decrease liability from untrained volunteers. This toolkit will provide you with everything you need to know about why and how to develop a handbook.
Toolkit 2: The Top Twenty Sustainability Strategies for Nonprofits
If you are like me, you are so busy providing programs and dealing with administrative deals, you have little time for long-term planning. The second toolkit in the series takes a practical look at the strategies for building capacity and sustainability.
Toolkit 3: Becoming a Tech-Focused Nonprofit
I am not a techie, which meant I have always needed to rely on expert advice for building technology strategies. Co-written by Margaux Pagan, techie, this toolkit provides you with the basics for developing an accelerating technology approach for all facets of your nonprofit. This is a great companion to Toolkit #9, “The Virtually Nimble Nonprofit,” written in response to the pandemic.
Toolkit 4: Executive Director Succession Plan and Search process
The basis for the 5th training video, this handy toolkit provides you with sample policies and procedures for building an effective succession plan for your volunteer and staff leadership. Co-authored by Ron Soto, the toolkit also includes proved strategies for executive director succession and search processes.
Toolkit #5: Developing and Marketing a Story-Telling Budget
The first training video is based on this toolkit, providing you with the rationale and strategies for building a budget which moves away from the frequent debates about traditional overhead and fundraising percentages. The story-telling approach allows you to clearly demonstrate how efforts to meet arbitrary percentages can harm your ability to achieve your core mission.
Toolkit #6: 10 Key Strategies for Responding to Disasters
The recent pandemic was a wake-up call to all nonprofits about the importance of preparing for disasters. This toolkit will help you develop internal and external disaster plans, with sample policies and procedures easily adapted to any nonprofit. This toolkit is a great companion to toolkit #9, “The Virtually Nimble Nonprofit.”
Toolkit #7: Communication & Conflict
Great communication skills are essential for every leader. Co-authored with communication guru, Claudia Jean Virga, this toolkit will provide you with easy to implement strategies to improve your communication and to deal effectively with conflict.
Toolkit #8: Gift Acceptance Policies
I was very naïve when it came to understanding issues like what gifts our nonprofit should or should not accept. This toolkit was written to provide you with a donor bill of rights, plus sample policies and procedures for gift acceptance strategies.
Toolkit #9: The Virtually Nimble Nonprofit
Co-author, Emily Chambers, and I developed this toolkit in response to the 2020-2021 pandemic. Three different types of nonprofits were interviewed to determine the strategies they used to cope with the impact of the pandemic. The toolkit takes a candid look at what worked and did not work and provides strategies for switching to virtual platforms, long-term. We also look at the dramatic shifts in volunteerism and the positive impact of virtual and disabled volunteers.