A note to individuals
If you or someone you know is looking for assistance for a particular purpose, you may wish to call 211, a helpline that provides free information and referrals to services that provide basic needs including food, clothing and shelter; legal services; drug treatment; employment support; childcare; eldercare and more. 211 is confidential, available seven days a week, and can accommodate callers in over 150 languages, as well as TTY for the hearing impaired. The Dyson Foundation does not make grants to individuals.
Assessment & Evaluation
Candid Learning – Provides a number of program evaluation resources to help organizations learn how to collect information about a program, make informed programmatic decisions, and assess whether programs are meeting objectives.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
BoardSource – BoardSource has published and compiled a robust set of DEI resources. Whether in the hiring of the executive, the determination of strategy, the allocation of resources, or the goal of serving the community with authenticity, the board’s leadership on diversity, inclusion, and equity matters.
Building Movement Project – The Building Movement Project published the Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap report which found that the percentage of people of color in the executive director/CEO role in the nonprofit sector has remained under 20% for the last 15 years even as the country becomes more diverse.
National Council of Nonprofits – The National Council of Nonprofits compiled an array of DEI resources to assist organizations.
Financial Management
Alliance for Nonprofit Management – The Alliance for Nonprofit Management promotes quality in nonprofit capacity building. The Alliance convenes a major annual conference, networks colleagues year-round online, and provides member discounts on books and other publications, as well as visibility to its members in its online directories.
Executive Directors Guide to Financial Leadership – The Nonprofit Quarterly provides a summary of the eight key business principles that should guide financial leadership practice.
BDO FMA offers nonprofits advisory services and practical tools to surmount challenges and navigate significant financial decisions. BDO FMA also offers a comprehensive Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional certification program.
Free Management Library – The Free Management Library provides easy-to-access, clutter-free, comprehensive resources regarding the leadership and management of nonprofit organizations.
Nonprofit Finance Fund – the Nonprofit Finance Fund serves both nonprofits and their funders, offering an integrated package of financial and advisory services, including facilities and working capital loans and lines of credit; asset-building programs; intensive workshops; nonprofit business analyses, and other consultations to help nonprofit management understand the impact on their finances of management and program decisions.
New York Council of Nonprofits – NYCON’s Budget & Cash Flow Toolkits were designed for smaller to medium-sized nonprofits to help them deliver streamlined, compliant, and easy-to-understand budgets.
New York State Audit Threshold Guidelines – As of July 1, 2021, the threshold triggering requirement for an audit in NYS increased from $750,000 to more than $1 million of gross annual revenue and support. Access this article from Pro Bono Partnership for more information.
General Nonprofit Resources
Candid – Formerly known as The Foundation Center, Candid is a national nonprofit service organization recognized as the nation’s leading authority on organized philanthropy.
Catchafire – Connects pro-bono professionals looking to donate their skills to nonprofit organizations. Professionals are available to support organizations with marketing, web design, database customization, fundraising, and more.
Chronicle of Philanthropy– News and information about issues relevant to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
GuideStar by Candid – GuideStar is the complete source of information about U.S. nonprofits with a database of 1.8 million IRS-recognized organizations for finding a charity, to benchmark your nonprofit’s performance, to research the sector, and more.
Independent Sector – The Independent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world.
IRS Charities Bureau – Tax information for charities and other nonprofits.
NYS Charities Bureau – The New York Attorney General’s one-stop resource for charitable organizations, fundraisers, grantmakers and members of the public. Their site also provides a detailed list of helpful nonprofit resources.
New York Council of Nonprofits – NYCON works to build the capacity of nonprofits and communities, providing specialized training and technical assistance services, including legal and financial, to nonprofits of all kinds. NYCON also provides an array of group purchasing, insurance and employee benefits for member nonprofits.
Nonprofit Learning Lab – An organization that seeks to connect, support, and develop individuals seeking to lead the nonprofit sector. They offer trainings and resources designed to sharpen skills in fundraising, board development, organizational leadership, and capacity building.
NonprofitReady.org – NonprofitReady.org provides a free customized curriculum to support the most common job families in the sector: Development, Leadership, Accounting and Finance, Operations.
Governance
BoardStrong – BoardStrong has long set the standard for developing strong, effective boards in New York State. BoardStrong focuses on strengthening board governance and management and consults on a range of board needs. BoardStrong brings together boards needing new members and individuals who wish to serve – across boundaries of skill, ethnicity, age, and geography.
Leadership Transition & Succession Planning
National Council of Nonprofits– The National Council of Nonprofits offers nonprofit succession planning best practices, planning tips and resources to assist nonprofits through leadership transitions.
Nonprofit Quarterly – NPQ offers several free webinars on a variety of leadership transition and succession planning topics, including: Preparing for the Inevitable: The Board’s Role in Succession Planning, The Common (and Sometimes Pernicious) Traps in Executive Transitions, CEO Confidential: Planning, Communicating and Implementing Your Organizational Exit and, The End Game: An Organizational Sustainability Framework for Executive Transitions.
The Support Center offers Executive Search services to organizations experiencing executive transition to help ensure appropriate future leadership is selected. The Support Center also provides an Interim Executive Director program to assist organizations who may benefit from stable, interim leadership during an executive transition period. Experienced nonprofit professionals and consultants interested in serving as an Interim Executive Director may wish to explore the Support Center’s Interim Executive Director training program.
Legal
Hurwit & Associates’ Nonprofit Law Resource Library – Contains information on a number of subjects pertaining to nonprofit law including nonprofit start-up issues, state filing and compliance, governance and board questions, mergers and affiliations, nonprofit entrepreneurship, charitable contributions and more.
New York Council of Nonprofits – NYCON offers a range of technical assistance, including legal services, providing member agencies access to attorneys who practice exclusively in nonprofit law.
Pro Bono Partnership – Pro Bono Partnership provides free business and transactional legal services to nonprofits. PBP recruits and supports volunteer attorneys with a range of specializations to help nonprofits in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. They also offer workshops and webinars on a variety of legal issues for nonprofits.
Management
Alliance for Nonprofit Management– The Alliance for Nonprofit Management promotes quality in nonprofit capacity building. The Alliance convenes a major annual conference, networks colleagues year-round online, and provides member discounts on books and other publications, as well as visibility to its members in its online directories.
The Free Management Library – provides easy-to-access, clutter-free, comprehensive resources regarding the leadership and management of nonprofit organizations.
National Council of Nonprofits – The National Council of Nonprofits is a network of state and regional nonprofit associations serving more than 20,000 member organizations, helping small and midsize nonprofits manage and lead more effectively, collaborate and exchange solutions, engage in critical policy issues affecting the sector, and achieve greater impact in their communities.
Nonprofit Risk Management Center – The Nonprofit Risk Management Center offers services from technical assistance, to software, to training and consulting on a vast array of risk management topics from employment practices, to insurance purchasing, to internal controls and preventing child abuse.
New York Council of Nonprofits – NYCON works to build the capacity of nonprofits and communities, providing specialized training and technical assistance services, including legal and financial, to nonprofits of all kinds. NYCON also provides an array of group purchasing, insurance, and employee benefits for member nonprofits.
Marketing & Communications
Getting Attention– The Getting Attention blog is a source of ideas, tactics, and tips for nonprofit communicators focused on helping their organizations succeed through effective marketing.
Nonprofit Marketing Guide – Training tips for do-it-yourself nonprofit marketers.
Resource Development
Association of Fundraising Professionals– The Association of Fundraising Professionals represents more than 30,000 members in 200 chapters throughout the world, working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs. AFP provides a Code of Ethical Standards for fundraisers to advance and foster the highest ethical standards in the field.
Cause Effective – Cause Effective helps nonprofits raise money, activate their boards, and get the greatest value from special events and anniversaries. Their Coach on Call program offers flexible, customized assistance, serving as an on-call fundraising and governance coach.
Grants.gov – A source to find and apply for federal government grants.
GrantStation.com.com offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects as well as resources to mentor these organizations through the grantseeking process.
Poughkeepsie Public Library District – Adriance Memorial Library is a Funding Information Network partner of the Foundation Center. This guide takes you to the library’s resources for nonprofit organizations, which includes on-site access to the Foundation Center’s database.
Strategic Restructuring, Alliances & Mergers
La Piana Consulting – This site offers a blog, newsletter, and other resources, primarily on the subject of nonprofit mergers and alliances, but touching upon governance and capacity building as well.
New York Council of Nonprofits – NYCON provides training, technical assistance, and integrated professional services for nonprofit organizations seeking affiliation and collaborative support.
Sea Change – Provides grants, loans, analysis, and advice to help nonprofits work through complex financial and organizational challenges.
The Power of Possibility – Initiated by BoardSource and leaders in the field of nonprofit restructuring, The Power of Possibility initiative helps boards and executives explore considerations around strategic alliances and restructuring efforts. It includes discussion guides and PowerPoint slides for a number of topic areas and starting points.
Technology
Tech Impact – Tech Impact works to empower communities and nonprofits to use technology to better serve our world. For nonprofits needing to make sense of everything from large-scale technology projects, to technology maintenance and support.
TechSoup – Offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by providing free information, resources, and support as well as a product philanthropy where nonprofits can access donated and discounted technology products.
Local Foundations and Philanthropic Organizations
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation – provides access for both donors and grantseekers in Berkshire County, MA, Columbia County, NY, northeast Dutchess County, NY, and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Areas of interest include: education, health care, basic human services, transportation, the arts, youth and senior programs.
Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley – provides access for both donors and grantseekers in Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster Counties. Areas of interest include: the arts, education, community development, conservation, health and human services.
Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan – provides access for both donors and grantseekers in Orange and Sullivan Counties. Areas of interest include: the arts, education, community development, conservation, health, and human services.
Hudson Valley Funders Network (HVFN) consists of a group of Hudson Valley funders who came together to address nonprofit capacity needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HVFN will continue to provide support for our partner nonprofits post-pandemic, and this site provides information and resources to build and strengthen your organization’s ability to sustain its charitable mission.
New York Funder’s Alliance – supports and promotes effective philanthropy in New York State.
Philanthropy New York – Previously known as the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG), Philanthropy New York is a professional association of grantmakers in the New York City region which strives to strengthen the capacity of grantmaking organizations to fulfill their respective missions.