Reference Books Online
Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and ManagementPublication Date: 2016
Strategic Planning for Nonprofit OrganizationsPublication Date: 2015
Visual StrategyPublication Date: 2014
Sustainability MindsetPublication Date: 2014
How to Get Started
Before you and your organization get started applying for grants, it helps to have some of the basics figured out. This page will walk you through some of the initial steps to take before you start searching for funding opportunities.
Establishing Organizational Identity
The first step to establishing your organizational identity is to draft your mission statement. This should be a concise statement that identifies your organization's unique role and purpose. In addition to a mission statement, you may want to consider developing a vision statement and/or writing out your organizational values. By developing a clear, concise, and compelling mission statement, you'll be better prepared to convey your organization's importance to potential funding sources.
- What is Your Mission?Chapter 1 from Helwig's How to Get Your Share of the 30-Plus Billion Dollars Being Offered by U.S. Foundations: A Complete Guide for Locating, Preparing & Presenting Your Proposals (2009)
You can review mission statements from other organizations to get some ideas of what a mission statement may look like. For example:
After developing a mission statement, it is important that you and organization spend some time identifying your organization's goals and objectives. Part of the strategic planning process includes identifying your organization's important objectives.
The University Libraries have some resources to walk you through the strategic planning process, including such materials as:
The Nonprofit Development Companion by
A comprehensive workbook covering all aspects of successful nonprofit development One of the most significant factors in the success of any marketing and fundraising program is the ability and willingness of the organization to take the time to develop an integrated development plan with realistic budgets, timelines, and areas of responsibility. The Nonprofit Development Companion examines all aspects of successful development and includes useable templates and examples that can be adapted for application within any nonprofit organization. Covers a specific element in each chapter, including mission, strategic planning, case for support, marketing/communications, use of volunteers, fundraising program, recordkeeping system, CEO, governing board, and development staffing Includes templates and samples to provide specific examples to use right away Offers a new approach to nonprofit fundraising and marketing Based on sound development principles, this book gives you the step-by-step guidance you need to build and run a successful development program.
ISBN: 9780470586983Publication Date: 2010-10-05
Many organizations make their strategic plans publicly available. You can review the strategic plans of similar organizations to get an idea of what a strategic plan can look like. For example:
Identifying Areas for Growth
After you have identified your organization's mission and goals, the next step is to evaluate your organization's capacity and opportunities for growth. These steps are also included in the overall strategic planning process. One common strategy for evaluating capacity and opportunity for growth is through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis.
- SWOT AnalysisBennett, Blake, Bill Thompson, Wade Polk, Jason Johnson, Brenda Duckworth, and Stan Bevers. Department of Agricultural Economics,
Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. September 2005.
The University Libraries has a number of different SWOT analyses that you can review for examples, including:
In addition to the SWOT analysis, there are other types of needs assessments you may want to consider performing for your organization. For example, it may be helpful to explore your organization's financial sustainability.
Financial Sustainability for Nonprofit OrganizationsPublication Date: 2015
