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Resource Library
This page provides links to and downloads of information and organizations we hope you find useful.
Resources for Nonprofits
Resources for Donors/Philanthropists
SVP Partners can login to access more resources in each of the above areas.
Resources for Nonprofits
General Capacity Building
The Alliance for Nonprofit Management is the professional association of individuals and organizations devoted to improving the management and governance capacity of nonprofits, to assist nonprofits in fulfilling their mission.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations advances and expands organizational effectiveness practices in and by the philanthropic community. Their website has a growing list of resources and research.
The Bridgespan Group is a nonprofit organization bringing leading-edge strategies and tools to the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit organizations and foundations. They believe that nonprofits are the best hope for addressing many of today’s pressing social and environmental problems. Bridgespan exists to apply the best thinking to the task of building stronger and more effective nonprofit organizations.
The Free Management Library provides easy-to-access, clutter-free, comprehensive resources regarding the leadership and management of yourself, other individuals, groups and organizations. Content is relevant to the vast majority of people, whether they are in large or small for-profit or nonprofit organizations.
Local Capacity Building
Executive Alliance is a membership association whose mission is advancing a powerful nonprofit sector. EA carries out its work through leadership effectiveness programs, strengthening the position and voice of the nonprofit sector and advocating for the sector on policy issues.
The Executive Service Corps of Washington is a nonprofit organization that exists to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations and strengthen communities in Washington State. Each year ESC consultants, coaches, trainers and facilitators provide more than $450,000 of services to over 60 nonprofits and school districts.
Impact Capital helps build strong communities by providing community-based organizations with the tools they need to develop quality affordable housing, promote economic development and provide other vital services in rural, urban and suburban areas throughout Washington by leveraging investments, offering tailored loans and building capacity through technical assistance.
Minority Executive Directors Coalition empowers and strengthens leaders of color through direct political and advocacy actions, networking and opportunities to serve in civic leadership positions.
Nonprofit Assistance Center empowers communities by building strong nonprofits and community leaders to achieve social justice and equity. They provide technical assistance, training, leadership development and community-based research and evaluation, primarily to communities of color, low-income and refugee and immigrant communities.
The Nonprofit Center provides education, leadership development, consultation and peer networking connections to nonprofit organizations in the South Puget Sound area.
NPower offers a broad spectrum of technology assistance to Puget Sound nonprofits, including technology planning, training, networking, database expertise and website development.
ONE/Northwest provides technology assistance, including online communications strategy consulting, website development, email newsletters and database consulting, to conservation activists and organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
Taproot Foundation recruits and trains volunteers from the business community to provide pro bono business services to nonprofit organizations in the areas of marketing, human resources and information technology.
United Way of King County strengthens our communities by enhancing the ability of people to care for one another. The UWKC website includes a calendar of United Way events, nonprofit resources and local volunteer opportunities.
Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations promotes community development and organizational capacity building in Washington State by assisting charitable and community-based nonprofit corporations to obtain free legal assistance on business-related matters.
Engaged Grantmaking
REDF (San Francisco, CA) has a portfolio of nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area currently operating revenue-generating social enterprises providing transitional and permanent employment to low income and formerly homeless individuals. On the website are excellent FAQs about engaged grantmaking and nonprofit enterprise.
Robin Hood Foundation (New York, NY) aims to end poverty in New York City by forming long-term relationships with a wide range of children's, job training, poverty and educational programs in NYC. Robin Hood provides extensive management and technical assistance through its staff.
Venture Philanthropy Partners (Washington, DC) is an initiative of the Morino Institute that uses engaged grantmaking principals to improve services to youth living in low-income areas in the region. Their site includes some excellent documents and speeches, including Venture Philanthropy: Landscape and Expectations.
New Profit, Inc. (Boston, MA) attracts new financial and intellectual capital to the nonprofit sector and develops new financing mechanisms for investing in social entrepreneurs. NP focuses on long-term, significant investments in a small number of nonprofits and mentors those organizations, serving on their boards, connecting them to service providers and financial supporters.
Center for Venture Philanthropy at Silicon Valley Community Foundation was launched in 1999 to create an environment where community donors could collaborate and drive positive change in our communities. Investors work directly with the Center for Venture Philanthropy staff and nonprofit leaders to understand community and nonprofit issues, problem-solve and structure their investments.
Local Foundations
ArtsFund is an umbrella organization serving over 70 nonprofit arts groups in King and Pierce Counties in Western Washington state. They raise and distribute funds and advocate for arts groups. Volunteers who complete one year with them are eligible to participate in their board leadership training program which prepares them to serve effectively on nonprofit arts boards.
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) is a national membership and philanthropic advocacy organization dedicated to bridging philanthropy and Asian Pacific American (APA) communities. Visit this link to find the chairs of the Northwest/Puget Sound chapter.
Pride Foundation connects, inspires and strengthens the Pacific Northwest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in pursuit of equality. They accomplish this in rural and urban areas by awarding grants and scholarships and cultivating leaders.
Potlatch Fund is a tribally directed nonprofit organization driven by a growing concern about the disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment and disease in many Native communities throughout the region. They are a great resource on issues facing Native Americans.
Social Justice Fund Northwest is an organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of social, economic and environmental inequities. Each year, Social Justice Fund NW raises funds from its members and friends, and then grants that money to nonprofit social justice organizations in the Northwest and Northern Rockies.
Washington Women’s Foundation educates, inspires and increases the number of women committed to philanthropy in order to strengthen community and demonstrate the impact that can result from informed, focused grantmaking. The organization has been in operation for over 30 years.
Women’s Funding Alliance is a nonprofit that promotes justice, health and opportunities by funding agencies serving women and girls in Puget Sound. The Alliance does this through workplace giving campaigns, grantmaking and scholarship programs.
Resources for Donors/Philanthropists
Financial Planning and Giving Vehicles
Seattle Foundation was founded in 1946, and is the oldest and largest community foundation in Washington state. Over the years, its assets have grown to exceed $350 million. From the environment and healthcare to education and the arts, The Seattle Foundation makes grants to the people and organizations that are working every day to enrich the greater Seattle area, now and for the future.
Grantmaking
Philanthropy Northwest is a membership organization whose mission is to promote effective philanthropy in the Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Among other resources, you can find information about Affinity Groups (which give grantmakers with common concerns a regular forum to share ideas), Member Briefings (educational sessions designed by members around specific topics) and Ways to Give (overview of the options for private giving that are available to individuals and/or businesses).
The Foundation Center offers many resources for grantseekers and grantmakers.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, a network of people located both in and outside the United States, is dedicated to promoting learning and encouraging dialogue among funders committed to the field of organizational effectiveness.
Cultural Competency
The Annie E. Casey Foundation published a starter’s guide for exploring diversity training and building culturally competent organizations.
Minnesota Council on Foundations offers a brief framework for exploring why diversity issues are important in philanthropy.
The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers launched an online Racial, Ethnic, Tribal Philanthropy Knowledge Center, which contains a number of “how-to” documents on many aspects of starting and sustaining a racial, ethnic or tribal fund and donor education project.
Motivation and Integration
Washington Courage and Renewal offers workshops and retreats to renew and sustain the integrity, courage and commitment of those who serve children, families and communities.
More than Money publishes a magazine and conducts programs to support people who want to examine the role of money in their lives and act on their values.
Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan, 2nd Edition, by Gary, Tracy and Melissa Kohner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2002. Learn how to create a giving plan that aligns your giving with your values through clear text and substantive exercises. This is applicable to giving of both time and money.
Issues
Environmental Grantmakers Association, a voluntary association of foundations and giving programs concerned with the protection of the natural environment, works to increase awareness of the relationships between environmental grantmaking and other areas of grantmaking and to encourage all types of philanthropic programs to support environmentally related activities. In addition, EGA provides the means by which members can improve their effectiveness as grantmakers and works to increase the resources available to address environmental concerns.
Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families is a membership association of grantmaking institutions established to increase the ability of organized philanthropy to improve the well-being of children, youth and families. GCYF serves as a forum to review and analyze grantmaking strategies, exchange information about effective programs, examine public policy developments and maintain ongoing discussions with national leaders.
Grantmakers for Education is a membership organization for private and public grantmakers that supports education from early childhood through K-12 and beyond.
Grantmakers in the Arts represents over 250 organizations. It is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of private foundations, family foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, corporate giving programs and nonprofit organizations that make arts grants. GIA welcomes public-sector grantmakers as affiliate members.
Three Guineas Fund (San Francisco, CA) promotes social justice by creating opportunity for women and girls in education and the economy. The Fund is focused on access to economic independence for women and empowering girls on the threshold of adulthood.
Philanthropy Northwest’s list of Affinity Groups allows grantmakers with common concerns to share ideas about problems and emerging issues and to listen to experts on these matters.
Nonprofit Sector
Background Reading
America’s Nonprofit Sector: A Primer, Lester Salamon. 2nd Ed. New York: The Foundation Center, 1999. A thorough and accessible guidebook defining the basic scope, structure, operation and role of the nonprofit sector within the U.S. in relation to government and the business community.
What is a nonprofit? offers a simple, broad description of nonprofits, touching on public perceptions and legal issues.
Rethinking Nonprofit Scaling: Should Our Focus Be On Growth? May 25, 2007 interview of Paul Shoemaker, Executive Director of Social Ventures Partners Seattle
Publications
The Nonprofit Quarterly is a print magazine with current topics and trends in the nonprofit sector.
The Philanthropy Journal is a publication of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation in Raleigh, N.C., whose vision is to help people understand, support and work in the nonprofit and philanthropic world, and help them recognize and solve social problems. They deliver news, information and opinion about charitable giving, fundraising and management, focusing in particular on organizational effectiveness, donor engagement and collaboration. They report on philanthropy and nonprofits throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Stanford Social Innovation Review is a magazine (available in print or online) covering best strategies for nonprofits, foundations and socially responsible businesses. Their website also has an opinion blog and publishes podcasts of some of their events with recognized “thought leaders” in the nonprofit sector.
Organizations
Association of Fundraising Professionals is a Professional association of individuals responsible for generating philanthropic support for a wide variety of nonprofit, charitable organizations.
The Independent Sector is a coalition of corporations, foundations, and private voluntary organizations that works to strengthen America's nonprofit organizations.
Executive Courses/Degree Programs
University of Washington’s Daniel J Evans School of Public Affairs offers a masters degree program in public policy and management and also offers executive courses through their Cascade Center for Public Service and Leadership.
Seattle University has an Executive Masters in Nonprofit Leadership Program.
Volunteering
SVP Volunteer Consulting Opportunities
ArtsFund is an umbrella organization serving 70+ nonprofit arts groups in King and Pierce Counties in Western Washington state. They raise and distribute funds and advocate for arts groups. Volunteers who complete one year with them are eligible to participate in their board leadership training program which prepares them to serve effectively on nonprofit arts boards.
Idealist.org is a clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities and resources globally, including "Ten Tips to Volunteering Wisely" and the "Idealist Volunteer Guide."
Leadership Tomorrow selects 72 emerging and existing leaders annually from the private public, and nonprofit sectors of the community to participate in a nine-month program, and provides those selected with a curriculum designed to raise awareness of the needs and challenges that effect the region and enhance individual leadership skills with a focus on community stewardship.
Seattle Works offers one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities for people in their 20s and 30s, and runs a Board Works board training and matching program.
United Way of King County's Volunteer Center places volunteers in meaningful jobs, giving nonprofit agencies the support they need, and guides businesses on how to energize their corporate volunteer programs.
