Resources
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias is a powerful, subtle force shaping our lives, from daily choices to life-changing decisions. While bias can't be entirely eliminated, awareness and conscious decision-making can help us make higher-quality choices. These resources discuss types of bias you should be aware of, as well as how to mitigate those biases.
Fundraising
The art of fundraising involves knowing the donor landscape and having the capacity to appeal to different types of funders. As the field of philanthropy grows, organizations must be creative and adaptable to evolving funding models. The following resources explore effective funder engagement strategies.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Understanding and assessing your impact are critical components of a strong strategy characterized by learning and growth. The following resources provide information on building strong measurement and evaluation into your strategies, as well as an introduction to the theory of change concept.
Partnership & Collaboration
We can often achieve greater impact when we work together. The following resources provide guidance both for considering new collaborations as well as strengthening existing collaborations.
Strategy & Scaling
In order to scale your ideas and programming, you need a strong strategy in place at both the organizational and project levels. The following resources provide guidance around strategic planning for execution and scale and creating an effective theory of change.
Organizational Leadership
An organization’s leadership – both the executive team and board – are critical for realizing the organization’s vision. The following resources provide an overview of the characteristics of strong nonprofit leaders and boards.
Theory of Change
Bold ideas alone are not enough to secure funding. These ideas require the strong foundation that a solid theory of change and logic model provide. The following resources provide guidance on identifying the necessary requirements needed for successful program outcomes.
Financial Sustainability & Budgeting
Lever for Change competitions require a project budget and clear narrative on how you will use competition funds. Full guidelines for the budget components are included in the competition application. The following resources provide guidance for creating an inclusive budget to fund your idea as well as overviews of other relevant financial topics for mission-driven entities.
Video Supports
Lever for Change initiatives require applicants to submit a short video with closed captioning. Full guidelines for the video are included in the application. The following resources showcase example videos and provide technical guidance on creating and captioning videos.
Creating Effective Factsheets
Creating a factsheet for a project can be a powerful way to communicate about your program to potential funders and other key stakeholders. Factsheets are often used for promotional and fundraising purposes and, if done well, they can help tell the story of an organization’s work in a dynamic and pithy way.
