Resources
A library for every hard part of running a charity.
Plain-English guides, templates and checklists, organized by the thirteen things charities most often need help with. Every page is dated and checked against official sources.
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9 resources in fundraising and grant writing
Guide · Fundraising
Building a donor base
How to find your first 50 donors, ask with confidence, keep people giving year after year, and grow toward monthly giving with a simple donor list.
Guide · Fundraising
Building a grant budget
How to build a grant budget and budget narrative that a funder trusts: direct and indirect costs, in-kind gifts, and matching requirements.
Template · Fundraising
Donor thank-you letter and receipt
A warm thank-you letter that also works as the written acknowledgment the IRS requires for gifts of $250 or more.
Guide · Fundraising
Earned income: fees, social enterprise and UBIT
How charities earn money by selling services or goods, when that income can be taxed, and the $1,000 gross income line for filing Form 990-T.
Guide · Fundraising
Finding funders that fit
Where to find foundations and government grants that match your work, and how to read a foundation's tax return to see who it really funds.
Template · Fundraising
Gift acceptance policy
A simple policy for which gifts your charity accepts, which need a closer look, which it turns down, and who decides.
Guide · Fundraising
Grant writing basics
How a grant application fits together, how to read a funder's guidelines, when to send a letter of inquiry, and what to do when the answer is no.
Guide · Fundraising
Planning a first fundraising event
Do the honest math before you plan a gala, check your state's rules on raffles and games, and give donors the IRS disclosure for tickets over $75.
Guide · Fundraising
Working with businesses: sponsorships, matching gifts and more
Donations versus sponsorships, how matching gifts and volunteer grants work, and where thanking a sponsor turns into taxable advertising.