The Invest in People Hub Resource Page
This page includes links to toolkits and other resources to help nonprofits and donors understand and take action related to investing in nonprofit staffing. We provide a template email nonprofits can use when reaching out to donors. Other resources provided on this resource page include testimonials, articles, blogs, and videos. Additional information can be found on the Nonprofit’s Corner and Donor’s Corner.
Links to Toolkits
We are happy to say that Fund the People provides a number of very useful toolkits for nonprofits and funders.
Organizations to Review
Fund the People– There are very few organizations that advocate exclusively about investing in nonprofit people. Fund the People does. Their website provides free toolkits to help both nonprofits and donors wishing to learn more about funding people within nonprofits and foundations.
Nonprofit Leadership Center– There is great need for more organizations like Nonprofit Leadership Center to provide leadership training to staff members within nonprofits.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations– (GEO) focuses on all topics related to effective grantmaking. GEO has a Capacity Champion’s membership group that is an excellent resource for learning, asking questions, and networking with other funders. (This organization serves institutional funders).
Charity Defense Council– Dan Pallotta is perhaps the most vocal advocate for supporting nonprofit talent. Although some of his views are controversial, we believe that he makes important points that many donors and nonprofit staff members will agree with.
Blogs
Your Crappy Chair is not a Badge of Honor
More coming soon!
Videos
Busting the Charity Overhead Myth: Juanita Wheeler does an excellent job of articulating the need to support growing nonprofits.
Watch Video
Let’s Kill the Idea of Nonprofit Overhead: Amy Eisenstein makes a substantial case about fallacies related to the overhead myth.
Watch Video
Articles
Good Capacity-Building Support Puts Grantees in the Lead: The Lloyds Bank Foundation provides insights and lessons learned over five year. If you have read our Donor’s Digest, you will find parallels between what we wrote about pertaining to power dynamics and what is described in this article.
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Field Stories, Pierce Family Foundation– We thought that donors might appreciate understanding perspectives and processes of a family foundation that focuses heavily on talent investing practices with their grantees.
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Case Making, Top Reasons to Invest in Nonprofit Talent–One key argument presented here is that while the business sector well-understands the importance of providing needed assistance, acquiring talent, and training staff; this is much less the case among foundations. It is worth noting that as of 2017 (somewhat dated) for-profit businesses invested $120 per employee compared to foundations that invested $29 per employee.
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The Business Case for Investing in Talent– The author reviews leadership programs developed and reports briefly on results.
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Guide to Investing in Grantee Talent– Fund the People provides a guide for donors with means interested in extensively funding nonprofits but don’t know how.
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Case Making, Nonprofit Myths and Realities– Fund the People challenges what this organization believes to be ten myths nonprofits believe related to talent investing. One of the topics discussed pertains to speaking with your board and funders about your true needs. We further suggest that if your nonprofit development officer decides to take this bold step forward, that you make it clear that capacity-building needs are pervasive throughout the nonprofit sector. This problem is more often a general state of affairs that need to change, not the weakness of a particular nonprofit.
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What is Leadership Funding? The author describes four common approaches for achieving leadership development: encourage customization, entrust leaders, expand horizons, and engage others. This document is suited for those considering developing a leadership program.
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The Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund, are strong practitioners and proponents of improving the fund-raising capacities of nonprofits. This article suggests that development staff need increased leadership skills and that the culture of philanthropy (fundraising across organizations) is greatly needed.
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Southern California Grantmakers (SCG) is a community of philanthropists and grantmakers working to make a difference in communities and around the world. Their members include family, private, public, independent, community and corporate foundations and corporate giving programs, individuals, and government agencies.
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