I love Idealist, although they are struggling to stay alive. (It's a not for profit. Please help support them! They need your help!) Many people know them because of their fantastic not for profit job search site. But they also have a lot of information on boards and how not for profits work in their "FAQ" section, much of which was put up the 1990's but has often been updated. It is not the most timely, but a lot of people have contributed so you'll hear different voices here.
Lots of thoughtful articles on leadership and much that is relevant to not for profits. I subscribe and listen to this on www.audible.com.
TOPICS: publicationsThis watchdog service, run by The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) helps donors "make informed giving decisions." But you have to give them to do it – they don't give out information over the Internet. They're a nonprofit, so they need the $, but it still seems odd to me. They rate about 500 charities.
Calls itself "an independent charity evaluator". Evaluates over 5400 charities. Terrific site – easy to use. I particularly like their top ten lists, but there is much useful information everywhere on here. You can look up the individual charities Charity Navigator evaluates and see what it says. A high rating is worth a lot to any charity. Try it with organizations you already know to have a look at what they say.
TOPICS: charity rating | assessment | accountability | standards | charity watchdogBoard Source is a very comprehensive resource for nonprofit boards, with books, a newsletter, and a deep site. It's even better if you're willing to pay for membership, which will allow you to access everything, but there is still a bounty of information here on boards and governance even without a membership. It's a little uninspired in look and feel (not much of a sense of humor here, and could we please not use those stock corporate photos on websites?) but I use it often. A lot of excellent reference material, but nothing very controversial. Still, one of the best sources for information on nonprofit boards.
TOPICS: board resources | governance | nonprofit resources | publication | newsletterThe BBB's accountability standards are especially useful: Index to the Implementation Guide to the BBB Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability And you can also check out any business or charity.
TOPICS: charity rating | accountability | giving | assessment | standards
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Alexandra Peters
is a writer, board consultant and educator. For the past thirty years, she has been dedicated to building the transformative power of not
for profit organizations.
