{"id":2066,"date":"2020-01-17T09:30:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T16:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2020-07-17T09:56:05","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T15:56:05","slug":"19-essential-samples-and-templates-for-nonprofit-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/2020\/01\/17\/19-essential-samples-and-templates-for-nonprofit-organizations\/","title":{"rendered":"19 Essential Samples and Templates for Nonprofit Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Letters, Charts, Mission Statements and More. BY JOANNE FRITZ<\/a> Updated November 20, 2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, to do things right for your nonprofit, you just need something to get started. There are so many items you must fill out, create, write, or pull together when working in a nonprofit setting. It’s always helpful to have a starting point. That’s the idea behind some of this site’s most popular content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/strong>Nonprofit Mission Statements for\nToday’s Donors<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s the\nbest way to get ready to write your mission statement? Read the missions of other great nonprofits<\/a>. Today’s\nmission statements are very different than they were even a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charities\nnow realize that a mission statement is not just for insiders and funders, but\nare great branding tools as well. Many charities put them on their websites,\ndevelop fundraising materials around them, and create taglines<\/a> to complement them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out\nthese examples of terrific mission statements and then read about how to write\nthem too. Here are the do’s and <\/a>don’ts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. <\/strong>Examples of Direct Mail Fundraising\nLetters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could\nthere be anything more tightly connected to fundraising success than the letters you send every year<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nsometimes you just run out of ideas. So, here is a collection of direct mail\nletters that just might get you moving again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is\nno template for the perfect fundraising letter, but these examples could set\nyour creativity on fire. Plus, here are eight ways to help create your best appeal\nletter yet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. <\/strong>Sample Donation Thank You Letters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your donor\nwould love one of these thank you letters<\/a>. That’s\nbecause they treat donors like heroes and let them know just what their\ndonation will accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more\ntechnical issues, like when to send your letter, how to organize it, and what\nparts you just have to get right, see 10 Tips for Writing Donor Thank You Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you\nsending enough hand-written notes? There’s nothing quite like them for letting\na donor know you cared enough to take the time for a personal note.  Learn\nwhen to send a handwritten note and how to do it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. <\/strong>Samples of Email Thank You Letters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you\nthank a donor who donates online? Usually, you write an email thank you\nmessage. Is it different from a mailed thank you<\/a> letter? See our\nreal-life sample email thank yous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure\nwhen to send what? Check out Should You Thank a Donor by Email or\nSnail Mail?<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a\nquandary about how to thank a monthly donor? Get the basics of How Often Your Nonprofit Should\nThank<\/a> monthly donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t\nunderestimate social media thank yous<\/a>. They are easy to\npost, and, for your tech-savvy donors, they are perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter\nhow you thank an online donor, don’t forget to thank them with a post-donation thank you page<\/a>. Light up a\ndonor’s life immediately after giving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. <\/strong>Sample of a Thank You Postcard<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Postcards\nhave all sorts of applications these days. We see annual reports<\/a> on postcards, invitations\nto events on postcards, and also thank you notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you\ntried sending a postcard by mail to a treasured donor or volunteer? It’s easy\nto create a postcard right online and send it for a nominal fee. See this example to spark your imagination<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. <\/strong>Elements of a Business Plan for a\nNonprofit Organization<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nbusiness plan can be used throughout the life of a nonprofit, changing as the\norganization does. A startup’s business plan may be quite brief, while a mature\nnonprofit plan may be quite long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business\nplan formats for nonprofits vary according to the type of organization<\/a>, but several elements\nseem to show up frequently. Check out the nine features you should include<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. <\/strong>Sample Gift Chart<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A gift chart is a simple planning tool<\/a> you\ncan use for any fundraising campaign.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift\ncharts are based on the fact that most of your donations will come from a small\nnumber of donors. It’s often called the 80\/20 rule<\/a>. Eighty percent of your fundraising\ncampaign results come from twenty percent of your donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gift\nchart helps you figure out how many donors, large and small, to target for any\nfundraising goal. You can use standardized calculators to do the numbers for\nyou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. <\/strong>Sample Press Release for Nonprofit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does\na press release<\/a> seem old-fashioned? They\nare still quite useful. You may just post one online for everyone to see or\nemail a digital one to the news media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the\nnuts and bolts of press releases haven’t changed much. Sure, they might have\nlinks now, but they still need to be easy to read and follow a predictable\nformat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. <\/strong>Basics of a Volunteer Application\nForm<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofit\norganizations do need to be careful about who is volunteering<\/a> for them. An adequate volunteer application form<\/a> is\nessential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to\ncheck out how to write a volunteer job description<\/a> too.\nThe more specific you can be, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. <\/strong>How to Create a Volunteer Handbook\nfor Your Nonprofit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you\nhave volunteers? If so, then you need a volunteer handbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nvolunteer handbook will save you countless hours of training and repeated\ninstructions because it is a one-stop resource for all the wonderful people who\nhelp you keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\ndozens of ways to put together a volunteer handbook, but we’ve laid out the\nthings you should cover and many tips for creating one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. <\/strong>Letter of Inquiry Sample<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many\nfoundations now prefer that nonprofits send a letter of inquiry (LOI<\/a>) rather than a full proposal when first\nasking for grant money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An LOI\nwill save both you and the foundation time. You won’t have to put in as much\nwork just to get turned down. The foundation can quickly screen many more\nletters than full proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure\njust what kind of proposal you should send and to whom? Don’t miss 3 Types of Grant Proposals: Which One Should You Write?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. <\/strong>Sample of Corporate Letter Request\nfor Gift in Kind<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nasking for a donation, a gift-in-kind, or services from a corporation, it is\nbest to use a letter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies\nprefer a short letter, spelling out precisely what you need, rather than a more\nformal proposal such as you would provide to a foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. <\/strong>Sample Evaluation Section for Your\nGrant Proposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results.\nThey are on everyone’s minds, especially foundations and other funders.\nEvaluating what worked and what didn’t can be crucial for your funding and your\nproject. Here’s how to write the evaluation section <\/a>of your grant\nproposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. <\/strong>Sample of a Needs Statement for Your\nGrant Proposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard\nto say what part of a proposal is most important. But, the needs statement is\nright up there!  Write it persuasively and with care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps\nthe best way to understand a needs statement<\/a> is to look at a\nsuccessful one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. <\/strong>Sample Sustainability Section for\nYour Grant Proposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No funders\nlike to think that their grant will only fund a project for a short time.\nThat’s why you need to give careful attention to the sustainability section<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before\ninvesting in your project, your funder will want to know your plans for\ncarrying the project into the future. What other funds can you get? How will\nyou support the project?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16. <\/strong>Sample Executive Summary for a Grant\nProposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nwell-written summary<\/a> invites the reader of your grant\nproposal to read further, and delivers, succinctly, the bones of what you are\nasking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your\nsummary can turn a reviewer on or away. So, just because it may be the last\nsection you write, take a deep breath and write as though your project depends\non it. Because it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. <\/strong>Sample of Methods Component for a\nGrant Proposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you\nhave your proposal all planned out, but just how will you accomplish your\ngoals? Use the methods section of your project to lay out precisely how you’ll\ndo it all. Attach your methods to each of your objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\nnumerous ways to format those methods. Here are few possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. <\/strong>Sample Cover Letter for Grant\nProposal<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cover\nletter for your grant proposal<\/a> may or may not be required\nby your funder. If it is, make it count.  Think of your cover letter<\/a> as a mini-proposal or the\ninviting doorway to your full proposal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

19. <\/strong>The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a\nNonprofit Annual Report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all\nknow that corporations send out annual reports to their shareholders. Well,\nnonprofits, although not legally required to do so, should write annual reports\ntoo, for the sake of their donors and other supporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a\nchecklist of the things you should include in that annual report and tips on\nhow to prepare one from an expert in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annual\nreports have also changed a lot. They used to be printed, but now they are\noften only produced online. That saves money and time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: https:\/\/www.thebalancesmb.com\/samples-and-templates-for-nonprofit-organizations-2502286<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Letters, Charts, Mission Statements and More. BY JOANNE FRITZ Updated November 20, 2019 Sometimes, to do things right for your nonprofit, you just need something to get started. There are so many items you must fill out, create, write, or pull together when working in a nonprofit setting. It’s always helpful to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2066"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2088,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions\/2088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.prl.ab.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}