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To help your organization implement the Illinois
Nonprofit Principles and Best Practices, the Donors Forum is
providing a range of tools and practical advice. We will continue
to add resources and helpful hints to becoming a better governed
and managed nonprofit.
Please let us know what additional resources would
be helpful to you by filling out our online
feedback form. Sign up for our free
e-newsletter to learn about new Public Trust resources.
Mission and Purpose
- Life
Cycle of a Private Foundation (10/05)
- The IRS launched an online information tool
to help private foundations comply with federal tax rules and
requirements. The site explains issues such as how to acquire
an Employer Identification Number (EIN); how to avoid jeopardizing
the foundation's exemption; how political activities involvement
may affect the foundation's status and how disclosure requirements
must be met.
- Life
Cycle of a Public Charity
- Details a public charity's interactions with
the IRS, including filing of articles of incorporation and bylaws
as well as annual information returns throughout the organization's
existence.
- Forming
a Charitable Organization
- Information from the Office of the Illinois
Attorney General about the three major government bodies that
every charitable organization in the state must contact prior
to starting operations.
- How
Do I Create a Nonprofit Organization?
- Tips on forming a nonprofit from Illinois Legal
Aid.
- What's
in a Mission Statement?
- Guidelines from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
on developing a mission and values statement for a nonprofit organization.
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- Nonprofit
Organizational Assessment Tool (pdf)
- This checklist can help you review the
strategies and practices that your organization may want to put
in place to further its effectiveness.
- Characteristics
and Practices of Less Effective and More Effective Nonprofit Organizations
(pdf)
- Nonprofit consultants Marianne Philbin and Marcia
Festen prepared this guide to effective nonprofit organizations.
Principles and Best
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Governance
- NEW!
"Increased
Scrutiny Demands Closer Attention to Policies and Practices"
- An article by
Donors Forum President & CEO Valerie S. Lies from the
March issue of FORUM, published by the Association Forum
of Chicagoland.
Accountability
Self-Assessment Tools for Private Foundations
- The Accountability Self-Assessment Tool is a
comprehensive and flexible resource that private foundations (family,
independent or corporate) can use to help ensure that they are
complying with all relevant federal laws and regulations and to
assess how well they are engaging in generally recommended good
practices for being accountable to the public.
Dare
to be G-R-E-A-T - Dare to be G-R-E-A-T Joshua Mintz, vice president
and general counsel of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, discusses principles by which nonprofits can be run
more effectively.
-
- Annotated
Bibliography
- A bibliography of resources assembled to help
nonprofits and grantmakers define their missions, manage resources
and govern effectively. All titles are avaialble in the Donors
Forum Library.
-
- Assessment
Tools
-
- The Donors Forum developed tools that other
nonprofits can use as they begin the important work of implementing
the Principles and Best Practices.
-
- Assessment
Tools Overview
- The Upstate Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence
provides a quick analysis of dozens of management and governance
assessment tools with information on cost, complexity, time to
complete, and usefulness by organization type, size and years
of operation. More detailed information on each assessment tool
and instructions for obtaining the tools are also available.
-
- BoardSource
- BoardSource is a national organization that
offers essential resources for foundation and nonprofit executives
and board members, enabling them to build effective boards of
directors.
- Good
Governance: A Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector
(pdf, 6/05)
- Developed by the Association of Chief Executives
of Voluntary Agencies in the United Kingdom, this guide explains
good practices for nonprofit organizations.
-
- Nonprofit
Governance and Accountability (pdf,
10/05)
- Nonprofit boards are far more engaged
and interested in good governance and accountability than has
been suggested by charity watchdog groups, according to a new
study from Johns Hopkins University's Listening Post Project.
- Beyond
Compliance: The Trustee Viewpoint on Effective Foundation Governance
(pdf, 10/05)
- The Center for Effective Philanthropy examines
how trustees at 53 foundations have examined and changed governance
practices in response to media and Congressional scrutiny.
- Member
Governance and Operations Report
(pdf)
- A survey of Donors Forum grantmaking Members
about their governance practices and policies.
- Forum
Partner Governance and Operations Report
(pdf)
- A survey of Donors Forum nonprofit Forum Partners
about their governance practices and policies.
- Alliance for Nonprofit Management
- Resources on capacity building, management and
other nonprofit and grantmaking topics.
- Compass Point Board Café
- Aimed exclusively at members of nonprofit boards
of directors, this e-newsletter offers ideas, news and resources
to help board members get the most out of board service.
- Job
Descriptions for Nonprofit Board Members
- Overview of responsibilities of board members
from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
- NonProfit
Times Special Report: Salary Study
- The NonProfit Times offers an annual salary
survey of nonprofit staff every February, including trend analysis
and regional comparisons.
- Checklist
for Developing a Statement of Values and Code of Ethics
- Independent Sector offers this checklist to
help organizations begin the process of developing a statement
of values and code of ethics to help guide their policies, decision
making and operations.
- Checklist
for Accountability
- Specific advice from Independent Sector on a
range of accountability issues and policies, including whistleblower
policies and financial controls.
- Statement
of Values and Code of Ethics for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations
- Independent Sector provides a model that nonprofits
and foundations can adapt.
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- Tools
for Governance and Management (pdf)
- Tip sheets prepared by Marianne Philbin and
Marcia Festen cover board governance, nonprofit management, strategic
planning and donor motivation.
Principles and Best
Practices | Assessment
Tools | Success
Stories | How-To
Tips | Sample
Policies | Related
Workshops
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Trust Initiative
Legal Compliance, Fiduciary Responsibility, and Responsible Stewardship
- Record-Keeping
Tips for Foundations
- There’s just not enough space to store everything.
Here’s how to choose what to toss, and what to save in order to
stay in compliance with the IRS.
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- Self-Dealing:
A Concise Guide For Foundation Board and Staff
- The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
offers this publication, which includes definitions of self-dealing
and disqualified person; most common problem areas; penalties
for violations; exceptions; recommended steps for foundations
in handling self-dealing issues; and additional resources.
-
- Stewardship
Principles for Family Foundations
- The Council on Foundations launched an online
database with a collection of interviews about best practices,
sample documents and tools from family philanthropy leaders that
correspond to the Stewardship Principles for Family Foundations.
-
- Standards
and Effective Practices for Community Foundations
- The Council on Foundations launched this online
database as a resource for community foundations, with case studies,
sample documents and tools from philanthropy leaders.
- What
You Should Know Before Signing Your Organization's Form 990-PF
(pdf)
- Written for the chairpersons and other top officers
of private foundations who sign the Form 990-PF, this document
describes the important safeguards they should undertake before
signing the tax return. From the Donors Forum and the Forum of
Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
- Ten
Common Errors to Avoid in Completing a Private Foundation's Form
990-PF (pdf)
- For tax preparers of the 990-PF, this highlights
the areas most commonly completed incorrectly, and provides explanations
and directions for proper completion. From the Donors Forum and
the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
- Illinois sales and use tax for not-for-profit organizations
- Learn about nonprofit tax filing requirements
from the Nonprofit Edge newsletter.
- Check This
- This checklist from Foundation News & Commentary
helps private foundations assure that their operations are in
good legal and financial order.
- Legal Brief: Time for a Financial Checkup
- This checklist from Foundation News & Commentary
can help foundations spot problems with internal financial controls.
- Comprehensive Audit Committee Toolkit for Nonprofits
- This toolkit from the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants includes tips on developing an audit
committee charter, hiring the chief audit executive, conducting
an executive session and evaluating independent auditors.
- Audit
Committee Toolkit: Not-for-Profit Organizations
- Wide range of tools and resources created by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to help
audit committees and internal auditors execute corporate governance.
- Financial
Accountability and Audit Committees
- The National Council of Nonprofit Associations
provides an overview of audit committee responsibilities, including
potential Sarbanes-Oxley implications for nonprofits.
- Filing
Requirements for Tax-Exempt Organizations
- Overview of IRS requirements for nonprofits.
- Electronic
Filing for Nonprofits
- The National Center for Charitable Statistics
provides an introduction to registration and filing with the IRS
and state charity offices.
- Life
Cycle of a Public Charity: Ongoing Compliance
- In addition to annual return requirements, exempt
organizations are required by the IRS to file certain other returns
and reports and make disclosures.
- Resources
for Financial Reporting
- Helpful resources for financial reporting and
preparing Forms 990 from GuideStar.
- Electronic
Data Initiative for Nonprofits
- An overview of registration and e-filing with
the IRS and state charity offices.
- Reading
and Understanding the 990-PF
- General advice for family foundations from the
National Center For Family Philanthropy.
- Interpreting
Form 990-PF: Looking Beyond Foundation Administrative Expenses
(pdf)
- Research report from the Donors Forum on its
grantmaking Members detailing how foundation administrative expenses
can be interpreted in many ways.
- Resources for Professional Advisors
- Articles and toolkits for professionals advisors
who offer philanthropic services.
-
- Nonprofit
Financial Center: Online Guides
- Guides cover strategy, financial reporting,
budget and cash flow, accounting rules and regulations, and much
more.
-
- Volunteer
Management Library
- This online library includes resources on volunteer
management from articles, book excerpts and complete electronic
books.
-
- ServiceLeader.org
- ServiceLeader.org provides information on all
aspects of volunteer management, including record-keeping and
evaluation, legal issues and risk management, and volunteer/staff
relations.
Principles and Best
Practices | Assessment
Tools | Success
Stories | How-To
Tips | Sample
Policies | Related
Workshops
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Trust Initiative
Communication, Accessibility, and Disclosure
- Unusual
Grants: An Online Guide for Public Charities (9/05)
- This guide from the Council on Foundations lays
out the steps public charity grantmakers should follow when making
conventional grants and provides guidance on topics such as grants
to religious organizations, grants to non-charities and international
grantmaking.
-
- The
Donor Bill of Rights
- The Giving Institute: Leading Consultant to
Nonprofits (formerly known as the American Association of Fundraising
Counsel), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council
for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) created this statement
of fair and ethical donor cultivation, endorsed and used by many
nonprofit organizations.
- Communications Network
- Find resources and programs on foundation communications.
- FAQs
About the Exempt Organization Public Disclosure Requirements
- Fourteen questions and answers from the IRS
about what every nonprofit should know about federal disclosure
requirements.
- Grantseekers Toolbox
- The Donors Forum's step-by-step fundraising
guide.
Principles and Best
Practices | Assessment
Tools | Success
Stories | How-To
Tips | Sample
Policies | Related
Workshops
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Trust Initiative
State of Illinois Resources
- Office
of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
- The Attorney General's office offers a wealth
of information on charitable governance issues:
Charitable
Trust Bureau
Volunteer
Board Members of Illinois Not-For-Profit Organizations
Forming
a Charitable Organization
Solicitation
for Charity Act (pdf)
Charitable
Organization Laws (pdf)
- Office
of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
- The Secretary of State offers resources such
as A
Guide for Organizing Not-For-Profit Corporations (pdf).
-
Principles and Best
Practices | Assessment
Tools | Success
Stories | How-To
Tips | Sample
Policies | Related
Workshops
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Trust Initiative
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