Welcome to the Resources page of the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy web site! This section provides users with access to information related to fundraising, governance, strategic planning, and other similar topics and includes research, best practices, and sample documents.

 

Contents:

 

Board Member Agreement – This document is a simple contract for Board members that can be adopted for use with your organization. Though not legally binding, it is an excellent starting point for creating a covenant for individual board members and establishing the collective responsibility of the entire Board.

 

Board Meeting Evaluation Form – This one-page document is a simple tool for evaluating your board meetings. It can be completed at the end of each meeting or sent electronically for post-meeting reflection.

 

Board Profile – This Excel spreadsheet is designed to assess the composition of your board including personal characteristics (age, gender, leadership style, and board tenure), professional skills and development capacity.

 

Prospective Board Member Application – This easy-to-use application is a useful tool for evaluating the skills, affiliations and capacity of potential new Board members.

 

 

10 Quick Ways to Improve Board Meetings by Jan Masaoka – Article outlining ten simple and effective ideas for increasing the effectiveness of your Board meetings.

Free Complete Board Tool Kit by Carter McNamara, MBA, Ph.D, Authenticity Consulting, LLC – Numerous articles about Board operations, organizational structure, running effective meetings, hosting a Board Retreat, etc.

 

Consent Agenda (What Is It?) by David O. Renz, Ph.D. – This article discusses what a Consent Agenda is, how it can improve your meetings and when it should not be used.

 

The Executive Committee – This article outlines the roles and responsibilities of an Executive Committee.

 

Going for Consensus, Not Robert’s Rules by Andy Robinson – A challenge to the notion that Robert’s Rules of Order is the only effective way to reach an agreement, with numerous suggestions on how to achieve consensus within your group.

 

Managing Board Conflict by E. Grant MacDonald, Director, Non-profit Sector Leadership Program – This extensive article identifies various types of conflict and how to address each based on the degree of harmony or discord in your organization.

 

Recruiting Better Board Members by Hildy Gottleib – This article outlines a board development and recruiting process that camps can use to improve the selection of new board members.

 

Resources for Developing Conflict of Interest Policies – This document from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center provides useful resources for developing or revising your Conflict of Interest Policy.

 

 

Development Plan & Calendar – This useful document provides an outlines of the major tasks associated with a development plan and a timeline for successful implementation.

 

Donor Bill of Rights – This document outlines the 10 rights that donors have when making their contributions to your camps. Conversely, these are 10 responsibilities that camp staff and lay leadership have in dealing with their contributors.

 

Dive Into Development Planning - This extensive book by the Gill Foundation provides a detailed road map for creating and implementing a Development Plan. Note: This link takes you to 50-page pdf file that can be downloaded for free.

 

Grinspoon Institute Matching Grant Program – This page provides information about the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy Matching Grant programs, including downloadable brochures pertaining to each of our four programs.

 

 

 

Introduction to the Annual Campaign – This page from the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education website provides a variety of resources related to the successful implementation of an annual campaign.

 

Annual Campaign Tips by Tony Poderis – This article offer several tips for improving your annual campaign and states the case for the importance of the annual campaign in overall fundraising strategy.

 

 

 

Campaign Chair Job Description – This adaptable job description outlines the major responsibilities and expectations of a Campaign Committee Chair.

 

The Case for A Case Statement – This document describes the need for developing a strong capital campaign Case Statement. It also provides suggested uses for your Statement and an outline of key elements for inclusion in a strong Case Statement.

 

Five Steps for Effective Major Donor Fundraising – A comprehensive guide to developing and implement an effective Major Donor fundraising campaign.

 

Prospect Identification – This document provides additional tips, tools and tasks for effectively identifying potential donor prospects within your camp community.

 

 

 

 

Capital Campaigns: Ten Steps To Success by Robert Zimmerman and Ann Lehman - This two-part article discusses campaign readiness, assembling committee leadership and important elements of planning your capital campaign. 

 

 

 

Strategic Planning: Three Options – This document outlines three different approaches to Strategic Planning commonly utilized by GIJP mentors, including a summary of the Pros and Cons of each method. 

 

 

Basic Description of Strategic Planning by Carter McNamara, MBA, Ph.D, Authenticity Consulting, LLC – This is a description of the Strategic Planning process, including key terms to know and links to more detailed concepts.

 

Best Practices in Nonprofit Strategic Planning – This guide by the Whatcom Council of Nonprofits identifies numerous best practices in the Strategic Planning process with suggestions for how to achieve these practices in your work.

 

Mission Impossible? How to Write Your Mission Statement by Joanne Fritz – This article outlines key steps in writing en effective, energizing and inspiring mission statement.