Needs Assessment Strategies for Community Groups and Organizations

• Needs assessment strategies. The site discusses 5 techniques and lists their advantages and disadvnatages.
  
  Source: Iowa State University   |  Published: 2001

Various Approaches to Building Nonprofit Programs

• This article lists the different ways a new program can be built and launched. Several methods are the "build-it-and-they-will-come" approach, the "seat-of-the-pants" approach, and the "incremental planning" approach.
  
  Source: Authenticity Consulting   |  Published: 2006

What is a Needs Assessment and Why do I Need One for a Nonprofit?

• Even though the goal for your new nonprofit is not to make a profit but to change lives, it is also a business. As such, it is important to adopt many business-like procedures. One of those is conducting a survey and/or other research before you launch a product or service. In the nonprofit's case, we call this a "needs assessment" to determine if there is really a need in your community for the services you propose to offer. By Joanne Fritz.
  
  Source: About.com   |  Published: 2008

A Basic Guide to Program Evaluation

• Busts some myths about program evaluation: that it wastes time, that its always suppose to prove whether a program "succeeded" or "failed", and that proving a program works is a highly complex and esoteric process. The author then discusses the basics of getting one done. By Carter McNamara.
  
  Source: Authenticity Consulting   |  Published: 2002

Measuring Programmatic Success: Tips for Nonprofit Boards

• Boards should be responsible for program evaluation, too. These are tips for boards in analyzing programs, when much of they time they are not the ones directly implementing them. Short, sweet, and useful.
  
  Source: The Innovation Network   |  Published: 2003

Making Nonprofit Partnership Effective

• Nonprofit partnerships can have benefits, but there are also accompanying challenges. This short article talks about ways to maintain close, mutually beneficial partnerships that aid an organization in meeting its mission. The board's responsibility in the partnership is emphasized.
  
  Source: BoardSource.org   |  Published: 2004

Five Myths about Nonprofit Partnerships

• This article discusses the myths surrounding not just nonprofit cooperation, but also restructuring and mergers. If you are thinking of uniting your organization with another, you might want to look at this article. Written by Jo DeBolt.
  
  Source: La Piana Consulting   |  Published: 2009

Nonprofit Annual Report Samples

• This is a list of hundreds of annual reports from some of the largest nonprofits in the country. Useful for gleaning templates and ideas.
  
  Source: NonprofitAnnualReports.net   |  Published: 2008

10 Tips for Writing a Great Annual Report

• Annual reports for nonprofits are different than those of for-profit corporations, but share many similarities. This article discusses the specific challenge of writing effective, eye-grabbing annual reports. Definitely emphasize the good your organization is doing, but don't forget the financials! From Kivi Leroux Miller.
  
  Source: About.com   |  Published: 2008

The Secret to a High Impact Annual Report

• There are typically only four things a board member will do with an annual report: read the opening letter, see if they are listed as a donor, look at the captions of photos, and check the financials. This article presents some innovative ideas for making a report that will stick in the minds of the trustees.
  
  Source: blueavocado.org   |  Published: 2008