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Resource Library

Welcome to River Network's Resource Library; a growing compilation of manuals, publications, web pages, articles, videos, presentations and more available to you. You can browse through our resources by scrolling through our list of categories, or use the search filter to type in a specific keyword. If you have a resource to share, please contact us!

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Title & Source	Description
Rural Fundraising: Success Stories for CASA/GAL Programs Kim Klein, Grassroots Fundraising Journal	This guide is designed to help CASA/GAL organizations in rural communities raise money more effectively and describes successful and easy-to-imitate strategies.
Creating Successful Board-Staff Teams - Nov. 1, 2012 webinar recording Diana Toledo and Mary Ellen Olcese, River Network Impact Program	Author/Source: Diana Toledo & Mary Ellen Olcese, River Network Mobilization Team
River Voices: What is Organizational Success (2011) River Network	What is Organizational Success: Getting Bigger, Better, Stronger River Voices (v21n3) - 2011 Articles Include:
Online Publications River Network	River Network is now offering free access to all of our online publications, in a convenient eBook format. Please see the list below for all of our current offerings:
Advocacy 101: How to Build Relationships and Get Results with Decision Makers at All Levels of Government Liz Birnbaum : SEB Strategies, LLC	Effective advocates know that getting their message across to decision-makers requires more than a single letter or meeting; results are based on the development of long-term relationships with dec
Developing a Board Leadership and Succession Plan River Network	Conducted by the Governance Committee with the help of the Executive Director and the Board Chair or Executive Committee three to six months before the installation of new Board
Fundraising Plan 1 Year Template River Network	This "budget" template will assist you in organizing & planning your fundraising needs by funding source.
Charity Lobbying, Session 2 (of 2): Advanced Strategies for 501(h) Electing Charities, Funding Realities & Electioneering Edges Terry Miller, River Network's Financial Manager	Date Recorded: Thursday, June 23, 2011
Charity Lobbying, Session 1 (of 2): Introduction to Charity Lobbying and the 501(h) Election Terry Miller, River Network's Financial Manager	Date Recorded: Thursday, June 16, 2011
Base Fundraising Plan	Click here to download a sample Organizational Fund Raising Plan!
Risk Management for Nonprofits - May 18, 2011 Webinar recording Susan Smith, Senior Account Executive with Beehive Insurance	Date Recorded: May 18, 2011
Paymo: Time Tracking Tool Jenny Sanders, Executive Director, Little Tennessee Watershed Association	Partners,
Case Studies for the Watershed Support Network: How did capacity building affect individual watershed groups? River Network, MOB Team	The numbers in our report tell only a part of the story – each river or watershed organization uses capacity-building differently.
Roaring Fork Waterhshed Plan University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment	Five graduate students from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) have completed their year-long master’s project to help implement the Roaring Fork Waters
Planning Committee: Job Description River Network: Winter Training 2010 - Track A: Organizational Development - Strategic Planning	The Planning Committee is typically made up of 3-4 Board members who are committed to leading the organization in the development of its Strategic Plan and to ensuring the organization implements t
Pathways Center for Compatible Economic Development	describes an approach based on the success in Northampton County and other communities.
MOU Regarding Organizational Development Services: For the Chester River Association Wendy Wilson, River Network	Project Objective: To expand the ability of the Chester River Association to implement its strategic goals through improved board involvement and board/ staff coordination.
Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth: Draft Strategic Planning Process - Scope of Work Mary Ellen Olcese, River Network, Mid-Atlantic Program Manager	Project Objective: To assist DCPG with the development of a Strategic Plan that identifies what the organization intends to accomplish in the next 3-5 years and how it will direct
Strategic Planning - Session Notes River Network: Winter Training 2010 - Track A: Organizational Development - Strategic Planning	Check out the notes from Winter Training's Track A - Strategic Planning session!
Keys to Successful Strategic Planning River Network: Winter Training 2010 - Track A: Organizational Development - Strategic Planning	The following criteria can help an organization assess whether they are ready to undertake a Strategic Planning process that is likely to be successful. Check it out!
Strategic Planning - Terminology River Network: Winter Training 2010 - Track A: Organizational Development - Strategic Planning	Check out the Strategic Planning terminology!
Why Waste Time Planning? is "Strengthening Your Organization" Really Worth the Effort? River Network: Winter Training 2010 - Track A: Organizational Development - Strategic Planning	Organizations that invest their board members’ time in planning activities grow faster than groups that do not, and they get more done.
Friends of Allen Creek - Impact Map Friends of Allen Creek	Check out the Friends of Allen Creek Impact Map!
Working Well Worksheet - Finding Balance: Using Your Personal & Organizational Resources Strategically Institute for Conservation Leadership	Check out the Working Well Worksheet! Find your own balance of personal and organizational time!
Tales of River Databases: Tracking Constituents in Small and Mid-Sized Organizations Laura Quinn, Idealware	How are small organizations tracking constituents? What are they struggling with, and what works well?
A Nonprofit’s Introduction to FileMaker Pro Chris Peters, techsoup	Does your organization maintain several database systems, each built by a different vendor, consultant, or employee? Do these systems communicate poorly with one another, or not at all?
Best Value for Association Membership Databases Molly Schar	Small association membership management depends on the right membership software. Nonprofits should consider what they need before they buy.
A Consumers Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems Idealware and NTEN	This detailed, impartial report walks through the features that might be useful, summarizes and compares 33 different donor management systems that cost less than $4250 in the first year, and provi
Creating an Environment for Success: Mergers and Other Partnership Structures for Environmental Nonprofits Institute for Conservation Leadership	ICL's publication, "Creating an Environment for Success: Mergers and Other Partnership Structures for Environmental Nonprofits," shares four success stories illustrating different forms of partners
Seven Lessons from the Field: Mergers & Western Environmental Organizations Kimery Wiltshire, Exloco	Exloco, which recently merged with the Carpe Diem Project to be come Carpe Diem West, has been tracking mergers in the western environmental community for the past few years.
Five Myths About Nonprofit Partnerships Jo DeBolt, La Piana Consulting	Recently, La Piana Consulting analyzed data gleaned from The Collaboration Prize nominations – a process that they managed.
Administrative Collaborations, Consolidations, and MSOs Bill Coy and Vance Yoshida, La Piana Consulting	This article about strategic restructuring describes three types of nonprofit administrative partnerships-- Administrative Collaborations, Consolidations, and Management Service Organizations--and
Various Resources on Collaborations, Alliances and Mergers Fieldstone Alliance	Fieldstone Alliance (acquired in 2010 by Turner Publishing) provides user-friendly publications that help nonprofit, community, funders, government, and business leaders improve their communities.
Nonprofit Collaboration Database The Foundation Center	This unique database provides models and best practices of exceptional nonprofit collaboration efforts drawn from projects presented for consideration for the 2009 Collaboration Prize.
Nonprofit Collaboration and Merger Resources Lodestar Foundation	The Lodestar Foundation, interested in building the overall capacity of the nonprofit sector by strengthening organizations that encourage philanthropy, volunteerism and public service in the commu
BoardStar: On Being Board http://www.boardstar.org	Free podcasts of inspiring conversations with nonprofit leaders
Tools For Protecting Your River Prairie Rivers Network	Citizens who organize on behalf of their hometown stream-or its entire watershed-take on important, rewarding work that will impact the stream and their community for years to come.
Building Alliances with New Constituencies Judy Hatcher, Environmental Support Center; Sherri Norris, California Indian Environmental Alliance; Elizabeth Satler, Alabama Rivers Alliance	If we want to build a more powerful environmental movement, we must be much more thoughtful about working with different communities and non-traditional entities.
Managing and Retaining Staff Laura Rubin, Huron River Watershed Council	Calling executive directors and human resource managers: Come explore creative strategies for retaining and empowering your staff--the most valuable resource of the organization.
Young People Supported by Whole Communities Jan Sneddon	Earth Force envisions communities where young people have multiple opportunities to participate as environmental change agents and civic leaders.