The following organizations provide helpful resources to build and enhance the capacity of individual nonprofit organizations, as well as strengthen the Colorado nonprofit sector as a whole! This list was compiled with the intention of providing quality resources that can help your organization continue to do its important work to serve our communities here in Colorado.
While this list is not exhaustive, we hope it is a helpful jumping off point for your organization’s needs – whether around operations, legal, IT, fundraising, marketing, leadership and professional development, board and volunteer development, etc.
Association of Fundraising Professionals Colorado Chapter
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Colorado Chapter is a membership organization that offers resources and opportunities to help Colorado fundraising professionals succeed. AFP Colorado offers networking and mentorship opportunities, trainings, and other events.
The ColoradoGives.org platform, hosted by the Colorado Gives Foundation, is an excellent fundraising resource for organizations not only on Colorado Gives Day but year-round. This online giving tool is free and easy to use. They also offer a marketing toolkit complete with templates and pre-made materials to help organizations promote and raise awareness for Colorado Gives Day.
Colorado Nonprofit Association
Colorado Nonprofit Association (CNA) is a membership organization dedicated to leading, serving and strengthening Colorado’s nonprofit community to improve the quality of life throughout our state. CNA offers a myriad of helpful resources to strengthen member and non-member organizations throughout Colorado.
· Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado is developed by nonprofits for nonprofits to provide tools and templates for evaluating regulatory compliance, enhancing strategic planning, and refining operational evaluation.
· Learn about CNA’s programs and events to learn, network and engage within the nonprofit community and beyond through trainings, roundtables, and other events.
· Check out CNA’s other resources including: the Resource Library, which includes several legal resources, and the Professional Services Directory.
Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable
The Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable (CPGR) is a nonprofit organization that supports Colorado organizations in their planned giving. CPGR provides training and education and networking opportunities to help fundraising professionals, as well as a helpful Gift Planning Toolkit and Sample Policies to help organizations build out planned giving programs.
Colorado Secretary of State’s Office
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office offers various resources for Colorado nonprofits related to fundraising and board training.
Community Resource Center (CRC)
Community Resource Center (CRC) is dedicated to building a strong and sustainable nonprofit sector to leading Colorado towards a more just future. CRC offers opportunities, tools and strategies to build the capacity of individuals, organizations, and communities.
· Check out their trainings and education programs on fund development, organizational efficiency and strategic planning.
· Access the Colorado Grants Guide, a subscription-based database with 1,000+ Colorado funder and grant profiles. (Free access to the Colorado Grants Guide is also available through the Nonprofit Resource Center at the Denver Public Library.)
· Learn more about their other offerings to enhance nonpartisan civic engagement efforts and better support rural communities and their nonprofits.
Community Shares of Colorado acts as a catalyst, bringing companies and nonprofit organizations together to amplify their impact and increase capacity. Community Shares does this by connecting local nonprofits to companies’ social impact programs like workplace giving and employee engagement programming, enhancing organizations’ visibility and enabling access a consistent source of funding, as well as a community of potential new supporters and volunteers. Community Shares also offers peer groups for role-similar professionals.
The Denver Public Library’s Nonprofit Resource Center offers a wealth of resources including books, periodicals, and free access to paid databases, including the Colorado Grants Guide and Candid’s Foundation Directory Online. Some resources are accessible online with a library card, while others must be accessed in-person at the Central Library (3rd Floor).
Rose Community Foundation supports local organizations in successfully managing and growing their endowments. An endowment is a powerful tool to build your organization’s operating strength and create long-term financial stability. In addition to an expertly managed investment portfolio, oversight, stewardship, and administration over the lifetime of the fund, and mission-aligned, relationship focused, and responsive partnerships, the Foundation provides numerous trainings, incentives, and capacity building support to aid organizations in their endowment and planned giving efforts.
Learn about the Foundation’s endowment offerings:
For more information on endowments in general, check out:
Rose Community Foundation also offers capacity building programming for specific organization types (Jewish and policy and advocacy focused), as well as funding opportunities throughout the year.
Spark the Change Colorado strives make volunteerism and community service as simple as possible for organizations and volunteers across Colorado. Spark the Change offers numerous resources to assist organizations in engaging, recruiting, and training volunteers, as well as trainings around volunteer management and board service.
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Programs and Funding
Many funders in Colorado offer specific capacity building and technical assistance opportunities, either through professional development offerings or funding (or both). Some of these are only available to certain organization types, current grantees/organizations with existing relationships, etc. A few examples of funders in this space include The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Community Shares of Colorado, The Denver Foundation, Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, and Rose Community Foundation.
Don’t be shy to ask existing or potential funders about these types of opportunities because they are not always advertised in the same way as larger open funding opportunities!
Leadership Programs
There are a number of quality leadership programs that build the skills and leadership capabilities of Colorado leaders. There are a wide range of options with opportunities, fellowships, cohorts, and programming dedicated to professionals in certain fields or working on specific issue areas, leaders in a specific phase of leadership development, leaders of color. Similarly, there are programs specific to nonprofit professionals only, while others focus on cultivating cross-sector partnerships and take a cross-industry approach to cultivating social impact.
A few examples of organizations offering this type of programming include: Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) Fund, Boettcher Foundation, Bonfils Stanton Foundation, Community Foundation of Boulder County, Community Resource Center, Community Shares of Colorado, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, The HadaNõu Collective, Institute for Leaders in Development, Latino Leadership Institute, Transformative Leadership for Change, and Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado.
Fiscal Sponsorship and “Back Office” Support
There are several organizations that offer a range of solutions to provide administrative and operational support to organizations. Some exclusively offer comprehensive fiscal sponsorship to groups that have not yet received their 501(c)(3) status, while others provide limited back office support to already established organizations. Some examples include: Barton Institute for Community Action, Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, The HadaNõu Collective, Rose Community Foundation, and Trailhead Institute.
· For general information on fiscal sponsorship, The National Network of Fiscal Sponsors is a great resource.
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