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Non Profit Resources

In this folder find resources to help get your non-profit off the ground. Included is general information on non-profits, 501c3 application help, Thunderhead’s Top 10 Tips for Developing Effective Organizations, and more. Also included is Chapter 6 from Thunderhead’s Benchmarking report which takes a look at the capacity of many U.S. Thunderhead organizations and may give you some ideas of what is possible in terms of revenue and membership for a local or state-wide bike/ped advocacy organization.

Benchmarking Thunderhead Organizations

Chapter 6 of the 2007 Thunderhead Alliance Benchmarking Report takes a look at Thunderhead organizations in the top 50 most-populous U.S. cities (plus a few more who sent us their information) and state-wide Thunderhead organizations in the U.S. We collected data on things such as revenue sources, number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff, memebrship numbers, and media hits. This chapter is good if you are looking to see what is possible for advocacy organizations in terms of membership and revenue, and to help you set goals for your organizations.

Chapter 6 of Thunderhead’s 2007 Benchmarking Report

501c3 Application Help

“The most useful thing I found when I applied was this that walks you through each question, gives you things to consider, etc.” – Brent Hough, Missouri Bicycle Federation. Note: The Form 1023 may have been updated since these tips were created, but we believe this site will still be of help to anyone filling out this paperwork.

IRS Form 1023 – Help for Non-profits

Walk Through Form 1023

 

Healthy Organization Checklist (Thunderhead)

How healthy is your organization? Read this checklist developed by Thunderhead Alliance and honestly answer the questions to see how you’re doing. If you leave any of the items unchecked, contact us immediately!

Thunderhead’s Top 10 Tips for Developing Effective Organizations (Thunderhead)

These recommendations come from Thunderhead’s many years of experience developing bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations and avoiding typical problems. You will avoid these problems by following these recommendations.

Just What is a Non-Profit Anyway (Center for Non-Profit Corporations)

Here is a brief overview of the different types of non-profits, and the differences between them

Quick Yes-No Self Evaluation Form for Organization Effectiveness (Bicycle Colorado)

This simple 2-page form was developed by Dan Grunig, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado. Answer yes or no to the questions to determine your organization’s development as a permanent and influential advocacy group.

Non-Profit Resources (League of Michigan Bicyclists)

This document was put together by the League of Michigan Bicyclists as a quick reference guide for organizational development, marketing, and fundraising resouces. It is by no means comprehensive, but provide good links as well as addresses, phone numbers, and contact information for important non-profit resources.

Staffing A Bike/Ped Advocacy Organization in a Mid-Sized City: How’d They Do It?! – Mutual Aid Call

Are you a leader of a bike/ped advocacy organization in a small or mid-sized city with dreams of one day being able to afford a full-time staff person for your organization? Thunderhead Alliance recommends new organizations work towards raising the funds to hire staff, but if you don’t live in a big city like New York, San Francisco, or Chicago is it really possible? Listen to leaders of Thunderhead organizations who have faced this challenge head on and now boast stable organizations with paid staff! Learn how they did it and what challenges they faced along the way. The first half of this call was a panel discussion to learn the stories of our experts with the second half of the call reserved for Q&A and discussion. We are working to get comprehensive notes to post as well. But, wanted to allow you the opportunity.