Start-Right Decision Sheet
When you need itBefore you file anything with your state.
Why a funder caresA funder wants to know the work has a home that can hold money. A fiscal sponsor is a real home, not a lesser one.
Template Library · Free
The papers money asks for. Ready to fill in.
Each template says when you need it and why a funder cares. Download Word to edit, or a fillable PDF. They follow The Path, stage by stage.
Stage 1 · Start Right
How do I start a nonprofit?
Founding Documents Checklist
When you need itWhile you incorporate and apply for tax-exempt status.
Why a funder caresThese are the papers a funder asks for first. Keeping them together saves you weeks later.
Bylaws Outline
When you need itBefore your first board meeting.
Why a funder caresBylaws tell a funder how decisions get made and who is accountable. Clear bylaws read as a steady organization.
Conflict-of-Interest Policy Starter
When you need itAt your first board meeting.
Why a funder caresForm 1023 asks whether you have one. Funders read it as a sign that money decisions are clean.
First Board Meeting Agenda + Minutes
When you need itThe meeting where your board adopts its founding papers.
Why a funder caresMinutes are proof that a real board made real decisions. Funders and the IRS both look for them.
Stage 2 · Office of Sustainability
How do I set up an office of sustainability?
Funder Folder Checklist
When you need itAs soon as you have your founding papers.
Why a funder caresWhen a funder asks for documents, a ready folder answers in minutes. Slow answers read as risk.
Yearly Compliance Calendar
When you need itOnce you have a fiscal year and at least one funder.
Why a funder caresMissed filings and late reports are the quiet reasons funders stop renewing. A calendar prevents both.
Simple Ledger by Funding Source
When you need itFrom the first dollar you receive.
Why a funder caresFunders ask how their money was spent. A ledger by source answers that without a scramble.
Money Roles One-Pager
When you need itBefore you spend your first grant dollar.
Why a funder caresFunders check that no one person approves, pays and reviews the same spending. Clear roles show control.
Stage 3 · Credible to Money
How do I become credible to money?
Credibility Footprint Checklist
When you need itBefore you send your first ask.
Why a funder caresA funder often looks you up before reading a word of your proposal. This is what they check.
Board List Template
When you need itWhenever a funder asks, and on your website.
Why a funder caresFunders read your board to see who stands behind the work and what they bring.
Outcomes Tracker
When you need itFrom your first program day.
Why a funder caresA number like "we served many people" tells a funder little. Enrolled, attended, how often and how long tells them what changed.
One-Page Organization Profile
When you need itBefore a first conversation with a funder.
Why a funder caresIt gives a funder the whole picture on one page, in your words.
Stage 4 · Make the Ask
How do I ask for money with confidence?
Ask-Size Worksheet
When you need itBefore you pick an amount to request.
Why a funder caresAn ask far larger than your budget can make a funder worry about whether you can manage it.
Budget + Budget Narrative
When you need itWhen you draft the proposal.
Why a funder caresThe budget is where a funder tests whether your plan is real. The narrative explains each line in plain words.
The full Sustainability Plan builder lives inside Sustainability in a Box™.
Read with The Underneath™. Written Out Loud™.