An Organization Made up of Organizations
inTHISissue:
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Strategy Lessons from the Field
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High Functioning Boards
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Navigate Governance & Operation Challenges
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Reimagining Restricted Revenue
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Turnover Warning Sign - You paying Attention
Mission Statement
The goal of Bristol Organizations is to provide service and non-profit Organizations in the NE Tennessee and SW Virginia, the best possible avenue for mutual communication and the greatest exposure to the community.
Resources & How-To's
Policy & Procedure Library
Guide - How to Write Meeting Minutes
All Volunteer Organization?
Read This:
"All Hands On Board" (PDF)
Brochures
Distilling you message (PDF)
Communications
Getting the word out (PDF)
Strategic Planning
Effective Strategic Planning (PDF)
Fundraising
20 Mistakes
Fundraising Readiness Checklist
Get Checklist
Fundraising
Staging Special Events (PDF)
Fundraising
Step by Step Guide (PDF)
Fundraising
Organizing you office (PDF)
Fundraising
Part 1- Getting Ready (MSWord)
Part 2- Identifying Prospects (MSWord)
Part 3- Cultivation (MSWord)
Part 4- Solicitation (MSWord)
Part 5- The Ask (MSWord)
Part 6- Preparing Proposal (MSWord)
Part 7- Stewardship (MSWord)
Email
Basics of Email Marketing (PDF)
Marketing
Promoting your Program (PDF)
Risk Management
Surviving a Crisis
Lawsuits - Need to Know
Collaboration Risks
Volunteers - Balancing Risk
Newsletters
Informing the Publilc (PDF)
Outcome Measurement
Demistifying (PDF)
Board
Leadership for Board Members (PDF)
Systems Checklist
Get Checklist (MS Word)
Board Manual
Checklist
Audit Services
List of Audit Firms (MSWord)
Good Practices Guide
Non Profit Good Practices
Board Recruiting Matrix
Sample Board Matrix (MS Word)
Free Downloads
Kim Konando Downloads (web)
More Free Software
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Implications
Implications for Non Profits (MS Word)
Get Corporate Sponsorships
How can my small charity get sponsorships (MS Word)
Samples and Templates
Various sample letters, templates, etc. (MS Word)
Specialized Organnization/Board Workshops
Workshop Listing and Description
By: Lavon Simpson
Nonprofits rarely struggle because they “didn’t care enough.” They struggle because the ground keeps shifting while the work keeps piling up.
That’s what makes 2026 feel different for many organizations. Not necessarily worse in one dramatic way, but harder in a compounding way. Costs stay high. Funding feels less predictable. Community needs keep rising. Teams are tired. Boards are being asked to do more oversight with less time, and sometimes with fewer willing volunteers.
The answer for 2026 isn’t a bigger to-do list. It’s stronger decision-making, clearer priorities, and steadier operations. Fewer heroic saves and predictable systems. To continue learning about this topic Click Here
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By: Suzanne Smith, MBA, Social Impact Architects
If it feels like things are moving fast, it is because they are. The pace of change has accelerated. More importantly, the number of things changing all at once has increased.
Multiple systems are shifting at the same time: technology, workforce expectations, trust in institutions, funding models. None of these are moving in isolation, and they are also not moving at the same speed.
We are operating inside what economists now call a polycrisis. To continue reading about this subject.... Click Here.
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by Joan Garry
A board meets and the central topic is finance – the organization faces serious financial challenges. The chair has been at the helm for a year or so and wants board meetings to be productive and has created an evaluation form. Excellent!
Evaluations are returned and one comment stands out. “Can’t we do better than Subway for lunch?”
Seriously?
Board meeting expenses, including meals, are usually line items in the organization’s budget. If an organization is struggling financially, every board member should feel lucky to have Subway sandwiches and frankly should have paid for the lunch themselves.
Not only do I wish I was not making this up but I had to choose from a mental library of dozens of outrageous board behaviors when writing this blog post.
Does this standalone story indicate board function overall? To continue reading.... Click Here.
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By: Larry Bomback
Several years ago, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) made a significant change to nonprofit financial reporting.
The traditional three-column presentation — unrestricted, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted — was consolidated into just two: Without donor restrictions and with donor restrictions.
At the time, I applauded the move. As someone who values simplicity, it felt like a long-overdue step. To read more...... Click Here.
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By: Suzanne Smith, MBA, Social Impact Architects
In our sector, the conditions are rarely that extreme, but they are often hard in ways that are easy to underestimate. The work is under-resourced, emotionally heavy and, at times, unpredictable. Secondary trauma is real. And yet, people continue to choose nonprofit work because they believe it matters. They come in hoping that, every once in a while, they will strike gold and make a real difference.
There is an old mining practice I come back to often. Miners carried canaries into the tunnels because the birds were more sensitive to toxic gases. If the canary got sick, it was time to get out. It was a simple, visible warning system that told you something was wrong before it became catastrophic. This practice gave rise to the saying “canary in the coal mine.” To continue reading this important information......... Click Here.
White Papers, Reports
Plans & Guides
