Browse practical printables and leadership material for community nonprofits, including a board responsibilities quick reference, a flexible annual board planner, a standalone first-90-days planner, and a free board meeting action tracker.
CivicKnot library
Selected resources from the board service, fundraising, and leadership library.
Category 01
A short, standalone reference for understanding shared board oversight and staff-led operational work.
This public reference is separate from the paid Board Meeting Toolkit downloads.
Fill in the year and plan dates, governance work, and meeting topics around your board’s own calendar. This free resource is separate from the paid Toolkit.
Category 02
Small-Town Fundraising · Chapter 2: Understanding Your Community
Map supporters, inventory community assets, consider overlapping organizations, and note possible warm introductions.
Before you launch any fundraising effort, take time to understand who is already in your orbit — and who could be. In a small town, this exercise is less about database analysis and more about sitting down with your board and key volunteers and thinking through the community, household by household and business by business.
Start with three lists:
Every community, no matter how small, has assets that can be leveraged for fundraising. A simple asset inventory can include:
These can create free or low-cost event venues, sponsorships, in-kind donations, volunteer networks, shared audiences, free publicity, pro bono services, event themes, tourism tie-ins, grant narratives.
In a small town, organizations aren't silos — they're overlapping circles. Churches, schools, civic organizations, and local government can connect nonprofits to volunteers, meeting space, shared audiences, public endorsements, and community resources.
Category 03
Small-Town Nonprofit Leadership Workbook
This planner is separate from the paid Board Meeting Toolkit.
Record actions, owners, due dates, and status during the meeting. Use it with the separate Board Meeting Toolkit agenda and preparation checklist.
Foundations matter in small towns where trust is slow to build and fast to lose. These exercises help you clarify who you are as a leader before focusing on what you do. Before you can lead others well, you must know yourself — your values, your community, your mission, and your readiness. Start here. Start honestly.
Chapter 1
Complete each field as honestly and specifically as possible. Return to this page in 6 months and see what has changed.
My name and role:
My organization's mission in my own words:
Three words my community would use to describe my leadership:
My proudest leadership moment:
My most common leadership challenge:
What success looks like for my community in 5 years:
What does it mean to lead in a small town where everyone knows your name?
Complete the following sentences with your honest first thoughts:
Chapter 2
Identify the assets your community already possesses and how they connect to your mission. Be specific — vague assets lead to vague strategies.