Arizona Resources
Find Arizona-based resources and information online to support your nonprofit. Click the topic to find information about:
Professional Development/General Information
The ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management exists to advance nonprofit leadership practice so that organizations can better achieve their mission.
The Greater Arizona Chapter of AFP is affiliated with the largest fundraising professional society in the nation. The Association of Fundraising Professionals(AFP) has more than 26,000 members in 170 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs.
The Pima County Public Library in Tucson maintains a comprehensive resource on grant seeking, local training and education opportunities for nonprofits, and links to management resources.
The Organization for Nonprofit Executives (ONE) is a successful association that offers quality luncheon programs and enjoyable networking mixers to its members.
Tax and Accounting Sites Directory is a comprehensive index of web-based tax and accounting resources. The directory is designed to be a starting point for people who are searching for tax and accounting information, products, and services.
Philanthropy/Major Foundations
Established in 1978, The mission of the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) and its affiliates is to build a legacy of community philanthropy by connecting donor interests with community needs. ACF and its affiliates enhance the quality of life for the communities it serves throughout the state of Arizona and nationally. Using funds entrusted to its stewardship by donors, ACF makes grants to nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. Competitive grants are made from unrestricted funds as well as from restricted funds including field-of-interest, advised, affiliate, scholarship, designated and support foundations.
ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & ManagementThe charitable behavior of citizens is a vital measure of the health of Arizona's nonprofit sector.
Arizona Giving and Volunteering examines the giving and volunteering behavior of Arizonans, as well as corresponding attitudes and motivations. The findings were obtained from interviews with a random sample of 1,004 citizens across the state.
Arizona Grantmakers Froum (AGF) is a regional association that provides educational resources, research and networking opportunities for grantmakers in Arizona. Member organizations make financial grants to non-profit organizations throughout the state and represent the interests of private foundations, trusts, endowed community foundations, corporations, government agencies and individuals with organized charitable gift programs.
The mission of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is to work with charitably minded individuals and organizations to strengthen southern Arizona communities, now and for generations to come. As a public charity, they accomplish our mission by: building permanent charitable funds; connecting donors to organizations and programs they care about; making effective grants; and providing leadership on community issues.
The Flinn Foundation is a privately endowed grantmaking organization established in 1965 by Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Flinn to improve the quality of life in Arizona. The Foundation, based in Phoenix, awards grants to nonprofit organizations in Arizona, primarily to improve the competitiveness of the state's biomedical research enterprise. It also supports the Flinn Scholars Program, which offers top Arizona high school graduates full-ride financial benefits to attend one of the state's public universities. In addition, the Foundation has committed resources over a five-year period to support the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture, a regional effort to position arts and culture as a vital component of the growing knowledge-based economy.
The Lodestar Foundation is a non-profit philanthropic organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. The mission of The Lodestar Foundation is to expand the growth and impact of philanthropy through the pursuit of two strategies: (1) to encourage and support broad-based leveraged efforts to promote philanthropy, public service and volunteerism; and (2) to encourage and support long-term collaborations and other long-term cooperative activities among nonprofits working in the same area in order to increase efficiency and eliminate duplication of efforts.
Nina Mason Pulliam was a business leader, journalist, humanitarian and a lover of all creatures. At her direction, upon her death, her assets were placed into an irrevocable charitable trust to support the causes she loved in her home states of Arizona and Indiana. The Trust began its grantmaking in 1998 and will be in existence for 50 years.
ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & ManagementThis report is the 2005 update profiling charitable foundations in Arizona. Foundations in Arizona have shown steady growth over the years. This report details the number and location of Arizona's private and public foundations and provides financial and descriptive information. Sponsored by the Arizona Grantmakers Forum and the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management.
Social Venture Partners Arizona gathers together successful professionals to leverage time, expertise and resources to make a strategic investment in the local community. Building a dynamic connection between entrepreneurial energy and grassroots innovation, SVP Arizona links professionals with nonprofit organizations to make a hands-on difference.
St. Luke's Health Initiatives is a public foundation located in Phoenix, Arizona. SLHI’s work is focused on improving the health of people and communities in Arizona, with an emphasis on building the capacity of communities to help themselves. Areas of emphasis include the development of strength-based community resilience and the issues of health care quality, access and cost.
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is committed to honoring Virginia Piper's legacy of making grants to nonprofit organizations whose work enhances the lives of people in Arizona, primarily in Maricopa County. They are committed to making grants that reflect Virginia Piper's belief that she was a steward who should dedicate her efforts to improving the quality of life in her own community. She directed her assistance to programs that support children, older adults, arts and culture, healthcare and medical research, education and religious organizations. Since they focus their work in one community, they strive to be a partner, educator, and problem solver as well as a grantmaker. They see nonprofits as critical elements in the social and economic advancement of our citizens, and we strive to help agencies become more effective in realizing their missions.
Fundraising
For over nine years, the Arizona Guide to Grants, found online at Just Grants Arizona, has been a resource for information about corporations and foundations that give in Arizona. In the Guide Online, you'll find contact listings, program descriptions, grants priorities, and all other details to assist you in your grants research.
Nonprofit Capacity/Management
ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & ManagementThe 2007 Nonprofit Compensation and Benefits Study was published in May 2007. This 99-page report contains compensation data for 8,375 nonprofit employees across 82 different nonprofit positions, findings on benefits and paid time-off, and detailed salary and demographic information on executive directors and other paid staff.
In the fall of 2001, the Arizona Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative was formed to: ascertain the capacity building needs of Arizona nonprofits and to determine what strategies and structures, including but not limited to a state association of nonprofits, may best be suited to addressing these needs. The focus of this report is to produce a report on “best practices” and lessons learned from other state associations to include information on how they were formed and how they have established partnerships with other capacity building efforts.
In the fall of 2001, the Arizona Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative was formed to: ascertain the capacity building needs of Arizona nonprofits and to determine what strategies and structures, including but not limited to a state association of nonprofits, may best be suited to addressing these needs. The focus of this report is to produce a report on “best practices” and lessons learned from other state associations to include information on how they were formed and how they have established partnerships with other capacity building efforts.
St. Luke's Health InitiativesTAP is a community capacity-building project supported by SLHI. It’s goal is to strengthen organizations and develop partnerships that address key community issues. Community-based organizations that participate in TAP develop tools and resources to resolve critical organizational and community situations. Nonprofit representatives assess their most important issues, forming teams around common interests such as board development, fundraising, marketing and community development. Each team is matched to an experienced, SLHI-funded consultant who coaches and mentors the group over time. The processes of sharing, networking, troubleshooting and developing solutions have produced great experiences, valued community connections and strong results.
NPower Arizona's mission is to help all nonprofits access and use technology to expand the reach and impact of their services. Some ways they help nonprofits include: increasing their capacity to serve the community -- providing more effective access to services by assisting more clients and improving services; improving their reach and responsiveness to their audience -- informing and communicating to stakeholders more effectively through the Web and email; and streamlining labor-intensive tasks -- such as managing budgets, creating presentations, and making templates for letters, newsletters, and other communications.
Strategic Planning
ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership & ManagementThe Nonprofit Organizational Self-Assessment Program is a unique partnership between the academic and practitioner communities. This partnership builds upon and connects the research and knowledge of Arizona State University faculty and staff with the expertise and experiences of those working within the larger nonprofit community. During the program, the Center's leadership team works with each organization on an eight-month process of organizational self-assessment and discovery. Participating agencies have the potential to transform their organizations through a thoughtfully designed and relevant approach to capacity-building that focuses on mission and outcomes. The process challenges participants to answer questions that go to the very heart of their organization: why it exists, who it serves, and what it must do to make a difference. The Nonprofit Organizational Self-Assessment Program began in 2000. To date, fifteen organizations have completed the process.