Resources › Templates & Toolkits
Templates & Toolkits

Ready-to-use templates to move faster.

Ready-to-use templates and checklists to move faster. Stop building from scratch — start from a proven structure and adapt it to your organization. Every template here is designed around what funders, boards and donors actually expect to see.

The fastest path from idea to done is a good starting point. Every template below is free and editable — built around what funders, boards and donors actually expect to see. Download one, then adapt the bracketed fields to your organization.

New to Good Circles? Start with the onboarding checklist below, then follow the step-by-step Good Circles onboarding guide.

Templates & checklists

DOC

Good Circles Onboarding Checklist →

Your step-by-step path to a recurring, passive funding base — join, verify, build your profile, enroll your board, launch.

DOC

Nonprofit Bylaws Template →

A clean, adoptable framework structured to satisfy state and IRS expectations and keep your board running smoothly.

XLS

Annual Operating Budget Template →

A full-year operating budget with revenue, expense and net lines — totals and variance calculate automatically.

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Grant Proposal Template →

The fixed structure funders reward — need, goals, methods, evaluation, sustainability — with prompts in every section.

XLS

Grant Budget Template →

A funder-ready line-item budget with direct/indirect costs and a funder-vs-other-funding split. Totals auto-calculate.

DOC

Case for Support Template →

The core document behind every campaign and major ask — your why, your impact, and your specific need.

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Logic Model Template →

Map inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes on one page — the diagram reviewers look for in strong programs.

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Board Meeting Agenda & Minutes Template →

A ready agenda plus a minutes form that records motions, votes and action items — a governance and grant-readiness asset.

DOC

Donor Thank-You Letter Templates →

Four ready-to-send scripts (first-time, monthly, major, and Good Circles supporter) — the stewardship that keeps donors giving.

XLS

Communications Calendar Template →

Plan emails, social posts and appeals across the year so nothing slips and your messaging stays consistent.

DOC

Conflict-of-Interest Policy Template →

A board-ready policy funders and the IRS expect to see, with an annual disclosure form — adopt it at your next meeting.

DOC

Donation Receipt (IRS-Compliant) →

Three acknowledgment variants — cash, quid pro quo over $75, and in-kind — with every element IRS Publication 1771 requires.

DOC

Gift Acceptance Policy →

An adoptable, board-level policy for what gifts you accept, what needs review, and what you decline — the policy Schedule M asks about.

DOC

Whistleblower Policy →

A board-ready non-retaliation policy with a confidential reporting process — one of the governance policies the Form 990 asks about.

DOC

Document Retention Policy →

A retention-and-destruction policy with a full record-retention schedule and legal-hold language.

DOC

Form 990 Preparation Checklist →

Everything to gather before you file — documents, governance questions, schedules, the deadline and the extension.

XLS

Chart of Accounts (UCOA) →

A starter nonprofit chart of accounts on the UCOA numbering standard, ready to adapt in your accounting software.

DOC

Annual Fundraising & Development Plan →

Set goals, plan revenue by source, build a 12-month calendar, and track the metrics that matter.

DOC

Annual Report Template →

Tell your year's story to donors and funders — impact, finances and gratitude — in a layout that's easy to fill.

XLS

Board Skills & Composition Matrix →

Map your board's skills and perspectives, see your gaps, and build a concrete recruitment profile.

DOC

Employee Handbook Starter →

A customizable handbook outline — at-will, EEO, conduct, leave and more — to adapt with HR or counsel.

DOC

Job Description Template →

A reusable job description with responsibilities, qualifications, FLSA status and an EEO statement.

DOC

Independent Contractor Agreement →

A 1099 services agreement covering scope, payment, contractor status, IP and confidentiality — review with counsel.

Free interactive tools

Calculators and generators others put behind a paywall — live now, in your browser, nothing saved or sent. See all free tools →

TOOL

Grant-Readiness Assessment →

Answer 12 questions and get a personalized scorecard of what's standing between you and your next grant.

TOOL

Passive Funding Calculator →

Estimate how much recurring, unrestricted income your nonprofit could raise from everyday local spending.

TOOL

Indirect Cost Calculator (15% de minimis) →

Find your MTDC base and the indirect costs you can recover at the federal 15% de minimis rate (2 CFR 200).

TOOL

501(h) Lobbying Limit Calculator →

Calculate your annual lobbying and grassroots limits under the IRC §4911 sliding scale, the safe way to lobby.

TOOL

Operating Reserve Calculator →

See how many months your reserve covers and the dollar target for a 3–6 month cushion.

TOOL

Donor Retention & Lifetime Value Calculator →

Estimate a donor's lifespan and lifetime value — and the payoff of lifting retention by 10 points.

TOOL

Gift Range Chart Generator →

Turn a campaign goal into a tiered gift pyramid — gifts and prospects needed at every level.

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Functional Expense Allocator →

Split costs across program, M&G and fundraising and get your program-expense ratio for the Form 990.

TOOL

Public Support Test Calculator →

Estimate your 509(a)(1) public support percentage and whether you keep public-charity status.

TOOL

Board Composition Matrix →

Map your board's skills and perspectives, spot the gaps, and recruit on purpose.

TOOL

Website Accessibility Quick-Audit →

Check your site against 14 common WCAG 2.1 AA items and get a prioritized fix list.

TOOL

Attribution vs. Contribution Aid →

Answer five questions and learn whether your evidence supports an attribution or contribution claim.

Why these templates are free

Good Circles funds nonprofits — passively, automatically, forever.

We give these tools away because well-equipped nonprofits build stronger communities. Good Circles is the marketplace that turns everyday local spending into recurring, unrestricted funding for the causes people choose — about $72 per active supporter per year (≈ $36,000/year from 500 supporters), free for your nonprofit to join. No fundraising required.

See how it works for nonprofits →
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