Best Practices

Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) has created this Best Practices manual for Friends groups as a resource to help build the capacity of Friends groups, expand outreach and communications, and enhance advocacy. If you are involved in a park or historic site Friends group or thinking about starting one, PTNY can help you build and strengthen your organization. Cick the image to view and download the Best Practices Document.

Friends Resource Kit

This online Friends Resource Kit is designed to provide the board, staff and volunteers of nonprofit Friends groups with the tools and resources needed to grow and strengthen your organization. From templates and samples, to our Friends in Focus fact sheet series which explores in-depth topics, to links to key resources, there's something here for every organization. If you have a suggestion for a topic not covered, let us know!

Nonprofit/Friends Management

• PTNY Fact Sheets/Guidance Documents
  • CHAR-500
• 501(c)3 Dos & Don'ts
• Templates/Sample Documents
  • Organizational Assessment
  • Financial statements: Balance Sheet and Income Statement
  • Operating budget
  • Sample MOU with a Fiscal Agent
  • Sample staff job description
  • Sample staff workplan
  • Member Recruitment
• Links

• Alliance for Nonprofit Management
• Blue Avocado
• Independent Sector
• New York Council of Nonprofits
• IRS Tax Information for Charities

Board Governance

• PTNY Fact Sheets/Guidance Documents
  • Friends in Focus: Best Practices for Board Recruitment and Retention
• Taking Your Organization to the Next Level NYCON Presentation
• Governance in Volunteer Organizations
• Directors' & Officers' Insurance - NYCON
• Key Features of the NY Nonprofit Revitalization Act 2017
• Templates/Sample Documents
  • Board Member Job Description
  • Board Member Self-Evaluation Form
  • Board composition matrix 1
  • Board composition matrix 2
• Links
  • NYCON Links
  • Board Café
  • Board Source

Development and Fundraising

• PTNY Fact Sheets/Guidance Documents
  • Friends in Focus: Best Practices for Membership Development
  • Friends in Focus: Creative and Successful Membership Outreach Efforts
• Winning Hearts and Minds Presentation by Judy Anderson
• Successful Individual Membership Giving Program
• How to Create Power Packed Thank You Letters
• Links
  • Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • Foundation Center
  • Grantwriter’s Starter Kit
  • Network for Good

Communications and Technology

• PTNY Fact Sheets/Guidance Documents
  • Crowdfunding: Is it right for your Friends group?
  • Information on using Google Drive to store and share documents and collaborate
• Technology and Fundraising Resources
  
• Links
  • TechSoup
  • Guide to Working with the Media (Corporation for National and Community Service)

Volunteer Management

• PTNY Fact Sheets/Guidance Documents
  • Creative and Successful Volunteer Outreach Efforts
  • 7 Steps for Creating a Formal Volunteer Program
• Templates/Sample Documents
  • Value of donated labor timesheet
  • Volunteer application questions
  • Volunteer job description outline
  • Volunteer self-evaluation form
• Links
  • Darwin Martin House (Buffalo) volunteer and docent program
  • 14 Steps to Developing a Top-Notch Volunteer Program
  • NYS Commission on National & Community Service
  • How to recruit volunteers using social media
  • VolunteerMatch
  • Successful Strategies for Recruiting, Training, and Utilizing Volunteers

Funding Sources

• Links
  • Consolidated Funding Application
    • This is the application process for certain OPRHP, Canal Corporation, and DOS grant programs.
  • Environmental Grantmakers Association
  • The National Environmental Education Foundation grants
  • Grants.gov (search engine for federal grants)
  • Park and Trail Partnership Program capacity-building grants, funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund and administered by Parks & Trails New York (for Friends groups of New York State Parks and Historic Sites and public lands)
  • See much more

New York State Parks and Historic Sites

• Best Tips for working with OPRHP
• Links
  • America’s State Parks
  • Links to park and historic site Friends groups
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  • NYS Parks & Historic Sites Discussion Forum