Resources for Nonprofits

Looking for ways to sharpen your nonprofit’s skills while working from home? Here are a variety of resources you can use to learn many new skills or hone old ones.

Foundation Center by Candid is offering free access to their Foundation Center Essentials during this time for nonprofits to search for funding opportunities.

This valuable resource includes: 

  • 103,000+ expanded grantmaker profiles
  • 300,000+ key decision makers and leaders
  • Searchable 990s and 990-PDFs
  • FDO Workspace

If you need more in-depth information on a foundation than FDO Essential can provide, please email us at ref@ccls.org and one of our librarians can send you the full Funder Profile from Foundation Directory Online Professional.

Grantspace by Candid is a great place to find training to build your nonprofit skills as well as documents and eBooks related to non-profit topics. Whether you’re looking for help with fundraising, proposal writing, governance, or even starting a nonprofit, they have you covered! Trainings include Introduction to Finding Grants, Introduction to Proposal Writing, and much, much more!

Candid is also offering some other great resources to use that you can access here.

Pennsylvania Associations of Nonprofit Organizations are offering a website with links to webinars, funding resources, and tips for working from home or remotely.

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University is offering free access to their Video Learning Library.

Resources for BUSINESSES during the COVID-19 pandemic – PA CareerLink Chester County

To mitigate the spread of the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19), the PA CareerLink Chester County and United Way Financial Stability Center is currently closed. In the event you need to reach them, you may leave a message at 610-280-1010. They will be checking voicemail and returning messages as soon as possible. Claimants should direct all unemployment claim (UC) inquiries to the Unemployment Office at 1-888-313-7284. Any additional changes to PA CareerLink Chester County’s operating schedule will be posted on their website at https://www.pacareerlinkchesco.org/.

For further employer resources, go to https://www.pacareerlinkchesco.org/job-seekers/downloads/.

Online book clubs for book lovers

Image: Pixabay

Just because in-person book clubs are on hold, that doesn’t mean you have to stop talking about the books you’ve read. Celebrities, athletes and regular readers are out there ready to talk. Here are some online options for book clubs to keep that conversation going.

Addicted to YA on Goodreads

The Andrew Luck Book Club

Oprah’s Book Club

Poppy Loves Book Club

Reese’s Book Club – Hello Sunshine

Want a smaller group with people you know? You can create your own Facebook group and add your reading friends. If you have a website, designate a page for book discussions. Or start a free website on WordPress.com or Wix.com. Even a group chat on your phone can be a fun way to run a book discussion.

Are you in a book club? What adjustments have you made? What book do you want to talk about? Leave a comment – we’d love to hear from you!

Applying for public assistance – video guide from MCHC

Maternal and Child Health Consortium (MCHC) has created a video to help guide individuals looking for help to file for public assistance/benefits, like Health Insurance, SNAP Benefits enrollment, and Cash assistance. Their staff members are ready to assist individuals. During this difficult time, they are enrolling individuals on a daily basis. Families just need to reach out.

The information in the video is also available in Spanish.

Celebrate Preservation Week 2020

Do you own special photos, letters, family heirlooms, or other items that you’ve always wanted to organize or better care for?

The ALCTS, a division of the American Library Association, has a Preservation Week site chock-full of information to help you get started. Learn about “Saving Your Stuff” and how to “Take the First Step,” explore the advice column “Advice from Donia,” watch free preservation webinars, and much more!

Preservation Week officially happens April 26-May 2, 2020, but you can explore the Preservation Week website and resources at any time!

FREE WiFi Available Outside Most CCLS Libraries

Did you know Free WiFi is available outside most Chester County Library System libraries.  To access, simply go to any library and situate yourself within a safe distance from other people who are also using WiFi. 

To connect to WiFi on your computer: 

  1. Go to Available Networks
  2. Click ‘Library’
  3. Click ‘Connect’
  4. Open an Internet Browser (Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Silk, etc.)
  5. Type ‘www.dogster.com’ in your URL bar
  6. The library’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy will appear
  7. Read and accept it by clicking the green ‘Connect’ button
  8. You’re now connected!

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide their employees with expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.  

The United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Please go to https://www.uc.pa.gov/COVID-19/Pages/FFCRA.aspx for fact sheets and more information to determine if you are eligible.

100 years ago in the Philadelphia Inquirer

The front page of the April 2, 1920 Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a Milford man, missing for 30 years, has returned “From Foreign Lands, Wealthy.” Inside, the “Housewife’s Economy Calendar” column offers advice on how to sew a blouse.

In the ads, Easter hats were $1.89 and men’s ties were $1.00.

And in the business section, American Can was trading at $48 a share.

Through our Philadelphia Inquirer Collection with Historical database, this and past issues of the Philadelphia Inquirer are available to view with your library card. We have scanned copies of the complete issues from 1829-1922 and January 2018 to current, including advertisements, classified, obituaries, etc.  Search the entire issue or current page; export features include citation format, print, e-mail, and download. Read full text of articles from 1981-current.

Sign in here with your library card and explore the news from the past!

 

People® Magazine and more!

People® Magazine is a favorite read for many, and digital copies of People® Magazine and over 80 other magazine titles are available from the library through Flipster to read from home! Read the most recent issue, or enjoy browsing through older issues.

To start exploring and to view a full list of titles on your computer, visit chescolibraries.org, select “Downloads,” scroll down the page to click on the Flipster button, and then enter your CCLS library card number. You can also download the Flipster app to get started on your mobile device.