Resources

Your Resource for Nonprofit Know-How

Ramp up your knowledge about nonprofit administration. Strengthen your operational processes. Apply best practices for community engagement. Get a closer look into fiscal sponsorship agreements.

Tap into the collective expertise of our participating organizations to learn best practices and gain new perspectives on finance and operations, program implementation, and more.

Explore and Learn

In the spirit of transparency, openness, and community-building, we’re sharing public resources developed by experts to support your work.

Get the most out of resources by searching topic tags or program area.

Popular resources

Guide
Ramp User Guide

Instructions for requesting a card, submitting reimbursements and receipts, using your card and more.

Guide
How Do I Ask for Funding?

Things to consider before you ask for funding.

CS&S Policy
Equipment Policy

This policy governs the use of, and payment for, technology equipment (such as computers and accessories) required for business purposes by Code for Science and Society (CS&S). This policy addresses technology devices issued by CS&S and personal employee-owned devices used for business purposes.

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Financial Statements

Our financial statements including Form 990 and audited financials.

CS&S Policy
Getting Paid by CS&S

Information for vendors and contractors receiving funds or reimbursements from CS&S.

CS&S Policy
Benefits and Compensation Guide

A reference for CS&S employees and fiscally sponsored project leadership teams to understand benefits programs, billing procedures, and compensation policies at CS&S.

Guide
Event Planning Resources

A curated list of event planning guides for in-person and virtual events

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Annual Reports
The annual reports for CS&S showcasing work accomplished.

All public resources

CS&S Emergency Guide

The CS&S office is closed on Fridays, in observance of the 4-day workweek. On rare occasions an emergency may arise for fiscally sponsored projects while the CS&S office is closed (Fridays and US holidays). This resource details what CS&S does and does not consider an emergency requiring immediate CS&S attention, as well as actions FSPs can take in response to matters that are timely, but not considered an emergency.

Guide
Ramp Credit Card Declined Transactions
Tips on understanding how to manage credit cards on Ramp to avoid declined transactions.
CS&S Policy
Asset Management Policy

This policy governs the tracking of assets purchased with federal funds, and describes the process to report new assets or changes to existing assets.

Guide
Greenhouse User Guide

Greenhouse is an applicant tracking software and hiring platform that streamlines job post creation, candidate management, reporting and compliance. All of our fiscally-sponsored project teams have access to Greenhouse to meet their hiring needs. 

This resource contains a summary of functions, a breakdown of services CS&S does and does not offer in conjunction with Greenhouse, and detailed instructions with links to Greenhouse support articles to walk you through every step in your hiring process.

CS&S Policy
Effort Certification Policy

As the steward of federal funds, CS&S is responsible for compliance with federal requirements to certify effort on federally funded projects. Failure to manage and certify effort could jeopardize opportunities to engage in federally funded work.

Guide
Termination of Independent Contractors and Employees at CS&S

Mitigate risk and practice care by familiarizing yourself with how to navigate situations that involve terminating an independent contractor and/or employee. 

Hiring Team and Interview Guidance

This resource provides guidance for designing a hiring plan, including building a committee, structuring interview stages and interview best practices.

CS&S Policy
Professional Development

The following policy outlines professional development resources available to members of the CS&S core team.

CS&S Documentation
CS&S 2023-2026 Strategic Plan

High level framework of 2023-2026 strategic plan.

CS&S Policy
CS&S Commitment to Meaningful Equity and Inclusive Organizational Practices

Code for Science & Society strives to be a community leader on issues around meaningfully inclusive public interest technology across domains.

Guide
CS&S Employee Resources

Key resources for employees of CS&S and fiscally sponsored projects.

CS&S Policy
Caregiving Stipend for Work Travel

Primary caretakers can face hurdles when traveling for work due to responsibilities related to caring for their dependents. This policy aims to make work travel more inclusive by reducing barriers to participation related to caregiving obligations.

Template
Informal Offer Template

Before an official offer letter is sent by CS&S, projects may wish to make their intent to hire clear by sending an informal offer email, as outlined in this template. Projects should modify this template to best suit their needs.

Guide
Strategizing for a new hire

This resource offers guidance on how to recognize that it's time to hire, budgeting for a new hire, and next steps including: assessing the makeup of your team to identify gaps, planning for professional development within a role, determining your target communities and how to reach them, and describing your team's working culture, values and goals.

CS&S Policy
Promotion Tiers and Philosophy

This resource outlines compensation bands and promotion criteria for all members of the CS&S Core Team.

Data-driven practices and transparency are a part of our mission. In keeping with that mission, our compensation philosophy prioritizes transparent starting salaries at all levels, data-informed pay, clear timelines and processes for raises. 

Guide
International Hiring Guide

Reference this guide for important considerations regarding non-US hires, such as: onboarding minimums, budgeting for currency fluctuations, equitable benefits offerings, PTO and termination periods.

Template
Job Posting Template

This template is used for CS&S core team job postings, and can be adapted by fiscally sponsored projects to suit their hiring needs.

Guide
Communication guidelines for projects in the Fiscal Sponsorship Program (FSP)

This guide for fiscally sponsored projects is meant to address how to get in touch with CS&S and how long requests may take to process.

CS&S Policy
How to request a compensation change

This resource outlines the steps and considerations necessary in order to request a compensation change for a member of your team.

Guide
Job posting guidance

This resource contains CS&S hiring process requirements, tips for what to include and avoid in a job post, and a list of suggested posting locations.

CS&S Policy
CS&S Employee Handbook

This resource contains company-wide policies applicable to all employees of CS&S. 

Guide
Ramp User Guide

Instructions for requesting a card, submitting reimbursements and receipts, using your card and more.

CS&S Policy
Hiring Checklist

The CS&S FSP Management and Operations teams are available to support your project with hiring guidance and the administration of an application management system. At a minimum, all projects are required to complete the steps detailed here as a part of any hiring process.

CS&S Policy
Getting Paid by CS&S

Information for vendors and contractors receiving funds or reimbursements from CS&S.

CS&S Policy
Parental Leave Guide

This guide is intended to support CS&S employees in understanding the applicable policies and processes required to take a paid leave in the event of the birth or placement of a new child.

CS&S Policy
Benefits and Compensation Guide

A reference for CS&S employees and fiscally sponsored project leadership teams to understand benefits programs, billing procedures, and compensation policies at CS&S.

CS&S Policy
Expense and Credit Card Policies

These policies govern the reimbursement of travel, entertainment and other business expenses as well as how to use company credit cards properly and know the responsibilities that come with use of a company credit card.

CS&S Policy
Equipment Policy

This policy governs the use of, and payment for, technology equipment (such as computers and accessories) required for business purposes by Code for Science and Society (CS&S). This policy addresses technology devices issued by CS&S and personal employee-owned devices used for business purposes.

CS&S Documentation
Holiday Closure Dates

The Company observes a specified number of holidays per year, currently 16 days, where team members can expect that most other employees and core staff are off.

Report
Report: Sustainability in Research-Driven Open Source Software

We are excited to share our report about the changing landscape of research-driven open source software. What will prove sustainable in the next 20 years? How can the projects and organizations emerge with the resources needed to prioritize innovation in data science for the pursuit of research?

Guide
Intellectual Property in Open Projects

Determining IP risks to an open source project may feel daunting, however the first step is simply to make a list.

Record
Theory of Change Workshop with Alix Dunn and Tanya O'Carroll

Shared resources from the event on May 3, 2022.

Record
The Tech Cultures that Come Next

Shared notes from the event on May 23, 2022.

Record
The Practice of Digital Infrastructure
Collected resources from the event on April 27, 2022.

Record
Coloniality of Digital Infrastructure

Collected resources from the event on February 23, 2022.

Record
Visions of Mutual Power

Collected resources from the event on January 19, 2022.

Record
Anti-Oppression Frameworks in Open Source

Collected resources from the event on December 8, 2021.

Record
Labor across the Tech Ecosystem

Collective notes from the event on October 27, 2021.

Bibliography
Community Bibliography

Selected resources for deepening community engagement.

Bibliography
Governance Bibliography

Selected resources for developing project governance.

Notes
On Considering Sustainability and Community Health

Observations from working with project leads as they consider sustainability and community health.

Notes
On Building Cultural Infrastructure

Observations from working with project leads as they develop plans for localization, translation, and more.

Notes
On Deepening Community Engagement

Observations from working with project leads as they deepen community engagement.

Notes
On Developing Project Governance

Observations from working with project leads as they develop their project governance.

Report
Event Fund Impact Report (2020-2022)

This impact report submitted to the Moore Foundation in August 2022 details the observed impacts of the Event Fund from 2020-2022.

Guide
Crafting Guidelines for Community Participation

Examples of and resources for developing a code of conduct and other guidelines for community participation

Guide
Event Planning Resources

A curated list of event planning guides for in-person and virtual events

Guide
Worksheet for Aligning Event Goals with Activities

A worksheet to sketch linkages between event goals and activities in your upcoming event

Guide
The Funding Landscape

There are a great number of funding sources for those in open source to consider. Any funding - taking investment or receiving a grant - comes with strings attached

Guide
A Guide to Mission, Vision, and Strategy

A guide to identifying your projects a core goals and enable better community collaboration.

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Annual Reports
The annual reports for CS&S showcasing work accomplished.

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Financial Statements

Our financial statements including Form 990 and audited financials.

Guide
Mapping Project Requirements

A guide to mapping out and evaluating how the specific features of your project speak to the meta goals of your project.

Guide
Funding Resources

A list of resources relevant to fundraising, budgeting, and operations.

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Legal Documents
View CS&S corporate documents and public charity verification letter.
Guide
Donor Receipt Acknowledgement

A general guide to US nonprofit legal requirements around donation receipts

CS&S Documentation
CS&S Board Documents

Documentation for the activity of the CS&S Board of Directors.

Guide
Toolkit for Cross-Disciplinary Workshops (2022)

A toolkit of nine activities for those interested in hosting a cross-disciplinary workshop

Bibliography
DII Essential Readings

An incomplete list of things we have read, are reading, and are thinking with.

Report
Developing Anti-Racist Nonprofit Governance

To develop governing bodies in a way that is mindful of historical racism in nonprofits and across science and technology, we engaged leaders in equity, DeEtta Jones and Associates (DJA), to work with us to develop processes to center anti-racist values in the way we develop governance.

Report
Practical Decentralization of Scholarly Data & Resources

It’s time for scholars to ask whether today’s data preservation technologies align with open scholarship’s values of access, preservation, privacy, and transparency.

Guide
Strategies to Develop Requirements for Your Open Project

Methods to develop requirements centered around your audience.

Guide
Connecting with Funders

Common approaches to ask a funder for assistance and approaching them in a way that will make success most likely.

Guide
How Do I Ask for Funding?

Things to consider before you ask for funding.

Guide
What are funders looking for?

Understanding how how funders make funding decisions can help a project understand how it fits in.

Guide
Co-leading a Team on an Open Project

If our goal is to tackle complex problems, then we need complex organizations with diverse leadership.

Guide
A Guide to Considering Operations and Technology in Open Scholarship

Open scholarship challenges systems of scholarly production, and provides an opportunity to embed anti-racism, anti-capitalism, and intersectional feminism in our scholarly communication system.

Guide
A Guide to Funding

There's no one path to financial sustainability that is right for all projects.

Guide
Working with a fiscal sponsor

What is fiscal sponsorship, and how does it support project in open source?

Guide
Resource List: Governance

Resources to inform your governance model development

Guide
Infrastructure for Open Scholarship

Before you start making decisions about your favorite technology stack or development platform, think about the infrastructure and trajectory of your project.

Guide
Budgeting Basics

While you’re defining your approach to budgeting, you might consider the following questions early to set yourself up for success.

Guide
Governance in Open Source for Scholarship

When considering how any project will run, you typically need to understand the roles that project members play and how decisions are made.

Guide
Welcome to Requirements. Population: Hopes, Dreams, and Features.

Defining project requirements is a good way to check what your project should do and, more importantly, why.

Report
A Framework for Our Movement

How do we grow a truly decentralized, inclusive, and resilient movement?

Guide
What is Open?

When open science, open access, or open scholarship are discussed, we encourage communities to question it.

Guide
Financial Sustainability

There's no magic formula for sustainability in an open source project.

Guide
Starting an Open Project as an Individual

Working as an individual can be challenging, but we provide some guidance on how to grow your project and transition to a team environment as your work develops.

Guide
From Diverse Communities to a Unified Open Scholarship Movement

Considering the actions of the many players in the open scholarship space as a unified collective action – a movement -- offers an opportunity to have dramatic impact.

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