Free Resources

Tools. Articles. Insights.

Free tools, field tested paid toolkits, podcast episodes, and the Run The Mission newsletter. Built from 25 years of nonprofit operations experience and designed to be immediately useful for executive directors running complex organizations.

Free Downloads

The Nonprofit Operations Library

Field tested tools for nonprofit executive directors. No email required. Download any or all, built from 25 years of doing this work inside complex organizations.

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Featured Resource
The Wendling Engagement Workbook
A 22 page operational roadmap. The full assessment, framework, and audience routing guide for working with Wendling Nonprofit Consulting. Sections clearly labeled by audience: ED, Staff, and Board. Use it before our discovery call or as a standalone organizational diagnostic.
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01
Operations Assessment
The Nonprofit Operations Health Check
Score your organization across 10 critical operational areas in under 10 minutes. See exactly where you're strong and where you're vulnerable, with plain language anchor scales for every rating.
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02
Documentation
The SOP Starter Guide
The 5 core standard operating procedures every nonprofit needs before they scale, with a format guide, must include checklist, and a status tracker for each one.
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03
Compliance
The Compliance Risk Radar
8 red flags that show up in almost every nonprofit audit, with a plain language self check for each one you can run right now. Catch the gaps before the auditor does.
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04
Program Growth
The Program Scaling Checklist
10 questions to answer before you launch a second program site. Operations, compliance, staffing, finance, and governance, with a clear Ready / Partial / Not Ready framework.
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05
Staff & Capacity
The Staff Capacity Matrix
Map every critical operational function against your actual team. Identify ownership gaps, burnout risks, and the functions running on luck instead of structure.
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06
Emergency Preparedness
The Disaster Preparedness Scorecard
Assess your organization across 10 areas with separate columns for Documented, Trained, and Tested. There is a significant difference between a plan and a plan your staff has actually practiced.
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07
Data & Metrics
The KPI Starter Kit
The 8 operational metrics every nonprofit should be tracking, with a baseline/target field, a 3-step dashboard setup guide, and the exact data source for every metric.
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08
Board Governance
The Board Reporting Template
A clean 6-section format your board will actually read. Program Snapshot, KPI Dashboard, Financial Summary, Compliance Update, 30-Day Priorities, and ED Notes. Two pages. Fifteen minutes to prepare.
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09
Partnerships
The Partner Network Audit
A partner list is not a partner network. Inventory your relationships, check your MOUs, identify your emergency partners, and find the ones that exist in name only.
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10
Leadership Transition
The New ED Survival Guide
A 90-day framework for new executive directors, what to do in what order so nothing critical gets missed. Listen, assess, build. The EDs who struggle skipped the first phase.
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Suggest the Next One
Request a Tool
Working through an operational challenge none of these tools touch? Tell me what would help. If enough EDs want it, I will build it and ship it free.

Field-Tested Operational Toolkits

The Complete Ops Toolkit Library

Four toolkits built from 25 years of doing this work inside the most complex food security and human services organizations in Texas. Every checklist, framework, and template is field tested. None of it is theory.

Individual toolkits: $97 to $497 each  ·  Toolkit 05 coming soon
$497
One-time purchase  ·  Instant download  ·  All four toolkits
Save $200+ vs. buying individually
Get the Full Library →
Included: CACFP Compliance Survival Kit  ·  Partner Network Compliance Kit  ·  Disaster Response Operations Toolkit  ·  Food 4 Kids Weekend Backpack Program Toolkit
Format: PDF  ·  Print ready  ·  Field tested  ·  Immediate download after purchase
The Complete Ops Toolkit Library
25
Years in the field
500+
Partner orgs audited
330
School sites scaled
0
Compliance failures

Built from real operations. Not adapted from templates.

Every checklist in this library comes directly from the programs I ran, the sites I audited, and the disasters I responded to. Kids Cafe at 28 sites. Food 4 Kids at 330 schools. COVID-19 emergency operations across 16 counties. 7 years on Dallas County’s Mass Care Task Force. Zero disqualifications across every engagement. That is the credential behind these tools.

Four Toolkits

Buy Individually or as a Bundle

Each toolkit stands alone. All four together cover the full operational lifecycle of a food security or human services nonprofit.

01
CACFP Compliance Survival Kit
Federal Compliance
CACFP Compliance Survival Kit
The field checklist, documentation guide, and corrective action framework built by someone who ran 28 CACFP-funded sites with zero findings. Six compliance checklists tied to real 7 CFR Part 226 requirements, a corrective action plan template, and a full compliance calendar.
Includes: 6 compliance checklists · Corrective action template · 13-task compliance calendar · Field notes from 14 years in CACFP
$97
Buy This Toolkit →
02
Partner Network Compliance Kit
Partner Management
Partner Network Compliance Kit
The onboarding checklist, site assessment scorecard, monitoring visit protocol, and corrective action system built across 500+ partner organizations with zero disqualifications. Includes a three-tier risk scoring model that determines monitoring frequency for every partner in your network.
Includes: 4-area onboarding checklist · Site assessment scorecard with tier system · Monitoring visit protocol · Corrective action and TA framework · 14-task network compliance calendar
$197
Buy This Toolkit →
03
Disaster Response Operations Toolkit
Emergency Operations
Disaster Response Operations Toolkit
The pre-event readiness checklist, command structure framework, mega-distribution setup guide, and after-action review template built across Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Michael, COVID-19, and 7 years on Dallas County’s Mass Care Task Force alongside FEMA, Red Cross, and The Salvation Army.
Includes: 5-area readiness checklist · 8-team command structure · Decision authority matrix · Mega-distribution setup guide · Partner activation protocol · After-action review template
$247
Buy This Toolkit →
04
Food 4 Kids Weekend Backpack Program Toolkit
Program Scale-Up
Food 4 Kids Weekend Backpack Program Toolkit
The site recruitment checklist, school partnership agreement framework, SFSP compliance guide, volunteer coordination system, and replication roadmap built by the team that scaled a single pilot into 330 schools serving 12,000+ children every Friday across five counties.
Includes: Scale roadmap (1 to 150+ sites) · School recruitment and onboarding checklist · Partnership agreement framework · SFSP compliance guide · Weekly ops system · Corporate partnership framework
$147
Buy This Toolkit →
05
Grant Readiness Toolkit
Grant Readiness
Grant Readiness Toolkit
A standalone toolkit for documenting compliance posture, program outcomes, and operational infrastructure in grant-ready format. Built for nonprofits that need to demonstrate operational credibility to funders. Every framework tied to what grant reviewers actually look for.
Includes: Compliance posture documentation framework · Program outcomes template · Operational infrastructure narrative guide · Funder-ready systems checklist · Field-tested grant readiness assessment
$497
Buy This Toolkit →
Standalone toolkit  ·  $2,500 as consulting add-on
“The monitoring visit is not what protects you. The documentation system around the monitoring visit is what protects you.” Brad Wendling  ·  Wendling Nonprofit Consulting  ·  Built from 500+ partner compliance reviews
Get All Four — $497 →
Instant download  ·  Fully editable Word docs
Common Questions

Before You Buy

Answers to what people ask before purchasing.

What format do I receive?
All four toolkits are delivered as PDF files. They are print ready and built from the same field tested frameworks I have used across 25 years inside food security and human services nonprofits. Download immediately after purchase and use them inside your organization without expiration.
How do I receive the files after purchase?
Stripe will process your payment and you will receive a download confirmation immediately. If you have any issues accessing your files, email brad@wendlingconsulting.com and I will send them directly, same day.
Are these toolkits specific to Texas organizations?
The CACFP and SFSP compliance tools reference federal regulations under 7 CFR Part 226 and 225, which apply nationally. The disaster response toolkit is built from operations across Texas but the frameworks, command structures, and documentation protocols apply to any state. The Food 4 Kids and Partner Network kits are fully transferable to any geography.
My organization is not in food security. Are these still useful?
The CACFP and Food 4 Kids toolkits are specific to child nutrition and backpack programs. The Partner Network Compliance Kit applies to any organization managing a network of funded partners or sub-recipients, including United Ways, community foundations, and human services intermediaries. The Disaster Response toolkit applies to any nonprofit with a mass care or emergency response role.
Can I use these toolkits with my own clients or partner organizations?
Individual purchase is licensed for use within your organization. If you are a capacity builder, technical assistance provider, or consultant who wants to use these frameworks with multiple client organizations, contact brad@wendlingconsulting.com to discuss a licensing arrangement.
What if I only need one toolkit?
Each toolkit is available for individual purchase. Use the buttons on the cards above to buy any one of them separately. The bundle price of $497 saves you $200+ compared to buying all four individually, so if more than one applies to your work, the bundle is the better value.
Still on the fence?
Start with the free tools above.
Come back when you are ready.

The free library has 11 tools. If those are useful, the paid toolkits go 10 times deeper into the specific programs and systems your organization runs on. No pressure.

Get the Full Library — $497 → Book a Free Discovery Call Instead
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Run The Mission Podcast cover art
The Podcast
Run The Mission
For nonprofit executive directors and operations leaders who believe that strong infrastructure is how missions survive. Hosted by Brad Wendling, 25 years in food security and human services operations in Texas. No theory. No generic advice. Just the work.
▶ Spotify ▶ Amazon Music ▶ Pocket Casts
Episodes

All Episodes

Each episode matches a LinkedIn article, going deeper on the operational challenges nonprofit leaders face every day.

01
Why Nonprofit Operations Is Mission, Not Overhead
The case for treating infrastructure as a strategic investment. Why the overhead myth damages the organizations it's meant to protect, and what strong operations actually looks like in practice.
02
5 Signs Your Nonprofit Is Growing Faster Than Its Systems
How to recognize the gap between program success and operational capacity before it becomes a crisis. The five warning signs and the three questions that tell you where you are.
03
Federal Compliance for Nonprofits: What Most Organizations Get Wrong
After 25 years managing CACFP, SFSP, and multi funder compliance, the 5 most common gaps and the 3 binder framework that prevents most findings.
04
How to Scale a Nonprofit Program Without Breaking What's Working
A field tested framework for multi site expansion. Most programs do not fail at scale because the model was wrong, they fail because the infrastructure did not scale with it.
05
Emergency Operations: What Katrina, Michael, and COVID Taught Me
The disaster preparedness lessons that only come from actually being in the work. Your emergency response is only as strong as the relationships you built before the emergency.
06
The Real Cost of Staff Turnover in Nonprofits, and What to Do About It
Why high turnover is almost always a structural problem, not a people problem. The retention infrastructure that works, and why compensation alone is not the answer.
07
What Your Board Actually Needs From You, and How to Give It to Them
A practical guide to board reporting that leads to better governance. The 6 section format that transforms passive boards into engaged ones, and why most reports fail.
08
The Fractional COO Model: What It Is, What It Isn't, and Who It's For
An honest explanation of fractional operations leadership for nonprofit EDs. What embedded looks like in practice, and how to know if your organization is the right fit.
09
Building a Partner Network That Actually Works When You Need It
Why most nonprofit partnerships are transactional, and how to build ones that activate under pressure. The four types of partners every nonprofit needs.
10
The First 90 Days: A Field Guide for New Nonprofit Executive Directors
What to do, in what order, so nothing critical gets missed. The EDs who struggle in year one almost always skipped the listening phase. Here is why that matters.
LinkedIn Articles

The Operations Library

10 long form articles for nonprofit executive directors. Each one addresses a specific operational challenge, with field tested frameworks and no filler.

01
Strategy
Why Nonprofit Operations Is Mission, Not Overhead
The case for treating infrastructure as a strategic investment, not a line item to minimize. Why the overhead myth damages the organizations it's meant to protect.
Read on LinkedIn →
02
Program Growth
5 Signs Your Nonprofit Is Growing Faster Than Its Systems
How to recognize the gap between program success and operational capacity before it becomes a crisis. The five warning signs I look for in every engagement.
Read on LinkedIn →
03
Compliance
Federal Compliance for Nonprofits: What Most Organizations Get Wrong
After 25 years managing CACFP, SFSP, and multi funder compliance, the documentation gaps that cause findings and the 3-binder framework that prevents them.
Read on LinkedIn →
04
Scaling
How to Scale a Nonprofit Program Without Breaking What's Working
A field tested framework for multi site expansion from someone who's done it 300+ times. The 10 questions every organization should answer before launching a new site.
Read on LinkedIn →
05
Disaster Response
Emergency Operations: What Katrina, Michael, and COVID-19 Taught Me
The disaster preparedness lessons that only come from actually being in the work. Your emergency response is only as strong as the relationships built before the emergency.
Read on LinkedIn →
06
Staff & Culture
The Real Cost of Staff Turnover in Nonprofits, And What to Do About It
Why high turnover is almost always a structural problem, not a people problem, and the retention infrastructure that actually works.
Read on LinkedIn →
07
Board Governance
What Your Board Actually Needs From You, And How to Give It to Them
A practical guide to board reporting that leads to better governance. The 6-section format, the board report health check, and why most reports fail before they're sent.
Read on LinkedIn →
08
Fractional COO
The Fractional COO Model: What It Is, What It Isn't, and Who It's For
An honest explanation of fractional operations leadership, what embedded looks like in practice, who it's designed for, and how to know if it's the right fit.
Read on LinkedIn →
09
Partnerships
Building a Partner Network That Actually Works When You Need It
Why most nonprofit partnerships are transactional, and how to build the kind that activates under pressure. The partner network audit that reveals the gaps.
Read on LinkedIn →
10
Leadership
The First 90 Days: A Field Guide for New Nonprofit Executive Directors
What to do, in what order, so nothing critical gets missed. The listen, assess, build framework and why the EDs who struggle in year one almost always skipped phase one.
Read on LinkedIn →

Ready to build something that lasts?

Wendling Nonprofit Consulting, fractional COO services for human services and food security nonprofits. Starting at $3,000/month. No long term lock in.

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