Backend self-assessment
A 15-question scorecard that maps your current backend against the five systems every nonprofit ED needs before scaling past the $3M-$5M line.
Free Playbook
The Executive Backend Playbook
A free PDF for executive directors running small nonprofits. Download it immediately with no email required, or receive the playbook plus the Founder Brief follow-up by email. Five artefacts turn a one-person operation into a backend: the self-assessment, the grants pipeline, the SOP library starter pack, the board + donor reporting templates, and the 30-day rollout plan.
What you get in the PDF.
Five artefacts — one per chapter — that together turn a one-person operation into a backend the founder doesn’t have to personally hold up.
Grant workflow templates
The intake form, weekly pipeline review, and end-of-cycle close-out used by ChiefDesk to keep every RFP alive and on-time, not stuck in a shared inbox.
SOP library starter pack
Six SOPs every nonprofit needs first (intake, payroll, monthly close, the most-frequent grant deliverable, board update, donor thank-you) — with a 12-document cap you stop at, not aspire to.
Board + donor reporting templates
The weekly board update, the monthly major-gift stewardship letter, and the quarterly foundation report — three docs, ready to send, with the cadence each demands.
30-day rollout plan
Four weeks of hour-by-hour moves that turn the PDF into an actual operating backend — week 1 baseline, week 2 quick wins, weeks 3-4 SOPs and the first board-grade deliverable.
Inside the PDF
Table of contents.
Five chapters, each ending in a copy-paste template or a one-page scorecard you can fill in by hand. The 30-day rollout plan at chapter five is the one most readers come back to.
Foundation: backend assessment
Why the $3M-$5M operating line is the moment the backend breaks, and the 15-question scorecard that tells you which system to fix first.
Grants pipeline
The single source of truth for every RFP — funder, deadline, ask, owner, draft link — and the weekly review cadence that keeps it alive.
SOP library
A small, current SOP library — three to twelve documents, never fifty — paired with the operational backlog of SOPs you have decided not to write yet.
Board + donor reporting
The three docs every ED actually has to ship — weekly board update, monthly major-gift note, quarterly foundation report — and the cadence each demands.
30-day rollout plan
Four weeks of hour-by-hour moves that turn the PDF into an actual operating backend, ending in the first weekly board update produced from the system, not around it.
Download
Grab the PDF — free, with an optional Founder Brief.
Download the playbook straight from this page, with no email required. Prefer the follow-up? Add your email to receive the PDF and two practical Founder Brief notes while the resource opens immediately. If you want ChiefDesk to build the five backends with you, the discovery call is the faster path.
Want the Founder Brief too?
Leave your email for the PDF now plus two practical follow-ups. The playbook still opens immediately after you submit.
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Keep the loop moving
Come back with a next question.
Start with the weekly operating loop, compare the level of support that fits, or bring your current backend to a short discovery conversation.
Connect with the founder
Keep the conversation going.
Yusef-Andre Wiley has scaled Timelist Group, Inc. from $4M to $9.5M across LA County, CDCR, and philanthropic contracts. Connect with him on LinkedIn for more operator lessons on building a backend that can grow with the work.