21st Century Information Scaffolding for Social Change
May 3, 2014Lindsay J.K. Nichols (@lindsaynichols)GuideStar (@GuideStarUSA)#ODFWIB
see IP note on final slide
1. How stronger information systems support innovation in the nonprofit sector
2. The data we have at our fingertips
3. Making that data meaningful
4. Basic building blocks that facilitate better access to – and understanding of – nonprofit data
5. How YOU can use your own org’s data to better connect with supporters
Art by Banksy
The two elephants in the room…
E1: Some nonprofits are better than others (they create more social or environmental impact per dollar)
E2: Some donors are better than others(their donations create more social or environmental impact per dollar)
volatileuncertain ambiguous
complex
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visionunderstanding agility
clarity
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Information about…
Organizations (e.g., Nurse-Family Partnership is currently serving 22,795 babies and their mothers in 40 states across the U.S.)
Resources (e.g., The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation made a 5-year, $10 million grant to Nurse-Family Partnership in 2007)
Interventions (e.g., regular nurse visitation for new mothers their babies leads to a .2 point increase in math & reading GPA in grades 1-6)
Issues (e.g., 50% of children from at-risk backgrounds are below the basic level for reading and math skills
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A nonprofit’s investments in training, planning, evaluation, and internal systems—
investments in itself—are how are how a nonprofit sustains and improves its impact on
the world.
www.overheadmyth.com
Low Pay, Make Do, Do
Without Culture
Underfunding of
Overhead
Funder Unrealistic
Expectations
Coverage from 144 Outlets
11 Blog Posts
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http://hopeconsulting.us/pdf/Money%20for%20Good_Final.pdf
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Money for GoodOnly 1/3 of donors
research
~5% research to find the best
nonprofit
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The FREE GuideStar Exchange
Basic information such as contact information, mission statement, etc.
Financial Information
Impact and effectiveness information www.guidestar.org/exchang
e
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IRS, GuideStar Exchange,
Other Partners
GuideStar
Clients and
Partners
GuideStar
Data about 1.5M 501c3 nonprofits
*IRS*GuideStar Exchange
*DonorEdge Community Foundations
8 Top Donor Advised Funds:
*Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund*Schwab Charitable Gift Fund
20 Donation Portals Processing $150M+
annually:*Network for Good
*JustGive
5 Major Online Destinations:*Facebook Causes*Search Engines
10M annual visitors to guidestar.org 70K social media
followers
140,000+ nonprofit reviews from beneficiaries, volunteers:*GreatNonprofits
Impact assessments about 600+ nonprofits
from 5 Expert Partners:
*Philanthropedia, GuideStar*GiveWell
*RootCause
Data Coming into GuideStar:
Data Reaching:
•Easily maintain your organization’s profile reaching 110+ leading and reputable websites and private networks•Manage your brand on GuideStar’s extended network
100s of other clients and partners
Bronze
-leve
l benefits
•Participation widget•Promotional tool kit•Nonprofit alerts•First access to GuideStar webinars
Silver-leve
l benefits
• Bronze-level benefits plus
• FC’s Foundation Directory Online and in-person grantseeker trainings discounts
• Free VolunteerMatch premium recruitment tools for 1 year
• Grassroots.org exclusive technology tools
Gold-leve
l benefits
• Bronze- and silver-level benefits plus
• 1 free seat (annual subscription) to GuideStar Premium ($1500 value)
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1. What is your organization aiming to accomplish?2. What are your strategies for making this
happen?3. What are your organization’s capabilities for
doing this?4. How will your organization know if you are
making progress?5. What have and haven’t you accomplished so
far?– A framework for advancing strategic thinking.– A standardized method for sharing concise
information with key stakeholders and the public.
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Benefits Include:• Encouraging people to invest their money,
time, and attention in effective organizations.
• Highlighting the difference your organization makes.
• Sharpening your approaches.• Positioning your organization to work with
and learn from others.
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Claim Your GuideStar Exchange Form
www.guidestar.org
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Individual ReviewsYelp-like reviews written by individuals in the community
Collects individual reviews and provides a 1-5 star rating for each organization
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Celebrate Your Success
http://npo.gs/impactpage
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Evolving the definition of transparency:- Timely- Interactive- Inclusive- Comprehensive
http://npo.gs/GSImpactCall2
Next Impact Call: May 12, 2014, 2-3 pm ET- Financials- Programs- New developments- Failures
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Know Your Donors
Closing thought #1: Data ≠ numbers.
Closing thought #2: It’s time we acknowledge the elephants.
Closing thought #3: Donors care.
Closing thought #4: It’s not about us.
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Questions?
Licensing
The (1) text and (2) basic graphical representations in this presentation are under a Creative Commons Attribution license. The photographs and other copied images are not, as I do not have rights to them.
Lindsay J.K. Nichols [email protected]
GuideStarUSA
@GuideStarUSA
+GuideStarGuideStar
GuideStarUSAGuideStar
The GuideStar Blog: http://trust.guidestar.org