From the President's Office
Dear Friend:
Here at GuideStar, we are ending the year on a high note—one that we hope will help you end your year successfully, too. We have just added a "Donate Now" capability to our Web site. Now, anyone who comes to GuideStar—registered or unregistered, logged in or not logged in—can give to the charities of his or her choice directly from our site.
We hope that seeing the "Donate Now" button beside a charity's name in the search results or at the top of its GuideStar report will inspire you to give—and that the convenience of on-line giving will encourage giving generously to support the good work of the nonprofit sector. ... Read more
Giving to Charity Just Got Easier
The ease and convenience of on-line giving are now available on GuideStar.
Now you can give to the charities you find on GuideStar directly from our Web site. Just click the "Donate Now" button that appears in the search results beside a charity's name or on its GuideStar report, and you'll go immediately to a donation page for that nonprofit.
"Many donors have told us that they research their giving on GuideStar," explained Bob Ottenhoff, GuideStar's president and CEO. "We wanted to make it easier for them to take advantage of all of the excellent information they find on our site." ... Read more
Get Your Organization Listed
on the New GuideStar Exchange
Reach out to today's engaged philanthropists through the
GuideStar Exchange.
Today's donors want more than your assurances that you're good people doing good work. They want to know how you define your mission. They want details about your programs and how those activities support your mission. They want to know how you use their contributions. And they're looking for measurable results.
The GuideStar Exchange is a new initiative designed to connect nonprofits with current and potential supporters. ... Read more
Signs of Stability: Results of the
2007 GuideStar Nonprofit Economic Survey
Despite an uncertain economy, nonprofits seem to be holding their own.
For the past six years, GuideStar has been asking nonprofit representatives to compare their organizations' current situations—in terms of services provided and donations received—to the previous year. Certain trends have become evident in the past few years: a majority of organizations reporting that their contributions had increased or remained the same and a majority reporting an increase in the demand for their services.
Both of these trends continued in 2007. ... Read more
Branding as a Fundraising Tool
Accountability + Transparency = Branding
Q. Why is the world's second richest man (Warren Buffet) committing more than $30 billion of his personal fortune to the philanthropic foundation of the world's first richest man (Bill Gates)?
A. Hint: It's not because Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are good friends (which they are) and often play bridge together (which they reportedly do). ... Read more
A Look at the Benefits of Open Platforms:
The Driver of Nonprofit Technology Growth
What are open platforms? And how your organization can benefit from them?
To many nonprofits, the open platform initiative is just the latest craze whose overall implications are not yet fully understood. An open platform enables software developers to add features and functionality to a software vendor's product by means of an external programming interface. The external programming interface, also known as Application Programming Interface (API), is published by the software provider and describes the software system, thereby enabling developers to integrate various applications that add more functionality and new features.
As more and more developers integrate with the open platform, the number of solutions available increases exponentially. ... Read more
IRS Updates, December 2007: Final E-Filing Regulations
and Temporary E-Postcard Regulations Issued
The IRS recently issued final regulations affecting large nonprofits and temporary regulations affecting small organizations.
Large nonprofits, take notice: the IRS has issued finalized regulations regarding the e-filing requirements of tax-exempt organizations. The final ruling doesn't differ significantly from the temporary regulations that were issued in 2006 and only affects the following types of organizations:
Public charities that are required to file at least 250 returns a year and have $10 million or more in assets at year end. ... Read more
GuideStar on the Road
GuideStar staff members will be at the following events this month.
Click here to learn more.
- Dec. 11: 2007 NYSSCPA (New York State Society of CPAs) Exempt Organizations Conference, New York, N.Y.
- Dec. 14: 17th Annual Legal & Accounting Institute (Nonprofit Resource Center of Texas), San Antonio, Tex.
In This Issue
Giving to Charity Just Got Easier
Get Your Organization Listed on the New GuideStar Exchange
Results of the 2007 GuideStar Nonprofit Economic Survey
Branding as a Fundraising Tool
A Look at the Benefits of Open Platforms
