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Category: Community Improvement

GuideStar USA, Inc.

AKA GuideStar

Williamsburg, VA

GuideStar Quick View Everything you need to know...

GuideStar USA, Inc.

Also Known As:
GuideStar
Physical Address:
Williamsburg, VA 23188 
EIN:
54-1774039
Web URL:
www.guidestar.org
Blog URL:
ceo.guidestar.org/
Leadership:
Robert G. Ottenhoff, Chief Executive

Legitimacy Information

  • This organization is registered with the IRS.
  • This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Institutional funders should note that an organization’s inclusion on GuideStar.org does not satisfy IRS Rev. Proc. 2011-33 for identifying supporting organizations.

Learn more about GuideStar Charity Check, the only pre-grant due diligence tool that is 100% compliant with IRS Rev. Proc 2011-33.

Forms 990 from IRS Additional Information IRS Form 990 is an annual document used by approximately one-third of all public charities to report information about their finances and operations to the federal government. GuideStar uses data from Form 990 to populate its database with financial information about nonprofit organizations. Posting Form 990 images on the GuideStar Web site is an ongoing process.

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Financial SCAN

Financial SCAN

Key Financial SCAN Features

  • Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
  • Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
  • Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
  • Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
  • Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

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Annual Revenue & Expenses Additional Information Financial information on GuideStar is either digitized from Form 990 images we receive from the IRS or submitted by the nonprofits themselves through the GuideStar Exchange (990 filers cannot override Form 990 financial data). If your organization does not file a Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF and you would like to have your financial data displayed in this section, join the GuideStar Exchange today!

Fiscal Year Starting: Jan 1, 2009
Fiscal Year Ending: Dec 31, 2009
Revenue
Total Revenue $9,887,546
Expenses
Total Expenses $9,147,567

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Financial SCAN

Financial SCAN

Key Financial SCAN Features

  • Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
  • Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
  • Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
  • Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
  • Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

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GuideStar Exchange Member

This organization has earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating its commitment to transparency.

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Basic Organization Information

GuideStar USA, Inc.

Also Known As:
GuideStar
Physical Address:
Williamsburg, VA 23188 
EIN:
54-1774039
Web URL:
www.guidestar.org 
Blog URL:
ceo.guidestar.org/ 
NTEE Category:
T Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Grantmaking 
T50 Philanthropy / Charity / Voluntarism Promotion (General) 
Year Founded:
1994 
Ruling Year:
1996 
How This Organization Is Funded:
Omidyar Network - $700,000
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation - $500,000
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - $250,000

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Mission Statement

GuideStar seeks to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

Expert Reviews

There are no Expert Reviews for this organization. Learn more about TakeAction@GuideStar.

Impact Statement Additional Information A Charting Impact Report consists of an organization’s responses to the five questions. Helping validate this self-reported data are three reviews. Once an organization has used the online interface to complete its report, its responses will produce a document with a unique URL that will be shared on this website, on your GuideStar profile, on the reports of charities participating in BBB Wise Giving Alliance evaluations, and – in the future – with other websites and information sources about nonprofits. We encourage organizations to use this URL to share their report on their own website and through their own media channels. Participants will receive guidance about promoting their Charting Impact Report, along with other benefits, once they publish their report.

In 2010, a broad range of users—donors, nonprofit leaders and staff, grantmakers, people who provide services to nonprofits, journalists, and government officials, and academic researchers—visited www.guidestar.org 8.3 million times to obtain nonprofit data. In addition, 5,000 instructors, students, and academic researchers received free access to GuideStar Premium, our highest level of service, through our Edu@GuideStar program.

We also provided nonprofit information to more than 50 partners, who then disseminated it to their audiences.  In 2009, our partners included online giving portals, such as JustGive and Network for Good; social networking sites, such as Causes on Facebook and Chase Community Giving; all of the major donor-advised funds, including Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, and T. Rowe Price; and businesses such as Lexis-Nexis and Microsoft Bing. Some of our partners presented our data on Web site pages "powered by GuideStar"; others incorporated GuideStar information into their own applications. Additionally, GuideStar provided charity verification services to partners such as the United Way National Capital Area, the Combined Federal Campaign, and the Jewish Communal Fund.
For more in-depth information about this organization's impact, view their Charting Impact Report.

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Financial SCAN

Financial SCAN

Key Financial SCAN Features

  • Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
  • Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
  • Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
  • Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
  • Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

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Revenue and Expenses

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Balance Sheet

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Close 

Financial SCAN

Financial SCAN

Key Financial SCAN Features

  • Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
  • Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
  • Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
  • Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
  • Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

More Information

Forms 990 Received from the IRS Additional Information IRS Form 990 is an annual document used by approximately one-third of all public charities to report information about their finances and operations to the federal government. GuideStar uses data from Form 990 to populate its database with financial information about nonprofit organizations. Posting Form 990 images on the GuideStar Web site is an ongoing process.

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Forms 990 Provided by the Nonprofit

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Financial Statements

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Annual Reports

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Formation Documents Additional Information A Letter of Determination is a letter from the IRS to a nonprofit organization stating that the organization has successfully applied for tax-exempt status. In this document the IRS indicates under which section of the Internal Revenue Code an organization is qualified.

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Organizational Statistics

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Chief Executive

Robert G. Ottenhoff

Term:

Since Sept 2002

Chief Executive Profile:

As GuideStar's president and CEO, Bob is responsible for the strategic execution of the GuideStar mission, fundraising to support this mission, and is the liaison with GuideStar's board of directors. Bob has 25 years of management experience in public broadcasting and high-tech companies, including 9 years as chief operating officer of the Public Broadcasting Service. He currently serves on the board of Vision TV, Grameen Foundation USA, AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, and the e-Philanthropy Foundation. Bob holds a master's degree in planning from Rutgers University.

CEO/Executive Director Statement:

In 2010, we focused on polishing and honing the quality of our services, keeping nonprofits and the public informed about developments in the sector, and expanding the resources offered to our subscribers, the nonprofit sector, and the public.

Our nonprofit economic surveys revealed the impact an uneven economic recovery was having on the sector. Throughout the year, nonprofits told us that they were besieged by limited funding and strained budgets. Donors, although still enthusiastic about charitable giving—especially following natural disasters—just weren’t capable of giving as generously as they have in the past.

To help donors get the most out of their charitable giving, we created TakeAction@GuideStar. TakeAction enables donors to search several specific causes, read expert analysis about each cause, and identify expert-recommended nonprofits working in those subject areas.

As a beacon for the sector, we kept nonprofits and the public abreast of regulatory developments. We strove to make nonprofits aware of the May 2010 deadline that would trigger the first round of automatic revocations of tax-exempt status under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and we gave high priority to publicizing the filing relief plan that the IRS instituted in the middle of the year.

In response to increased IRS enforcement in the area of nonprofit executive compensation, we introduced the GuideStar CEO Compensation Checkpoint Report, a customized tool that enables organizations to determine—and if necessary, demonstrate—more easily and effectively that the compensation paid their CEOs meets the IRS definition of “fair and reasonable.”

We continued to invest in key components of our operations, such as the expertise gained through partnerships and personnel and improving the GuideStar experience for all users, following the extensive update to our Web site in 2009. We remained on our path toward an ever-more sustainable business model that would enable us not only to do more with less but also to continue to grow and maintain our status as the premier source of nonprofit information.

 Our efforts were only possible with the help of a stellar GuideStar team, our partners, and our supporters, and I’d like to acknowledge all of them for their dedication and drive to continue the advancement of transparency, charitable giving, and service to nonprofits.

 

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Board Chair

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Board of Directors

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Officers for Fiscal Year

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Highest Paid Employees & Their Compensation

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Program: Enabling Better Decisions

Budget:
$5,722,146
Category:
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Population Served:
General Public/Unspecified

Program Description:

Enabling better decisions. Through its free website, data services and software products, GuideStar USA, Inc. helps individuals and organizations make better, more confident decisions, ultimately increasing the impact of all exempt organizations. In 2010, 296,741 digitized records of nonprofit organizations were added to the GuideStar USA, Inc. database, increasing the total number to more than 3 million digitized records. The vast majority of GuideStar users were able to take advantage of GuideStar data and tools at no charge, thanks to generous support from foundations and corporations. Professionals and those with special data needs use GuideStar products in order to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. In 2010, a new version of CEO Compensation Checkpoint, was launched. This product helps nonprofits meet the IRS directive of setting a "reasonable standard" for compensation by analyzing a CEO’s compensation within a group of comparable peer organizations. Additionally, a new version of Premium Search was launched with five new features. GuideStar also supports community foundations to encourage more giving to local nonprofits through the DonorEdge platform. DonorEdge is GuideStar’s social enterprise currently working with 11 community foundations to develop deep, vetted information on local nonprofits. In 2010, donors contributed $1,201,807 to local nonprofits through the DonorEdge platform. GuideStar USA, Inc. continues to invest in understanding the needs of its current and future users.

Program Long-Term Success:

Through its free website, data services and software products, GuideStar USA, Inc. helps individuals and organizations make better, more confident decisions, ultimately increasing the impact of all exempt organizations.

Program Short-Term Success:

In 2010, 296,741 digitized records of nonprofit organizations were added to the GuideStar USA, Inc. database, increasing the total number to more than 3 million digitized records.

Program Success Monitored by:

GuideStar has a robust impact measurement system in place.

Program Success Examples:

The vast majority of GuideStar users were able to take advantage of GuideStar data and tools at no charge, thanks to generous support from foundations and corporations. Professionals and those with special data needs use GuideStar products in order to increase their effectiveness and efficiency.

Program: Advancing Transparency

Budget:
$3,125,657
Category:
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Population Served:
General Public/Unspecified

Program Description:

Advancing transparency. GuideStar believes that the more people know about the philanthropic sector, the more effectively and efficiently it will operate and the more support it will receive. GuideStar creates value by using advanced information technology to make more information about nonprofits available to the public, donors, foundations, nonprofits, government agencies and service providers. In 2010, GuideStar USA, Inc.:

 

 

a) enabled users of www.guidestar.org to obtain some level of information on all 1.9 million tax exempt organizations registered with the IRS, including 5.5 million 990 images.

 

 

b) provided information about the programs and finances of the nation’s charitable organizations at no charge for 98% of its users.

 

 

c) increased the reach of GuideStar Exchange, a platform for nonprofits to share information, including how a donor can help. In 2010, 8,082 nonprofits received the GuideStar Exchange seal, reflecting that they met the GuideStar transparency standards. Additionally, 22,196 nonprofits had reports posted that were less than 12 months old.
d) served as a valuable source of nonprofit data to hundreds of reporters.

Program Long-Term Success:

In 2010, GuideStar USA, Inc.:

 

 

a) enabled users of www.guidestar.org to obtain some level of information on all 1.9 million tax exempt organizations registered with the IRS, including 5.5 million 990 images.

 

 

b) provided information about the programs and finances of the nation’s charitable organizations at no charge for 98% of its users.

 

 

c) increased the reach of GuideStar Exchange, a platform for nonprofits to share information, including how a donor can help.

 

 

d) served as a valuable source of nonprofit data to hundreds of reporters.

Program Short-Term Success:

In 2010, 8,082 nnprofits received the GuideStar Exchange seal, reflecting that they met the GuideStar transparency standards. Additionally, 22,196 nonprofits had reports posted that were less than 12 months old.

Program Success Monitored by:

GuideStar has a robust impact measurement system in place.

Program Success Examples:

In 2010, GuideStar enabled users of www.guidestar.org to obtain some level of information on all 1.9 million tax exempt organizations registered with the IRS, including 5.5 million 990 images.

 

 

Program: Encouraging Charitable Giving

Budget:
$790,367
Category:
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
Population Served:
General Public/Unspecified

Program Description:

Encouraging charitable giving. The philanthropic sector relies on public interest in philanthropy and public trust in nonprofit organizations to encourage charitable giving. GuideStar USA, Inc. builds public trust through its on-line distribution of data on the tax and legal status, financial data, and compensation practices of nonprofits, and through informal information provided by participants in its on-line communities of interest. In 2010, expanded functionality for donors, volunteers and program recipients included the launch of TakeAction. TakeAction combined the power of reading and writing organizational reviews, expert recommendations on highly effective nonprofits, news stories and maps into a searchable database organized around more than 15 specific causes. In addition to providing data on every charity, charitable giving is encouraged by providing convenient on-line giving opportunities. In 2010, more than 7,900 donations totaling $961,206 were made through the GuideStar website.

Program Long-Term Success:

In addition to providing data on every charity, charitable giving is encouraged by providing convenient on-line giving opportunities. In 2010, more than 7,900 donations totaling $961,206 were made through the GuideStar website.

 

 

Program Short-Term Success:

In 2010, expanded functionality for donors, volunteers and program recipients included the launch of TakeAction. TakeAction combined the power of reading and writing organizational reviews, expert recommendations on highly effective nonprofits, news stories and maps into a searchable database organized around more than 15 specific causes.

Program Success Monitored by:

GuideStar has a robust impact measurement system in place.

Program Success Examples:

In 2010, more than 7,900 donations totaling $961,206 were made through the GuideStar website.

 

 

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Funding Needs

GuideStar’s funding model includes a mix of renewable revenue streams from product sales and membership combined with philanthropic grants and contributions.

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Volunteer Needs

GuideStar provides internships for college and graduate students through our partnership with American Humanics and participants in our Edu @ GuideStar program.  GuideStar also offers internships to students from The College of William & Mary, and with colleges and universities all over the country.  These students gain experience in the following disciplines:  communications and marketing, IT and nonprofit support.

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Request for In-Kind Contributions

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News

GuideStar Presents Most Important, Comprehensive Nonprofit Information in a New, Easy-to-Understand Format

January 26, 2012

Information on Financials, Programs, Missions, Expert Reviews, and More Are Now Provided in the Format That Meets Users' Needs

Washington, D.C.—GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information, today announced a new and improved design of its nonprofit reports, with revitalized, comprehensive, and detailed information that focuses on impact and advances transparency to help people who research nonprofits make better, more educated, and more confident decisions. The new nonprofit reports feature a new "Quick View," an informative summary of the most important information about a nonprofit or charity. At a glance, a person can find the IRS registration status of his or her favorite organization, review the availability of IRS Forms 990 and revenue and expense data for that nonprofit, and discover expert and personal reviews of the organization. For an example of this new format, visit GuideStar's own nonprofit report: http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/54-1774039/guidestar-usa.aspx.

GuideStar's landmark Money for Good II study, which was conducted in partnership with Hope Consulting, found that providing better information, transparent packaging, and information from a few trusted sources can produce more informed charitable giving. Specifically, Money for Good II showed that the people who research nonprofits—including donors, nonprofits themselves, and foundation grantmakers—care most about basic program information, legitimacy, impact, and mission objectives as well as finances and individual nonprofits' legal status. Based on these findings, GuideStar spent months testing various formats for displaying these key pieces of data, and the design that received the most positive feedback was used to construct the new nonprofit reports.

"We know from Money for Good II as well as our conversations with those in the philanthropic sector that people don't want us to make evaluations for them about which nonprofits are good and which are bad," said Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar. "Our new nonprofit report format is designed to give you the most important pieces of information about an organization at a glance, so you can be confident that you are giving to or otherwise interacting with a nonprofit that deserves it most."

Anyone who visits www.guidestar.org can see the new nonprofit reports, which include revenue and expense information and other basic organization information. GuideStar's Quick View includes:

  • GuideStar Exchange Seal—A symbol signifying that a nonprofit has completed its GuideStar Exchange profile to the fullest, thus demonstrating its commitment to transparency;
  • IRS Registration Status—Legitimacy information about whether the organization is registered as a tax-exempt entity with the IRS;
  • Evidence of Impact—When available, expert reviews about impact from our TakeAction partners Philanthropedia, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, GiveWell, Innovations for Poverty Action, and Root Cause, which are a great way of assessing an organization's effectiveness in the sector;
  • Impact Statement—Details about the organization's top accomplishments from the past year and top goals for the current year as they relate to programs, management, or finances;
  • Financial Data—Annual revenue and expense information, with insight into an organization's financial standing, as reported to the IRS;
  • Forms 990—Forms 990 from the IRS for information about programs, revenues, and expenses. Approximately one-third of all public charities report information about their finances and operations to the federal government on IRS Form 990;
  • Mission Objectives—Information about the mission, cause, and purpose of the organization; and
  • Average User Rating—A 5-star rating system that indicates what people are saying about the nonprofit, featuring personal reviews from our partner Great Nonprofits.

"We have worked hard to make our nonprofit report pages as easy to use and comprehensive as possible," stated Bernard Palin, a GuideStar product manager, and the person responsible for the testing and implementation of the new design. "Based on Money for Good II findings and testing, our new nonprofit profiles are giving users what they want, how they want it, emphasizing the types of information they desire most."

"GuideStar has focused on making transparency and accountability necessities for the nonprofit sector for a long time," said José Fernández, director of the GuideStar Exchange, an initiative designed to connect nonprofits with current and potential supporters. "Determining whether a nonprofit is transparent about its inner workings has never been easier. With GuideStar's Quick View, a green check mark indicates the availability of critical pieces of information, and a yellow exclamation point lets readers know that the information has not been provided."

"GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving," added Ottenhoff. "With the launch of our new nonprofit profiles, we are delivering on that charge. In this difficult economy, we know that dollars need to go as far as possible, so we hope that people use these crucial pieces of nonprofit data to make sure that they are giving to, volunteering with, and funding the highest-performing nonprofits."

Visit GuideStar's own nonprofit report to see the new format or start your own search by typing in keywords about a nonprofit in the "Start New Search" area at the top of the screen.

About GuideStar

GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, connects people and organizations with information on the programs and finances of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media.

GuideStar Announces Newly Expanded Membership Program

April 03, 2012

Foundations, Corporations, Donors, and Journalists Who Want to Support the
Philanthropic Sector Offered New Tiers of GuideStar Privileges

Release date: April 3, 2012

Washington, D.C.—GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information, today announced the launch of its newly expanded Membership Program. The expanded privileges, new audiences, and tiered pricing structure are a result of more than seven months of research and testing led by Orr Associates, Inc., a premier consultant to the nonprofit sector.

"We listened to a broad set of our partners, clients, and current members, who shared which services they've come to expect, and what they really want from us moving forward," said Lauren Walinsky, GuideStar's membership director. "What they told us is that they want us to continue providing free information to 99 percent of our users. They are willing to financially support that public service, and in exchange, they want better access to our comprehensive information and better visibility on our site. We are happy to provide this expanded Membership Program as an answer to all of these requests, and we are pleased to welcome new supporters into this community.”

Privileges of GuideStar's new Membership Program include:

  • Expertise on Demand—Of particular interest to journalists, members have access to thousands of experts who can help fill knowledge gaps about the nonprofit sector
  • Sponsor Your Favorite Charity—Individual members can sponsor their favorite organizations' nonprofit reports on GuideStar
  • Sponsor Your Grantees' Reports—Foundation and corporate members can sponsor their grantees' nonprofit reports on GuideStar
  • Insider Information—Members are the first to know about upcoming webinars, white papers, and product launches or updates, including complimentary "How To" webinars on GuideStar products and services
  • Hands-On Help—Members get top response priority to questions about GuideStar programs and services, leveraging the power of Philanthropedia, and much more
  • GuideStar Exchange—Foundation and corporate members can invite their grantees to join the GuideStar Exchange, a program designed to connect nonprofits with donors and funders
  • Member Spotlight—All members have access to a quarterly update that highlights recent grants and accomplishments by our members

"We were thrilled to work with GuideStar on the creation of this new Membership Program," stated Dick Walker, managing director of OAI and lead of the team that advised GuideStar. "With their enhanced structure and tiered services, both new and existing members will enjoy GuideStar's renewed emphasis on stewardship and increased sharing of their high-quality, comprehensive nonprofit information."

The new Membership Program supports GuideStar's unique revenue model to focus on funding outside of the federal government, and to make sure it remains sustainable through economic fluctuations. GuideStar has set a financial goal of becoming 95 percent self-sustaining by the end of 2012.

"Our members and their financial support are vital to our work to revolutionize philanthropy and the nonprofit sector," Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar, stated. "Their membership provides them with access to their peers and key influencers in the nonprofit sector, and they can rely on us to help them make more informed funding and giving decisions."

For more information about GuideStar’s Membership Program or for information about the different levels of support, please visit http://www.guidestar.org/rxg/about-us/support-guidestar/membership/index.aspx.

About GuideStar

GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, connects people and organizations with information on the programs and finances of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media.

Financial SCAN: First Online Service to Offer Comprehensive Analysis of Nonprofit Financial Health

April 10, 2012

GuideStar and Nonprofit Finance Fund Partner on New Industry Standard for Interpreting Nonprofit Financial Data

Release date: April 10, 2012

Washington, D.C., and New York, N.Y.—Today GuideStar and Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) launched Financial SCAN (Situation and Comparables ANalysis), the first online platform to provide a comprehensive picture of a nonprofit's financial health. Financial SCAN makes nonprofit data and analysis more consistent and accessible, creating a new industry standard.

Financial SCAN draws data from Forms 990 received directly from the IRS and presents the information in an easy-to-read, shareable format with financial dashboards and graphs, an educational guide, and questions to prompt discussion among nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, donors, and advisors. The platform offers a more complete interpretation of financial health than is currently available, and it focuses on metrics and trends that are most meaningful when assessing an organization's financial strengths and weaknesses.

"Understanding a nonprofit's financial story can be daunting, since the way money flows in and out of the sector is complex and counterintuitive," said Rebecca Thomas, Vice President, Strategy & Innovation, for Nonprofit Finance Fund. "NFF and GuideStar recognized that there was no reliable and easy way to access useful financial information, so we pooled our expertise to address this unmet need in the sector. Financial SCAN provides nonprofit leaders and their supporters and advisors with greater clarity about how to interpret and use this data in decision making and strategy."

"As the leading source of nonprofit information, we saw an opportunity to improve the use of Form 990 data by adding a layer of education and analysis, and we knew NFF was the right partner to help us create this new financial resource," said Lee Glenn, GuideStar's Senior Vice President. "We believe our user-friendly visual tool will become the new industry standard for interpreting nonprofit financial data."

Nonprofit supporters often consider limited financial metrics, such as overhead ratio, when making judgments about which organizations to support. Financial SCAN focuses on ratios and trends that have a far greater influence on a nonprofit's overall financial health and capacity to deliver excellent programs. The analysis can help change the conversation about what it takes for a nonprofit organization to be stable and effective. With just a few clicks, Financial SCAN provides a financial heath dashboard that illustrates five-year trends and ratios for a single nonprofit organization as well as more detailed graphical analyses of a nonprofit's profitability, expense trends, revenue dynamics, balance sheet health, and liquidity. A peer comparison dashboard allows users to review an organization's financials side by side with up to five peer nonprofits of their choice. An educational component interprets the data in the report and poses questions to provoke dialogue about a nonprofit's current situation and future goals.

"This innovative new tool builds the financial management capacity of nonprofits and helps grantmakers engage with their grantees about financial health and funding needs," said Kathy Reich, Director of Organizational Effectiveness Grantmaking at the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. "By creating a new standard for nonprofit financial analysis, Financial SCAN underscores the relationship between strong finances and effective programs."

For more about the benefits and uses of the Financial SCAN report, and for pricing information, visit www.guidestar.org/financialscan. Interested parties are invited to a free webinar on May 3, 2012, to better understand Financial SCAN and its many uses. To register, please visit http://www.guidestar.org/rxg/news/webinars/5-3-12-webinar-nonprofit-financial-health.aspx.

About Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF)

NFF (www.nonprofitfinancefund.org) provides millions of dollars in loans to nonprofits and pushes for fundamental improvement in how money is given and used in the sector. We provide a continuum of financing, consulting, and advocacy service to nonprofits and funders nationwide. From workshops, to one-on-one consulting, to financing, our services are designed to help great organizations stay in balance and grow or innovate when they’re ready.

About GuideStar

GuideStar (www.guidestar.org) connects people and organizations with information on the programs and finances of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media. GuideStar’s mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

 
 

GuideStar is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Copyright © 2012, GuideStar USA, Inc. All rights reserved.