Weekend in Boca VI From Accountability to Impact May 17, #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

A Little About Me –Communications Director –Manage GuideStar’s public relations, media relations and social media work –GuideStar project lead on Money for Good: –Contact me at or #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

GuideStar’s Mission To revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that: advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving. 3 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

User and evaluation data (via GNP, P-pedia, GW,etc) Tax data (via IRS) Nonprofit information (GuideStar Exchange) Programmatic information (DonorEdge partnerships) Users GuideStar Data GuideStar Collects 4 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Today’s Agenda 1.Learn how donors and funders behave and research nonprofits today 2.Learn what these groups want in terms of information on nonprofits 3.Learn what nonprofits can do based on this information to improve their fundraising and operations 5 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

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. Is Overhead Dead? 6 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle Low Pay, Make Do, Do Without Culture Underfunding of Overhead Funder Unrealistic Expectations 7 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Greater demand for transparency and accountability Greater personal engagement in philanthropy Greater demand for data on which to base decisions The Era of Assumed Virtue is Over 8 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Money for Good 9 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Money for Good 10 Only 1/3 of donors research~5% research to find the best NPO #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Money for Good II 11 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

New Nonprofit Report Design 12 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

The Truth About Watchdogs 13 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 14 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 1.Focus on impact. The unmet need. Show how well you are achieving your goals 2.Chart your impact. Answer five key questions that will bring you and your donors clarity on your approach and accomplishments. For more go to Update / complete your GuideStar Exchange profile at Use GreatNonprofits to gather input from stakeholders at

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. 16

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. 17 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 1.Focus on impact. The unmet need. Show how well you are achieving your goals 2.Chart your impact. Answer five key questions that will bring you and your donors clarity on your approach and accomplishments. For more go to Update / complete your GuideStar Exchange profile at Use GreatNonprofits to gather input from stakeholders at

Gather Input from Stakeholders Individual Reviews Yelp-like reviews written by individuals in the community Collects individual reviews and provides a 1-5 star rating for each organization 19 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Stakeholder Reviews 20 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Expert Reviews 21 Assessments about nonprofits made by sector experts or third party research groups that focus on analyzing the impact an organization is having. #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 1.Lead with impact and competence. Donors want to be sure their money isn’t being wasted and that you are making a difference. They look to NPOs to find that info 2.Highlight third party accolades, like Philanthropedia, GreatNonprofits, Charity Navigator 3.Update your GuideStar Exchange profile. You can link directly to it and it will populate many other portals. 22

Celebrate Your Success! 23

What is the GuideStar Exchange? Comprehensive database of nonprofit information Designed to connect nonprofits with current and potential supporters –Millions of people come to GuideStar to learn more about nonprofits each year Allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with grantmakers, potential donors and volunteers 24 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

The Power of Your Data 25 IRS, GuideStar Exchange, Other Partners GuideStar Clients and Partners

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It 26 “[Online] fundraising is built upon GuideStar. Change.org, Network for Good, and Facebook Causes (just to name a few) are pulling your organization's information from GuideStar...donations made to your organization are mailed to the address listed in GuideStar! Nonprofits need to understand the importance of keeping their GuideStar entry current." #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Congratulations Office Depot Foundation! 27

GuideStar Exchange Benefits In exchange for the information they provide, Exchange members receive The GuideStar Seal on their nonprofit report, and ability to display it on your website and print materials Access to our Promotional Tool Kit, which includes a sample press release, , and social media posts to promote your GuideStar Exchange Seal Access to an embeddable Search Toolbar for your supporters that will allow them to donate $0.01 to you every time they do a search online Special 20% discount on online development training First access registration for GuideStar webinars 28 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Claim Your GuideStar Exchange Form 29 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

New Fluid, Easy-to-Use Interface 30 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 1.Know your donors. Donors are a diverse group and not everyone is going to be the right fit for your message. Make sure that you are talking to the right groups 2.Target your message. Make sure you tell your story in a way that appeals to each groups 3.Follow up. Thank your donors and let them know what you did with the money and how you are improving what you do. Don’t ruin it by asking for more 31

Know Your Donors 32 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Collect, Communicate, Connect 1.Know your donors. Donors are a diverse group and not everyone is going to be the right fit for your message. Make sure that you are talking to the right groups 2.Target your message. Make sure you tell your story in a way that appeals to each groups 3.Follow up. Thank your donors and let them know what you did with the money and how you are improving what you do. Don’t ruin it by asking for more 33

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Collect, Communicate, Connect 35 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

More Money for More Good Guidebook –Info: In-depth findings on how individual donors, advisors, and grant-makers use information today, and are likely to use information tomorrow –Insights: How nonprofits can increase fundraising and help create a more effective sector –Applications: Case studies of organizations that use information to drive donor engagement –Tips: 10 tips to help nonprofits collect better information, communicate their story, and connect with donors 36 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

QUESTIONS? 37 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca

Thank You! Lindsay J.K. Nichols +GuideStar GuideStar GuideStarUSA GuideStar GuideStar Blog: 38 #OfficeDepotFndnBoca