1. Massachusetts Nonprofit Database: Tools for Nonprofits and Communities
The National Center for Charitable Statistics
A Project of the Urban Institute

2. Key Features and Uses Master List Financial Analyzer
Shared Goods and Services Infrastructure
Mapping Organizations, Programs and Service-Delivery Areas
Community Planning & Analysis
Grassroots Community-Building & the Community Inventory
Flexible,
Meet practical need for nonprofits of all sizes
Open platform – integrate with data from other sources, volunteering, state charity or corporate info, Census demographics

3. Massachusetts Nonprofits: Overview
37,268 registered organizations (2008)
14,261 public charities filing Form 990s
3,269 private foundations filing 990-PFs
5,518 others filing 990s including 501(c)(7) social and recreation clubs, 501(c)(4) “social welfare” and advocacy organizations, 501(c)(19) veteran organizations
Others not registered: congregations, neighborhood associations, community arts

5. Core: Master List
A user can quickly search for any organization based on a number of standard criteria (name, address, size, type) and view a standard report showing the organization’s name, location, size, creation date, and (for most organizations) programs and purpose
Capture information on congregations, informal organizations and government units, too.
Approved users can add new organizations one at a time or upload a list.

10. Financial Analyzer Begin with IRS Form 990 data
Supplement with audited financial statements or other information on operating revenue and expenses, etc.? (We could find in statements submitted by some orgs to State Charity Bureau, or give orgs option to include in their profiles.)‏
Tool for financial management and long-range planning
Organizations can create “peer groups” of similar organizations
Benchmarking. Standard report will compare an organization’s finances (and key financial ratios) with its peer group, field, or organizations of the same size within a field (using the NTEE codes)‏
Build on ratios used in earlier Boston Foundation report
Include executive compensation info?

11. Financial Analyzer: Features
Popup help
Video and written guides to help boards and managers understand basics of financial analysis
Other growth rates - revenues, net assets
Efficiency ratios
Balance sheet ratios
Revenues, expenses, balance sheet

12. Version 2 will also show percentages:
Contributions 52% Program service revenue 30% Membership dues 10% Other %

20. Shared Services Infrastructure
Tools for helping organizations develop partnerships or share resources with other nonprofits, find consultants or other resources
Share HR, accounting, tech. or other “back office” staff or consultants. Share development/fundraising help. (Create a full- time job out of multiple part-time jobs)‏
Find lower cost options for insurance or supplies through bulk purchases (Mass. Nonprofit Network)‏
Possible partners: Mass. CPA Society, VolunteerMatch, BoardNet, Craigslist
Ideal platform could combine “realtime” listings from VolunteerMatch, Craigslist, Boardnet and others

21. Sample Shared Services Screen

22. Service Delivery and Performance
We begin with IRS Form 990 data on programs
Organizations can enhance by creating “service delivery maps” showing where they provide services and more information on the specific type of clients served
Organizations can code their programs and clients using the Nonprofit Program Classification system or NTEE Population codes to make it easy for users to find the right resources, even though organizations may use different language to describe the same service or population served.
Output maps, organization and program lists.

23. Service Delivery and Performance
Compare service delivery in different areas
Combine data from nonprofit organizations with data from congregations, informal organizations, and government
Include standardized measures of program performance from Urban’s Outcome Indicators Project and other sources
Future versions could integrate automatically with outcome measurement systems such as Social Solution’s ETO product.

24. Mapping Tool – Find Org.

25. Show Orgs by Location

27. Map the location of the organization’s main office.
Organization Page
Map the location of the organization’s main office.

28. Map a Service Area
Registered users can map the program and service locations with a few mouse clicks!

29. Community Inventory
Maps show orgs (including congregations and governmental units) and their service delivery areas along with neighborhood and community needs
“Toolkit” to help neighborhoods and communities create community improvement or social capital-building projects:
Identify and prioritize community needs
Find & add nonprofit & government programs or resources
Coordinate efforts among nonprofits: Enlist local congregations and social service organizations to build a new playground, etc.
Sign up volunteers for a park clean-up, tutoring, visiting elderly shut-ins, etc.
Plan events, ranging from cookouts to community services
Research teams & student service learning groups can use to map community & coordinate work

31. KnowledgeBase Resources
“Community Best Practices”: Link to successful or model community projects
Create your checklist of best practices that are viable in your community, then check off those that are in place, those in progress, and those worth exploring for the future
“How to” section linking to resources on community-building

32. Create Project Teams

33. Project Notes & Assignments

34. Advanced users only
Enter Draft Code, Confidence
& Notes

35. Web 2.0: Building a “Go To” Site
Neighborhood needs
Post photos
Mark problems as complete: Red=problem, green=complete! (Like Central Desktop tasklist)‏
“Gold stars” or awards for neighborhood achievements
Ranking level of community engagement
Post photos and videos of accomplishments, events, presentations

36. Building an Open Platform
Data and content could be incorporated from other sources, if providers willing:
Massachusetts Charity Bureau
Mott Foundation GrantsFire
Corp. for National & Community Service
GuideStar
Foundation Center
Idealist, VolunteerMatch
Others?

37. Technical Details
Links Cultural Logic .Net infrastructure to NCCS mysql database
Options:
Separate databases with nightly replication
.Net using odbc or other mysql option
API

38. Conclusion
A cost-effective & practical platform for engaging & connecting Massachusetts citizens and nonprofit organizations
What do you think?