Connecting Your Vision to the Donor Community

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Connecting Your Visionto the Donor Community

• Bob Ottenhoff
• President and CEO
• GuideStar
• May 13, 2003

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Mission

• Revolutionizing philanthropyand nonprofit
  practices through information

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About GuideStar

• Founded in 1994
• Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC
• 44 person team
• Operates free public research library supported
  by grants from foundations, corporations, and
  individuals
• Offers products and services to help you do your
  job more efficiently and effectively

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Two Primary Sources of Database

• Extensive information filed with the IRS from
  over 850,000 nonprofit organizations
• Additional information provided by 75,000
  participating nonprofits

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GuideStars Public Library
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GuideStar Home Page
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GuideStar EZ
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GuideStar Plus
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(No Transcript)
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Who uses GuideStar?

• Nonprofit Organizations
• Service Providers to Nonprofits Donors
• Grantmakers from Community, Private or
  Corporate Foundations
• Academic Researchers
• Donors/Volunteers
• Job Seekers
• Government Employees
• Media

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WHY VISITORS COME TO GUIDESTAR
Source GuideStar User Survey March 2003
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Data Freshness

• Upload a new Business Master File 10-11 times
  year

• Add Form 990 images year-round, as they arrive
  from the IRS

• Digitize information from Forms 990 and 990-EZ
  year-round, as they arrive from the IRS

• Individual nonprofits update their information
  daily

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Form 990 Data Flow
GuideStar Posts All PDF Images Online
GuideStar Converts TIFF Images to PDF Format and
Digitizes (Keypunches) Information into Database
IRS Scans 990s Ships TIFF Image Tapes to
GuideStar
250,000 Nonprofits File Their Forms 990 with IRS
GuideStar Serves Data Needs of Most Audiences
NCCS Serves Academic Researchers
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Making your Form 990 Ready for Prime Time Your
990 Strategic Plan
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Your IRS Form 990 online

• think of the Form 990 and your GuideStar
  Report as marketing tools!

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Donors want to know Where will my money go?
Millions of Independent Auditors Accessing
information on-line
Funders want to know Is this a good investment?
Regulators want to know Is the organization in
compliance?
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the best way to determine where a charitys
resources are going is by looking at its 990 form
required by the IRS
Andrew Chang abcNEWS.com February 27, 2003
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Strategically Craft Your Form 990 Message

• The culture, values, core capacities, and
  direction of your organization
• Your organizations image to internal and
  external audiences
• Your organizations benefit to society

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Use Your 990 to Detail

• The NEED your organization meets
• Your SOLUTION to the NEED
• PROOF the SOLUTION meets the NEED

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Use Facts, Figures, and Graphs to Illustrate the
Need

• Historical data
• Demographics
• Projected trends

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Demonstrate Your Solution to theNeed

• Explain HOW your organization solves the NEED
• State your organizations VALUES
• Thoroughly describe WHY someone should fund your
  organization

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Prove Your Solution Works

• Maximize the opportunity in Part III to prove
  your programs are effective
• Utilize attachments to provide evidence
• Demonstrate the potential for continuing success
  of the program(s)

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The Form 990 -- Part III

• Primary Exempt Purpose
• This should correspond directly to your
  organizations mission
• Service Accomplishments
• Not enough room. Use your GuideStar Report
  to tell the full story
• Expenses
• What does it cost to carry out
  theseaccomplishments?
• Grants
• Funds provided for the program

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Form 990 Part IIIExample 1
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Form 990 Part IIIExample 2
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Form 990 Part IIIExample 3
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Details, details, details

• you only have one chance to make a first
  impression.

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990 Bloopers
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Details available on request
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Altering the Form
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Legibility Strike-outs
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Part III Statement of Exempt Purpose
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Private Information Buried in Document Becomes
Public
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Bank Account Numbers
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Scholarship Recipients Names Home Addresses
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Scholarship Recipients Social Security Numbers
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Daily Accounting Ledger Too Much Information
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990 Tips - 1

• Protect your organizations address when
  necessary
• Protect the privacy of your officers, directors,
  trustees, and key employees
• Mask all banking and Social Security numbers

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990 Tips - 2

• Get the most out of Part III
• Have your senior staff, board, and communications
  department review your Form 990
• Send the form with all attachments to the IRS
  offices in Ogden, Utah

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Use GuideStar to Leverage Your 990 Data

• Bring donors up-to-date
• Provide context for your 990
• Tell the whole story

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GuideStar Site Tour

• www.guidestar.org
• www.guidestar.com

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GuideStar EZ
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GuideStar Plus
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Enter your search criteria here
Advanced Search Page
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Search Results
Click on the organization name for their
GuideStar Report
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Summary Page
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Mission and Programs
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Goals and Results
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Contact Information
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Financials
Financial information is primarily derived from
IRS documents
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Board of Directors
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IRS Forms 990
Click on the year to view the PDF of the Form 990
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IRS Form 990 Image
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So, what does this mean for you?
Let GuideStar help you! Complete your GuideStar
information Form
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Your GuideStar Information

• Describe the Organization
• One-sentence description
• Share the Mission
• Organizational mission and purpose
• Highlight Programs
• Operating programs and fulfillment of
  mission
• Promote Accomplishments
• Results and self-assessment
• Publicize Objectives
• Goals and plans
• Showcase Financial Information Form 990, 990-EZ,
  990-PF, GBFS

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Whats in It for You?

• GuideStar participation provides
• FREE on-line donations
• FREE on-line communications tools
• FREE on-line classified ads
• FREE on-line transparency and accountability

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SumInput
Your GuideStar Information

• On 17 Web sites, including these donation
  vehicles
• AOLTW Workplace Giving
• JustGive
• Network for Good
• Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
• The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving
• T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving

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On-line Giving Partner Sites

• Network for Good
• JustGive

Your GuideStar Report on these sites!
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Link to your organizations site
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Create an On-line Newsletter
Easy-to-use newsletter template a GREAT way to
communicate with donors and the community!
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Issue On-line News Releases
Lists most recent and archived releases
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Post an On-line Classified Ad
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GuideStars Fee-Based Products and Services
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Products and Services

• Charity Check
• Analyst Reports
• Compensation Report
• GuideStar for Grantmakers
• Data Services
• Private Label
• Public Sponsorship

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Charity Check

• For Grant Managers to verify nonprofit
  organizations exempt status
• No need to check the blue book
• One click from GuideStar Report to Publication 78
  to Weekly Bulletins

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Charity Check
IRS Pub 78
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Analyst Reports

• Financial analyses on individual charities
• Based on 990 data
• Over 160,000 reports available
• Up to 5 years of information presented
• Peer comparisons

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GuideStar Analyst Report
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GuideStar Compensation Reports
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GuideStar for Grantmakers
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GuideStar Data Services
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Private Label
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Nonprofits go to GuideStar to

• Demonstrate accountability and transparency
• Collect on line donations
• Communicate with your community
• Issue a Press Release
• Post a Classified Ad

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In conclusion

• Look at your IRS Form 990 from a donors
  perspective so you can bring them up to date on
  your organization
• Provide context on GuideStar to enhance your 990
  information
• Put the power of GuideStar to work by updating
  your GuideStar Report tell your whole story

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The National Database of Nonprofit Organizations

• 757-229-4631
• customerservice_at_guidestar.org