What information is available on a nonprofit websites?
Be sure to find the nonprofits official website. Nonprofits usually have top domains of .org, .net, and .np.
Internet search tip: include a site filter in your search. For example: "Just Food" site:.org
The nonprofit's tried to follow best practices for the content and layout of the website. Information you can expect to find:
Mission/Vision
History
Leadership/Organizational Structure
Goals/Purpose
Financials (Annual reports, 990 Filings)
News releases
Events/activites
How to donate
How to volunteer
and more...
Find and Learn about Specific Nonprofits
Listed below are organizations that make it easier to discover and learn about nonprofits. Most provide a variety of search options such as keyword, nonprofit by type, location/geographic scope, and income. Several are also watchdog organizations that monitor and evaluate nonprofits.
- Give.org | Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
The Better Business Bureau provides report cards on non-profits to allow donors to compare non-profits and also makes its grading standards available to non-profits so they can understand the grading rubric. - Charity Navigator
You can narrow the keyword search results by using several different filter such as location, category, size and rating. You can also use the advance search option. Charity Navigator's rating system examines two broad areas of a charity's performance; their Financial Health and their Accountability & Transparency. - Great Nonprofits
This organization provides social media tools "that allow people to find, review, and share information about great -- and perhaps not yet great -- nonprofits and charities." - Guidestar
In GuideStar evaluates the "transparency" of non-profits. Transparency ratings appear as platinum, gold, silver or bronze. Learn more about GuideStar's transparency best practices at https://learn.guidestar.org/hubfs/Docs/2017-GuideStar-Profile-Standard.pdf. - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
You can search for nonprofits by keywords, location, 10 broad classifications. You can also access 990 filings for many nonprofits.
Watchdogs
Watchdog groups/organizations monitory the activities of nonprofits. This guides provides access to some to the most common go to watchdog organizations that donors rely on for evaluation of values such as of transparency, mission impact, and fiscal responsibility.
Learn more about more watchdog organizations:
Giving So It Counts. (2015). Consumer Reports, 80(12), 23.
Norris, S. (2016). Who Watches the Charity Watchdogs? NonProfit Pro, 14(3), 16-21.