Improving the Nonprofit Information Marketplace

Good information leads to good decisions, ultimately leading to greater impact.

Good information is a vital part of good decision-making. In the business world, investors use a variety of data to help them decide where to put their money. In the world of charitable giving, as donors look to invest in people and programs, the necessary information isn't always as accessible or reliable.

For that reason, the Philanthropy Program works to strengthen the online marketplace of information-ways for donors to compare potential grantees and learn more about their goals, strategies, performance, and progress.

For example, the Hewlett Foundation made a grant to support an alliance between DonorEdge, an initiative that provides detailed information on the performance of local nonprofit organizations, and GuideStar, a database of the nation's 1.4 million nonprofits. 

The Foundation also hired the consulting firm McKinsey & Company to research the current marketplace and offer a roadmap for making it stronger and more effective. To read the report, The Nonprofit Marketplace: Bridging the Information Gap in Philanthropy, and to engage in a discussion about the nonprofit marketplace, visit www.givingmarketplaces.org.

The Effective Philanthropy Group is not accepting unsolicited Letters of Inquiry for its Nonprofit Marketplace grantmaking.