Top 4 Things GiveTeam Reviews When Recommending Nonprofits to Donors
GiveTeam’s goal is to help donors make thoughtful gifts to strong community-based nonprofits in a variety of cause areas, geographic locations, and target communities. Nonprofits often ask us about what we consider when recommending nonprofits and how their organization might position itself to be considered for inclusion in our recommendations.
Our first, most significant consideration is to review which funders recently supported which nonprofits. We review community foundation strategic grantees, private foundation strategic grantees, giving circle grantees, institutional funder grantees, and many more.
Beyond this major requirement, we review many other pieces of information to ensure a good fit for our donors. Here are just a few things we review–the more you can ensure these materials are up-to-date and easy to find, the better!
Keep an updated website. Make sure the information on your website is always up-to-date.
What problem are you trying to solve? What’s your solution? How’s your progress so far? We’re looking for mission, vision, programs, and impact.
Make your most recent annual or impact report easy to find on your website. What are some recent successes you’re proud of? What do your clients say about you? Impactful testimonials and quantitative data help us “tell your story” to donors.
Don’t forget about social media! If you have Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media accounts, make sure that links are easy to find and post regularly on those accounts!
Are there other ways donors can get involved? Make sure that information about board service, volunteer opportunities, local events, and donation wish-lists are up-to-date and easy to find.
List your EIN number early and often! Donors need your tax-exempt IRS EIN# in order to make a donation to your organization. Make it easy to find on your website by featuring it on your homepage as well as in your footer.
Note: If your organization is fiscally sponsored, include language that clearly states: “Fiscally Sponsored by [name of entity], [entity EIN]” and any appropriate designation language and contact information.
How can we reach you? Be sure to keep your “About Us” section updated. Include staff (and board) names, titles, and contact information where appropriate. Real (not just info@) email addresses for key staff (like Development Directors or Executive Directors) are incredibly important. If staff leave, be sure to forward emails and update addresses. Staff photos and short bios are great too.
Keep your GuideStar and Charity Navigator profiles up-to-date. While we do additional in-depth research on each organization we recommend, we (and other donors) often check an organization’s profile on these other nonprofit sites to learn about an organization’s financial health, accountability, and transparency. Much of the information on those sites is self-reported, so it’s a good idea to make sure you are accurately represented.
Don’t like your Charity Navigator score and need help improving it? Submit this form to Charity Navigator to request help–they can help you understand your rating and provide you with tips to improve it.