A Month of Giving Thanks

		November 2014 A Month of Giving Thanks  There's always a lot of talk about how our culture has lost sight of the true meaning of the holidays. With one of our favorite, Thanksgiving, approaching fast, we wanted to take the opportunity to list some of the things we're thankful for. Of course that list includes all the donors and funders that pump life into the sector. But we know firsthand that nonprofit work can be hectic and tiring, and rarely glamorous. We get to spend our days helping nonprofits achieve their goals, reach their constituents, and make the world a better place--as a result, we get to see up close all the work that each of you does, and to be inspired by it.  So, to each of you who has chosen to work for a nonprofit, who has plugged names into a database, stayed late to post event photos to your organization's Facebook page, or spent hours crafting an email that perfectly encapsulated your mission, thank you. Thanks for all the work you do. And we're especially thankful for every chance we get to help you with that work... back to top Upcoming Trainings FREE! Five Data Don'ts for Nonprofits November 13, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern.Program data can be very useful--from being able to prove the effectiveness of your programs to providing information to funders. However, there are a few missteps it is important to avoid. In this free class, we will go over five data don'ts that will help you make the most of your information while avoiding common pitfalls. Read more or register >> Visualizing Your Data Through Dashboards November 20, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern. $40.00  Your senior staff and board of directors can benefit from the ability to view high level metrics for your organization, but it’s not obvious how to easily pull such a thing together. We'll outline what has worked for other organizations to define the metrics that should be tracked, strategies for compiling data from different systems, and then possibilities for putting it all together into a visual dashboard. Read more or register >> Digging Into Program DataWednesdays, December 3 - 17, 1:00 - 2:30pmEastern. $95.00 In our increasingly data-driven world, nonprofits need to be able to measure and monitor the effectiveness of their programs more than ever. It’s difficult to improve program services or reach without first understanding what's working and what isn't. Gathering the right data is key.  From how many meals served at your soup kitchen or the number of students in a mentoring program who graduate high school to the percent of your target population without access to affordable housing, being able to track such numbers can help you identify the improvement or impact of your programs or organization. Read more or register >> You received this email because you signed up for Idealware updates. If you are no longer interested in hearing from us, click here to unsubscribe. Idealware | One Pleasant Street, Suite 4E | Portland ME | 04101			SUBSCRIBE If you have received this email second-hand, you can subscribe on the Idealware website. Subscribe Now » DONATE TO IDEALWARE Have Idealware reports and articles saved you time? Money? Allowed you to make better decisions? If so, please donate what they are worth to you and help keep these resources coming. Donate Now » CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to get more software resources, links, and news about Idealware.

Foundation Center Launches Free Search Tool

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Cheryl Loe Communications Project Manager The Foundation Center (888) 356-0354 ext. 701 communications@foundationcenter.org
Foundation Center Launches Free Search Tool Nonprofits Gain a Powerful New Fundraising Research Tool New York, NY — September 16, 2013. The Foundation Center, the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide, has launched Foundation Directory Online (FDO)Free, an online tool that dramatically expands public access to the Center's authoritative collection of foundation information. At no cost, users can search the basic profiles and IRS Forms 990-PF of nearly 90,000 grantmakers, less than 7 percent of which have web sites of their own. This resource benefits the entire social sector by putting critical data at anyone's fingertips. FDO Free is the newest member of the Center's premier Foundation Directory Online suite of fundraising research tools, which provide even deeper access to a wealth of detailed, structured grantmaking information that successful grantseekers have relied upon for decades. With FDO Free, users can search for grantmaking foundations and find their contact information, fields of interest, financial data, and program priorities. The Center has also released an FDO Free search "widget" that can be embedded on any web site to further widen access. Unique to this new tool is how it enables users to search by keyword across the entire text of the IRS Forms 990-PF for all independent grantmaking foundations. "While the IRS may someday make foundations' 990 returns available in machine-readable open format," said Bradford K. Smith, the Foundation Center's president, "‘someday’ isn’t soon enough for the millions of nonprofit organizations who are tackling the world’s most pressing problems. FDO Free makes it possible to search the raw data on the IRS forms today, alongside additional information that has been cleaned and organized by the Center's professional staff.” Together, these produce a powerful fundraising tool that helps nonprofits find the grants they need and is completely accessible to social entrepreneurs, researchers, or anyone else who wants to know about how America's foundations contribute to the public good. Initiatives to expand the amount of free data and information the Foundation Center makes available are in keeping with its mission to strengthen the social sector by advancing knowledge about philanthropy in the U.S. and around the world. FDO Free also contributes to the goal of connecting nonprofits to the resources they need to thrive, part of the Foundation Center 2020 strategic plan. FDO Free is available at http://fdo.foundationcenter.org. About the Foundation Center Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230. View Press Releases The Foundation Center • 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003 • (212) 620-4230