Mining the Mission | Informed Donors Are More Frequent Donors
As “the trusted philanthropic advisor to more than 1,600 individuals, families, and businesses who want to make a difference in the lives of others through charitable giving,” the Columbus Foundation, located in Ohio’s capital city, makes a pretty good case for its claim of being “your community foundation.” The foundation strengthened its case last week with the launch of PowerPhilanthropy, a searchable database that allows anyone who signs up to get
contact information, details on board members and staff, and organizations’ financial reports. Each nonprofit’s page is linked to a secure donation site that allows users to manage accounts.
The site took three years to put together. It seems like time well spent, and a terrific use of online resources to boost giving. As noted previously in this space, philanthropic trends are toward more openness, not less, and anything that offers donors and potential donors a credible source of information so that they can make informed decisions about where to make their gifts is to be applauded.
Central Ohio’s nonprofit community seems to agree: Nearly 350 nonprofits have posted their profiles on PowerPhilanthrophy. What I like about this effort is not merely that it shines a brighter light on organizations’ inner workings, but that it allows for stronger connections between donors and nonprofits. Users of the site have the chance to identify the organizations whose missions and strategies best meet their own philanthropic goals. And those are the donors who tend to come back with checks — or online gifts — year after year.
“Mining the Mission,” a weekly commentary about nonprofits worthy of praise, appears Thursdays at the 501(c) Files. | 501(c)
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POSTED IN: Accountability, Foundations, Fundraising, Technology, Worth a look
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