New WebTools from NCCS

Linda Lampkin & Tom PollakCenter on Nonprofits and Philanthropy

at the Urban Institute

ARNOVA Annual ConferenceDenver

November 2003

National Center for Charitable Statistics -- NCCS

• Founded 1980; moved to Urban Institute in 1996 from Independent Sector

• What we do:– Nonprofit data – Classification systems – Research

• Work with IRS and other partners to develop and maintain high quality data on the nonprofit sector

NCCS Files

• 140 different data files available• All tax exempt organizations -- Business Master

Files from IRS• Based on IRS Forms 990 -- Core Files, GuideStar-

NCCS Database, IRS Statistics of Income Samples• Others

– Unified Database of Arts Organizations; Individual Taxpayer Charitable Giving Data; List of “501(h) electors”(those that report advocacy expenses under special IRS rules)

NCCS Data Goals

• Produce cleaned, checked, organized datasets

• Make them easy to access and use

• Promote research and encourage use of data

• Provide assistance to researchers

How to Achieve?

• Simple way for researchers to access and acquire data

• Use what you want, when you want, in the format you need

• Serve range of research questions– “How many nonprofits are there?” – “What are the differences in sources of

revenues among various types of nonprofits?”

Answer: The Web

• Use technology to ease access for the simpler questions that are more frequently asked

• Create web-based tool that will enable researchers to answer more complex questions and create their own datasets

At http//:nccs.urban.org

• Available to all:– Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)– Information on all databases (public charities,

private foundations, other tax exempt orgs) – Current projects (research on administrative

costs at www.coststudy.org; efforts to improve data quality at www.qual990.org and e-file Form 990 at www.form990.org)

New at nccs.urban.org

• New tools for use of National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE)– Key word search– Manual– Clusters of codes

• Similar tools for Nonprofit Program & Beneficiary Classification System (NPC) to analyze nonprofit activities

• Links, IRS Forms and Instructions• Guide to NCCS Data and KnowledgeBase • Fact Sheets and Geographic Profiles of the

Nonprofit Sector• The DataWeb

Additional Web Resources

• Answers to standard questions– How many nonprofits and where? – What are total revenues, expenses, assets?– By type of nonprofit (NTEE)– By size grouping (revenues, expenses, assets)

• Aggregate tables, not individual records

Fact Sheets

• Geographic Distribution– By state, county

• For public charities, private foundations, other tax exempt organizations

• Aggregate tables, not individual records

Geographic Profiles

• DataWeb– Find answers to more detailed inquiries– Use multiple data files– Download individual organizational records

• DataWeb creator Tom Pollak will show you how!

For Those Who Need More

Complex Filters

MySQL SQL database is behind the scenes: Hundreds of functions available.

Classification Tools

• NTEE organization-level classification– National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities

• Nonprofit Program Classification (NPC)– 1 mil.+ programs

• Online search by keyword

Input Tools

• Classification Review interface (NTEE, NPC, and National Standard)

• Record Editor for making changes to individual records

• NCCS Approval Process required before changes become effective

• Semi-automated posting of “batches” of new or updated records by researchers and other partners

Got Data?

Getting Started

• Become a registered user at http://nccs.urban.org or email nccs@ui.urban.org

• One-Minute Tours on the Data Web• Guide to Using NCCS Data