Trusted Nonprofit IntelligenceG U I D E S TA R E N T E R P R I S E S O L U T I O N S

“GuideStar runs the definitive Web site for easily searching nonprofit information.

GuideStar Charity Check was very useful in my giving activities because I did not have to wade through

... IRS Publication 78 and all its amendments to validate a charity’s nonprofit status.”

greatnonprofits.org, user review

“GuideStar’s data service is a quality addition to the portfolio of data that we display for our clients.

Sales people are better prepared for meetings with clients that are not in the public sector. Traditionally,

it has been difficult to get this information, particularly in health care. The number of public hospitals

is very small, and obtaining information on non-public hospitals has been very difficult.

GuideStar is filling a gap that is very important to sales people.”

bruce brien, ceo, stratascope inc.

“GuideStar has been a valuable part of the Firstgiving service. The GuideStar database provides

confidence to fundraisers and donors using Firstgiving that they are helping the cause that they care

about. We have found the availability and quality of the service to be outstanding. “

mark sutton, president and ceo, firstgiving

GuideStar Enterprise Solutions gives you the nonprofit

intelligence you need and the tools to make that infor-

mation work for you. Through GuideStar Enterprise

Solutions, you gain access to a wealth of information

about U.S.-based nonprofit (NPO) organizations.

The GuideStar database provides unmatched breadth

and depth: it is the nation’s most comprehensive source

of information about U.S. nonprofits that the Internal

Revenue Service (IRS) has declared tax exempt under

Section 501(c) of the U.S. tax code. Unlike watchdog

groups that focus on a limited group of organizations,

GuideStar compiles information about every public

charity, every private foundation, and every other

501(c) organization–more than 1.7 million nonprofits

in all. In addition to financial data, the GuideStar

database contains qualitative information about the

missions, management teams, and programs of hundreds

of thousands of nonprofits.

G U I D E S T A R E N T E R P R I S E S O L U T I O N S

Data Sources

The GuideStar database includes information

from the following data sources:

IRS Business Master File (BMF): The IRS BMF lists

all tax-exempt organizations registered with the IRS.

IRS Publication 78: Also known as the Cumulative List of

Organizations, IRS Publication 78 is a quarterly publication

that lists all organizations to which charitable contributions

are tax deductible.

IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-PF: Financial information

from these annual information returns is digitized and then

uploaded into the GuideStar database, providing the

most-up-to-date information available on tax-exempt nonprofits.

GuideStar has more than 2 million digitized IRS forms—

several years’ worth of Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-PF

records for most organizations. Approximately 300,000 forms

are digitized annually.

GuideStar Exchange Program: GuideStar is the only U.S.

organization that collects, manages, and publishes illuminating

qualitative information from more than 127,000 charitable

organizations. Details concerning NPO missions, programs,

needs, and volunteer opportunities allow nonprofits to “tell their

story” by completing the GuideStar Exchange Form. Nonprofits

use the Exchange Form to add video and logos to create more

engaging GuideStar reports.

GuideStar Business Master File (BMF): The GuideStar BMF

contains all organizations in the IRS BMF as well as churches

and other tax-exempt nonprofits that do not appear in the IRS

BMF because they are not required to register with the IRS.

Critical nonprofit information—including name, address, EIN,

gross income, assets, ruling year, fiscal year, mission, whether the

organization files a Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF, and NTEE

(National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities) code—is housed within

the GuideStar BMF. The GuideStar BMF is refreshed regularly

with IRS BMF updates and information nonprofits voluntarily

provide through the GuideStar Exchange Program.

G U I D E S T A R E N T E R P R I S E S O L U T I O N S

“GuideStar Charity Check is used systematically by American Electric Power’s seven operating units in 11

states to ensure consistent and rigorous pre-grant due diligence is conducted for the American Electric

Power Foundation and for corporate giving. Charity Check’s ability to quickly verify charitable status and

identify supporting organizations allowed the AEP Foundation to efficiently process and distribute more

than $11 million in grants in 2007. Having vetted these grantees through Charity Check, we have a

documented, date and time stamped report verifying this important due diligence step. Charity Check

has helped the AEP Foundation maintain a reasonable turnaround time for distributions–managing the

interval between application receipt and final distribution is much more predictable thanks to the

reliability of Charity Check’s verification solution.” community relations manager, american electric power

G U I D E S T A R E N T E R P R I S E S O L U T I O N S

GuideStar Enterprise Solutions Portfolio

Designed for professional use, GuideStar Enterprise Solutions supports several integration methodologies to deliver robust GuideStar nonprofit data:

Web Services GuideStar delivers data by Web link or Web service call via variable search input criteria.

Hosted SolutionsGuideStar provides the infrastructure, development, and resources for a fully hosted on-line solution.

Enterprise Data IntegrationGuideStar delivers custom data sets for integration or aggregation with clients’ business applications and other data sources.

Subscription ServicesGuideStar delivers its core product portfolio (GuideStar Premium, Charity Check, and the Nonprofit Compensation Report) for 11 or more enterprise seats.

Matching and VerificationGuideStar delivers matching and verification services that compare client-provided data sets with the GuideStar database to verify nonprofit status and append data fields.

More than 7,000 businesses now rely on GuideStar’s nonprofit intelligence to drive their research, analysis, and due-diligence efforts.

GuideStar at a Glance

- Founded in 1994

- More than 1.7 million nonprofits in the GuideStar database- More than 127,000 members in the GuideStar Exchange that voluntarily contribute additional information beyond IRS listings- More than 3.7 million Form 990 images in the GuideStar database- More than 2 million digitized IRS records in the GuideStar database- 10.8 million annual visits to the GuideStar Web site - More than 1.2 million registered users- 246,865 GuideStar Newletters suscribers- Executives who are key members of sector initiatives and advisory committees, including the National Center for Charitable Statistics and the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector- Honored with InfoCommerce’s Model of Excellence Award - GuideStar products and services listed on the General Services Administration (GSA)’s Financial and Business Solutions Schedule

Sample Clients

- Altria Corporate Services- Association of Small Foundations- Bank of America- Blackbaud- Boeing Company- CareerSearch- Causes on Facebook- Change.org- Commerce Bancorp, Inc.- CompuMentor, Inc.- Eclipsys Corporation- Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund- Firstgiving- Foundation Source- GoodCircle, LLC- Google, Inc.- Grenzebach Glier and Associates- Harvard University- Investigative Editors and Reporters, Inc.- JP Morgan Chase- JustGive- Kintera, Inc.- LexisNexis

- Mercer Human Resources- Merrill Lynch- Meyer Memorial Trust- MicroEdge, Inc.- Microsoft Corporation- Nature Conservancy- Network for Good- Nonprofit Finance Fund- PayPal, an eBay Company- Philanthropy Fund of America- San Francisco Foundation- Schwab Charitable Fund- Stratascope Inc.- T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving- Travelers Companies, Inc.- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development- United eWay- United Way of the National Capital Area- Wachovia Corporation- WealthEngine- Wells Fargo- Wyeth- Yale University

GuideStar provides nonprofit information and research and analysis tools to more than 7,000 businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits. Our clients include:

Copyright © 2008, Philanthropic Research, Inc. All rights reserved. GuideStar is the registered trademark and operating name of Philanthropic Research, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 04/08

About GuideStarConnecting people and organizations with information on the

programs and finances of more than 1.7 million IRS-recognized

nonprofits, GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the

nonprofit sector, including individuals, donors, nonprofit leaders,

grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media.

For more information about GuideStar Enterprise Solutions,

call 800.421.8656 or e-mail enterprisesolutions@guidestar.org

www.guidestar.org