Candid insights

The big picture of the social sector, backed by data and expertise

Weekend Link Roundup (January 4-5, 2020)

Happy New Year! Before you get back to work for real, check out our weekly roundup of noteworthy items from and about the social sector. For more links to great content, follow us on Twitter at @pndblog.... Climate Change To…

By Mitch Nauffts (he/him)

January 5, 2020

Communities in crisis raise the stakes for sector-wide transparency and information sharing

The inequality and anti-corruption riots of 2019 have taken a dangerous toll on the people of Haiti. Mass demonstrations and violent unrest have resulted in an emerging humanitarian crisis that has left an already-fragile country with acute shortages of food,…

By Skyler Badenoch

January 2, 2020

Why Candid is *not* a watchdog

watchdog—noun. 1: a dog kept to guard property. 2: one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices. —merriam-webster.com You may see Candid referred to as a charity watchdog. We’re not. We don’t rate or evaluate nonprofits. Instead, we…

By Suzanne Coffman (she/her)

January 2, 2020

Your EIN is the Key to Quicker Funding

Update your FDO profile today, identify and tap Past Funders for new grants. As professional fundraisers, you know just how important it is to stay connected to current and previous funders. FDO makes it easier to see who has supported…

December 2, 2019

Garifuna and the 2020 Census

Gilberto Amaya's career in international development has taken him to more than thirty countries, where he has implemented renewable energy systems, agribusiness projects, and poverty alleviation initiatives. Along the way, he witnessed the post-independence struggles of sovereign states whose names…

By Khalil Abdullah

December 2, 2019

Invitation-Only: Closing the Door to Equity?

After more than 20 years of grantmaking in Los Angeles County, you’d think our staff at the Durfee Foundation would know all of the eligible nonprofits in our region. But we don’t. Not long ago, for example, we got a…

By Claire Peeps

November 12, 2019

What types of nonprofits can use fiscal sponsorship?

In the first post in this series, we covered some of the basics around fiscal sponsorship and described the two of the most frequently used models. (If you haven’t read that one yet, you can find it here.) Just as…

By Andrew Schulman (he/him)

November 1, 2019

Hole in the Road to Transparency: People with Disabilities Often Excluded By Foundations & Nonprofits

Philanthropic transparency is vital. But there’s a major challenge – people with disabilities are being excluded by foundations, philanthropy and nonprofits every day. RespectAbility, a nonprofit disability organization, did a major study of close to 1,000 people in the social…

By Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi (she/her)

October 17, 2019

We’ve changed the way we collect and share demographic data!

As we launch a new and improved Demographics section of the Nonprofit Profiles on GuideStar, I’m having a very familiar feeling. In 2014, when GuideStar first launched the Demographics section, I was nervous and excited. We partnered with D5, a five-year…

By Jasmine Marrow (she/her)

September 15, 2019

11 Digital Marketing KPIs That Every Nonprofit Should Be Tracking

Key performance indicators (KPIs) allow you to truly understand your nonprofit’s digital marketing success and make educated decisions about future spending. How do you know your nonprofit’s Google ad campaigns are paying off, if your curated Instagram account is leading…

By Zoe Allen

September 11, 2019

Tap into Donor-advised Funds with FDO

Expert fundraisers recognize that Donor-advised Funds are a growing source of funding for nonprofits. Between 2007 and 2016, assets in DAFs nationwide skyrocketed from $32 billion to $85 billion[1]. You can now prospect research for DAFs easier in FDO. Follow…

August 26, 2019

A Foundation Insider’s 8 Tips to Help You Win Your Next Grant

One of my favorite sections in the revised edition of my book the Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Winning Foundation Grants is called “The Grant Seeker’s Reality Check.” In 10 brief chapters I examine, from the vantage point of one who served for…

May 21, 2019