The Room40 Group Launches New Philanthropy Report with GuideStar

Report pairs data and analysis with how-to guides to help nonprofits raise more money


Washington, DC, June 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Room40, a consulting and advisory group that works with nonprofit leaders to help their organizations grow, has released The Map of Opportunity: A practical guide to philanthropy in the U.S. in collaboration with GuideStar. With The Map of Opportunity, a nonprofit can learn the total amount of philanthropy in its area and, more importantly, how to use that information to raise more money. 

GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. The report is an example of GuideStar’s continued effort to work with innovative partners to put actionable intelligence in the hands of sector leaders.  “We strive to provide data and analysis to help nonprofits make better decisions,” said Adrian Bordone, vice president for strategic partnerships at GuideStar. “Our collaboration with The Room40 Group is a sensible step in this direction by strengthening fundraising strategy and execution.”

The report shows how philanthropic giving is distributed across the United States, with detailed information about the top 50 markets.  “Philanthropy is incredibly concentrated,” observed George Chu, who led the research project for The Room40 Group. “Individuals, corporations, and foundations in the top 50 metro areas in the country contribute over 60% of all philanthropy. The top 381 metro areas contribute 90% of all private philanthropy.”

The report also includes step-by-step guides for nonprofits. Organizations can harness the report’s data to better understand local philanthropy, assess philanthropic potential, and set better fundraising targets for the coming year.  “The power of data is using it to make better decisions.  We wrote the report to help nonprofits do just that,” observed Anna Fincke, partner at The Room40 Group.  The 180-page report includes 100 pages of data and 80 pages on how to use it.

Lynn Margherio, founder and CEO of Cradles to Crayons, a Boston-based nonprofit with locations in Philadelphia and Chicago, shares her experience: “The Map helped us assess fundraising capacities for new markets and within existing markets. With The Map, we were able to make better-informed decisions more quickly.” 

The Map results from a collaboration between The Room40 Group (www.room40group.com) and GuideStar (www.guidestar.org). The Room40 Group conducts analysis that helps the leadership of nonprofits identify how their organizations can improve, grow, and change. GuideStar maintains the world's largest database and source of information about nonprofit organizations. To learn more about The Map visit learn.guidestar.org/products/room40-map-of-opportunity

About GuideStar

GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, is the world’s largest source of nonprofit information, connecting people and organizations with data on 2.5 million current and formerly IRS-recognized nonprofits. Each year, more than 7 million people, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media, use GuideStar data to make intelligent decisions about the social sector. GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles are populated with information from the IRS, directly from nonprofits, and via other partners in the nonprofit sector. In addition, users see GuideStar data on more than 200 philanthropic websites and applications. GuideStar is itself a 501(c)(3) public charity.

About Room40 Group

A consulting and advisory group, The Room40 Group, www.room40group.com, works with the leadership of nonprofits to help their organizations improve, grow, and change. Recognizing the real resource constraints of nonprofits and the value of learning from others, we formed The Room40 Group to help nonprofit organizations make better decisions, faster, informed by data and the experiences of their peers.

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11a98272-e663-4a10-9e03-94a35a16e693


            
Excerpt showing the distribution and concentrations of philanthropy in the U.S.

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