Press release (Nov. 30, 2011) — GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information, and Hope Consulting, a boutique strategy consulting firm, today announced the results of a new study, Money for Good II (MFGII), that shows if nonprofits and information providers are able to provide donors, advisors, and foundation grant-makers with the information that they want, where and how they want it, these donors would consider shifting up to $15 billion in charitable dollars to higher-performing nonprofits.
Every day, almost every American is touched by a nonprofit organization in some way, whether a loved one is treated for a health concern or uses a service that is being offered in their community. Almost all Americans make a contribution each year, and half of all Americans volunteer.
In this tough economic climate, when people are struggling to make ends meet and nonprofits are dealing with declining funding even as demand for their services is growing, it’s imperative that hard-earned dollars result in the most value. MFGII provides actionable information that nonprofits, information providers, and others who care about giving can use to provide Americans with the right information on nonprofits, where and how they want it.
“As Money for Good II concludes, if we can change just five percent of charitable giving behavior, we can potentially move $15 billion to those nonprofits that deserve it most,” said Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar. “This research gives an organization like ours, which provides comprehensive, trusted nonprofit information, an opportunity to do a better job in presenting and prioritizing the data.”
Money for Good II Findings
MFGII shows that while just a third of individual donations are researched today, more donors could be influenced to research if they had better information in more transparent and clear formats. The research shows that it is possible to influence about five percent of donations each year, which can lead to a shift in $15 billion in charitable donations. Some of the key findings of the research:
• Individual donors research only a third of their charitable donations, whereas those that advise donors and foundation grant-makers research almost every donation they make;
• Despite these different behaviors, the groups have similar preferences for research. Specifically:
