March 2003

Nobody is comfortable in a time of war. Distress affects our lives, without regard for personal involvement or political beliefs. We can agree, though, that thousands of people suddenly find themselves in critical need of help. Fortunately, the nonprofit sector heeds that call: there are many different groups that make it their mission to support folks of all ages and needs, at home as well as abroad.

GuideStar, the national database on charities, is a valuable reference tool where you can find out about nonprofits that are offering this support and maybe contribute to their efforts in one way or another. On GuideStar, you can look up these organizations and find out who they are, what they do with their donations, how to contact them, and more.

The GuideStar database features information on foundations and charities. The vast amount of data and the wide range of represented groups make this Web site so useful—but these qualities can also make the search for a specific nonprofit a bit challenging.

If you're new to GuideStar, here are some tips to make your search easier:

• If you want to search for a specific nonprofit, go to the home page and click on Advanced Search. Enter the name of the organization in the Nonprofit Name field and click Search.
  
  If you receive too many results, narrow your search by adding a state, city, or zip code. If you have trouble finding what you are looking for, take a look at our Search Tips.
  
  
• If you want to search for a nonprofit involved in a certain cause, go to the home page and click on Advanced Search. There are several options for beginning your search:
  
  
  • You can enter your focus of interest in the Keywords field
  • You can select a Category from the pull-down menu
  • You can choose the NTEE code that most closely matches the type of organization you're looking for
  
  You can narrow your search by using a combination of these fields, by adding state, city, or zip code.
  
  
• If you want to make a contribution to an organization, GuideStar is an excellent place to begin your research. If you're not sure where to start, our For Donors section offers helpful information on giving wisely.
  
  Once you've found an organization you wish to support, you can visit one of our on-line giving partners, www.NetworkforGood.org or www.JustGive.org and make a credit card donation.

Still can't find what you're looking for? E-mail info@guidestar.org.