Introducing Gov@GuideStar

Federal, state, and local governments play three critical roles in the nonprofit sector: they provide 71 percent of program service funds through grants and contracts, they oversee organizations that report $1.1 trillion in revenues and $1.9 trillion in total assets, and they set public policy that establishes the ground rules in which the sector operates. Now GuideStar has launched Gov@GuideStar to help government decision makers do their jobs more quickly and easily.

"More than 15,000 government users already rely on GuideStar," said Robert Ottenhoff, GuideStar's president and CEO. "They've told us that they need advanced tools that are easy to use and that will help them make better decisions concerning the nonprofit sector. Gov@GuideStar was designed specifically for federal, state, and local government grantmakers, regulators, policy analysts, and others who need quick and accurate information about nonprofit organizations."

Gov@GuideStar offers a suite of tools developed specifically for government users. These tools enable government departments and agencies to work more effectively and efficiently in these vital areas:

Pre-grant due diligence—Gov@GuideStar empowers agencies to screen prospective grant recipients.
Policy review and analysis—Gov@GuideStar searches through mountains of data to reveal new patterns.
Regulatory compliance and oversight—Gov@GuideStar increases confidence in the integrity of charities and other nonprofits.

Gov@GuideStar features three on-line paid search packages designed to meet the needs of a variety of government agencies. Discounts are available for combinations of packages and for multiple users within an agency. The offerings are:

GovGateway

GovGateway simplifies due diligence with one search. GovGateway offers:

One-click verification of a nonprofit's exempt status
Access to current information from IRS Publication 78
Descriptions of a nonprofit's mission, programs, and activities
Up to 8 years of official IRS Forms 990
Up to 8 years of customized GuideStar financial records
Documents provided by a nonprofit to demonstrate best practices

GovGateway Plus GovInsights

GovGateway plus GovInsights supplements GovGateway with powerful search tools that:

Provide greater detail for every search
Retrieve detailed information on a nonprofit's performance
Drill down into IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF for important disclosures
Track private foundation support for every nonprofit
Access key performance ratios
Organize data in comprehensive report pages
Create dynamic charts and graphs to analyze performance trends

GovGateway Plus CompInsights

GovGateway plus CompInsights supplements GovGateway with tools that:

Access information on executive and board member compensation
Verify reported compensation from official IRS filings
Reveal interconnections between organizations
Access compensation data within subsector groups for best practices comparisons
Track information pertaining to individuals and organizations

Like GuideStar, Gov@GuideStar combines publicly available information with data furnished voluntarily by charities, foundations, and other nonprofits to create a comprehensive database of nonprofit information.

"With more than 950,000 entities qualifying for 501(c)(3) exempt status, and in a sector with more than $1 trillion in annual revenue, the need for transparency and confidence in the system is obvious," said Ottenhoff. "The virtue of this sector is that most entities themselves believe that the better the available information, the better for everyone.

"With Gov@GuideStar, it will now be easier than ever for government decision makers to scan the available universe and build even more confidence into the system."

For more information, click here.