4 Nonprofit Directory Sites Your Organization Should Join
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You can increase the awareness, and donations, for your nonprofit by making sure you are properly listed on the top nonprofit directory sites. Through these directory sites, you will be able to tell your nonprofit’s story and be completely transparent with your donor audience. We will go through and explain how these directory sites work and which ones your nonprofit should be on.
Why It’s Important for Your Nonprofit to be on Directory Sites
Having your nonprofit listed on the top directory sites establishes credibility for your organization. It also provides potential donors or volunteers with helpful information. If your nonprofit’s profile doesn’t have information about your cause on it, users will most likely leave your page without engaging with your website or organization.
Directory sites can also lead to an increase in donations because people can be impacted by your nonprofit’s story and your nonprofit rating.
Nonprofit Directory Sites Your Organization Should Be On
There are plenty of nonprofit directory sites out there, so which ones should you make sure that you’re on? We will discuss 4 websites that provide their users with transparent information about nonprofits and how you can make sure your profiles are up-to-date.
GuideStar
GuideStar aims to “revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make decisions, and encourages charitable giving.” They are a nonprofit organization who supplies information on nonprofits so that donors, funders, volunteers, and employees can make the best decision when choosing an organization.
Your Profile: Your GuideStar profile is shown on multiple online giving portals such as AmazonSmile, Network for Good, and VolunteerMatch. GuideStar does not charge nonprofits to claim their profile and make edits to it.
You are able to provide basic information, financial information, goals, strategies, progress, and results. Additionally you can add a donate button that will lead directly to your online donation page. To find out the information you need to claim your GuideStar profile, click here.
Ratings: While GuideStar does not provide its own rating of charities in order to remain neutral, it does provide a transparency seal on your profile page. The levels of the seal range from bronze to platinum and you earn a higher seal by providing more information about your organization. They also have a section where you can include your nonprofit’s reviews from GreatNonprofits, a nonprofit review site.
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an online charity evaluator. They focus on being transparent about nonprofit’s financial documents in order to help donors make their decisions.
Your Profile: If your nonprofit is currently unrated on Charity Navigator, then any information displayed is pulled from the IRS. Therefore, if there is a discrepancy with information, it needs to be updated through the IRS.
However, you are able to become a rated nonprofit simply by becoming a registered user for free. You can then suggest edits and updates to be made to your nonprofit’s information.
Ratings: Charity Navigator evaluates nonprofits based on their financial health and their accountability and transparency. According to their website, their ratings “show givers how efficiently a charity will use their support today, how well it has sustained its programs and services over time, and their level of commitment to being accountable and transparent.”
Their ratings range from 0-4: 4 being exceptional and 0 being exceptionally poor. They are based on how well they exceed industry standards and how they perform compared to similar charities in their field.
GreatNonprofits
GreatNonprofits is a nonprofit review site that provides users with an overview about the organization along with reviews from past contributors, such as employees, volunteers, donors, and event participants. These reviews can motivate new people to engage with your organization.
Your Profile: You can claim your nonprofit’s profile for free and include details such as your mission, past results, target demographics, contact information, and even pictures. You can also provide direct links to your online donation page. Click here to find and claim your nonprofit on GreatNonprofits.
Ratings: Anyone is able to leave a review about an organization and it will appear on its profile. Ratings also appear on larger directory websites such as GuideStar. GreatNonprofits does not rate nonprofits itself, all reviews are sourced from the community.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Give.org
Give.org is the website for the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and serves as a reputable online charity monitor. The website evaluates nonprofits to see if they meet the BBB standards which include: governance, effectiveness, finances, and solicitations.
Your Profile: You can have your organization accredited by the BBB for free. You are able to provide a few facts about your nonprofit, but they will provide most of the detailed information regarding your nonprofit and how they use their expenses.
Ratings: The BBB has makes sure that charities meet the “Standards of Charity Accountability” and there are 3 possible ratings: standard is met, standard is not met, and unable to verify. This rating is displayed on your nonprofit’s profile page. For more details on how they accredit charities, visit their website.
These 4 websites help establish credibility for your organization and provide users with transparent information such as financial information and reviews. When users are able to have all of their questions answered in one convenient location, they are one step closer to making their decision about donating. Ensure that you update your profile on these directory sites with as much information as possible.
Once users get to your website to make a donation, you'll want make sure your landing page is fully optimized to generate more online donations. Download our free eBook below to learn the best ways to design and optimize your landing page.