When the Supreme Court gutted race-conscious admissions last summer and the American Alliance for Equal Rights followed with a lawsuit against the Fearless Fund, some in the philanthropic sector feared that demographic data had become a potential liability. So when I learned about Candid’s Demographics via Candid—an initiative that allows nonprofit organizations to share demographic information on their Candid nonprofit profile, where funders, donors, and researchers could easily access it—I was both intrigued and skeptical.   Intrigued because as president and CEO of Women’s Funding ..read more

This is a time of accessible AI—anyone with an internet connection can use state-of-the-art tools to help with tasks like brainstorming ideas, generating art, and drafting documents. Ease of access means that with more people using these systems, the potential impact of unethical use grows.  A recent Salesforce survey found that more than a quarter of respondents are using AI tools at work, more than half of whom are using AI that is not approved by their organizations, including in the social sector. As AI is increasingly used in high-impact ways such as writing and assessing grant propo ..read more

Part of my work at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) involves monitoring philanthropic giving in response to disasters through our annual Measuring the State of Disaster Philanthropy: Data to Drive Decisions (SODP) report. However, due to lags in reporting, that data is two years behind. When we can look at numbers immediately after a disaster, it gives us a unique perspective. And 2023 set records in disaster relief funding.  The Maui wildfire response  The Maui wildfires in August, which affected Lahaina and Kula, stand out for the funds raised.  By late March, Honolu ..read more

In February 2023, Candid launched Demographics via Candid, a campaign to empower nonprofits to share their demographic data one time, on their Candid nonprofit profiles, where it can be accessed and reused by all. In providing free access to this data, we’re addressing the surge in demand among funders for data to inform equitable grantmaking, reducing the reporting burden on nonprofits, and streamlining the grantmaking process.   On March 12, Candid hosted Collective power: Using data in your equity journey, a panel discussion about how partners are engaging with the initiative, as well ..read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing the way organizations work. From programs that make complex data-based decisions to applications that transcribe spoken words into text, AI offers new opportunities to do things more creatively and efficiently.  Within the social sector, AI is a powerful tool for fundraising, researching, grantwriting, and maximizing organizational impact. Recognizing both the positive and negative potential of this now ubiquitous technology, organizations need to embrace AI responsibly.   Setting a framework for AI use  At Candid, we ackno ..read more

Candid began collecting demographic data from nonprofit organizations in July 2019, encouraging them to share information on their leadership, staff, and board members on their nonprofit profiles. In February 2023, Candid launched Demographics via Candid, an initiative to empower nonprofits to share their demographic data just one time through their profiles, where it can be accessed and reused by funders and other stakeholders. With nearly 54,000 organizations sharing demographic data with Candid as of March 2023, Candid engaged Viewpoint Consulting to conduct research to better understand ho ..read more

Have you ever wondered what the funders, donor advisors, and other industry professionals who use Candid nonprofit profiles are searching for? It’s one way to get inside the minds of people who use Candid’s GuideStar to discover organizations aligned with their values.   Candid users conduct more than 100,000 searches of nonprofit profiles on average each month, most commonly by keyword, subject area, and geography. For this article, we looked at a subset of the more than 10,000 subject area searches conducted with Candid’s Guidestar Pro, which is used frequently by funders and donor ..read more

Forward-looking nonprofit organizations know that leveraging data is key to determining where a community’s unmet needs are, securing resources to address those needs, and advocating for more effective policies.   Individual donors and foundations increasingly view data “as the fuel for innovation and social change.” Data is critical in evaluating programs, demonstrating the need for new services, and helping nonprofits build an airtight case for support.  As CEO of the Chinese American Service League (CASL)—the largest nonprofit in the Midwest serving Asian American, Native Haw ..read more

Foundation grants can be one of several revenue streams in a nonprofit organization’s sustainable fundraising plan. In 2022, foundation funding accounted for about $105.21 billion, or 21% of total U.S. charitable giving. As a share of all revenue streams, including government funding, program revenue, and investment income, foundation and corporate grants made up 15.3%.  Naturally, most nonprofits will try to secure a grant at some point. Candid offers many resources to support organizations in searching for funding opportunities, writing grant proposals, and standing out among applicants ..read more

At first glance, it would be easy to put a gloomy headline on the Council on Foundations’ most recent CF Insights field survey tracking trends in community foundations’ 2022 asset growth, giving, and the activity of donor-advised funds (DAFs). After all, according to data gathered from more than 220 community foundations, total assets were down 10% year-over-year.   But considered in context, the 2022 results suggest a trajectory of continued growth from 2021—a year in which giving to community foundations increased markedly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial j ..read more