A great way for nonprofit organizations to promote their organization at no cost (did I mention it’s free?) is to update their profile on www.guidestar.org. GuideStar provides information about nonprofit organizations from a database of publicly available sources, including the tax returns (Form 990) filed by nonprofit organizations. Churches who do not file Form 990 are NOT included.
Whether you know it or not, information about your tax-exempt organization is available on the world wide web, and GuideStar is probably the most widely used database for people interested in researching nonprofit organizations. Potential donors, competitors, regulatory agencies, even your next door neighbor can view information about your organization with just a few clicks of the mouse and keyboard.
Because the Form 1023 and Form 990 are public information, GuideStar is allowed to maintain this information in their database. Furthermore, GuideStar allows nonprofit organization to provide additional information that can be included in the database. This provides a great opportunity for you to get the word out about your organization.
Posted by Dan Skerbitz
