idealist.org

You had the idea, you started the nonprofit. But how do you pay for your programs? These resources will help you unravel the mysteries of fundraising.

General Fundraising
In-Kind Donations

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General Fundraising

The Association of Fundraising Professionals represents over 26,000 members in 171 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs.

ChangingThePresent.org This site allows nonprofits to raise awareness of their work and helps connect nonprofits with people seeking to make gift donations. It also features a tool for conducting fundraising drives to support a variety of causes.

Charity Village Funding Resources contains links to online databases and directories of funding agencies and foundations of interest to Canadian individuals and organizations. It also has tools and resources valuable for those involved in prospect research and other areas of fundraising.

The European Foundation Center is an independent international association that promotes the work of foundations and corporate funders active in Europe. Their European Grants Index lists over 1,750 grants and programs supported by 78 foundations and corporate funders. Please note: There are fees involved with the Index service.

The Foundation Center supports and improves philanthropy by promoting public understanding of the field and helping grantseekers succeed. This site is primarily focused on resources within the United States.

The Grantsmanship Center Funding Resources, from the Grantsmanship Center, offers grantsmanship training and low-cost publications to nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) develops and strengthens the grassroots fundraising skills of people working for social justice. The goal of GIFT is to build the capacity of progressive organizations to raise money and to increase the number of people of color in fundraising. GIFT seeks to decrease organizations' dependence on foundation funding by helping them develop a broad base of individual donors to support their work. GIFT also publishes the Grassroots Fundraising Journal and their site contains a complete archive of author Kim Klein's Dear Kim fundraising advice column.

GuideStar, produced by Philanthropic Research, Inc., is a national database of U.S. charitable organization featuring data on more than 850,000 IRS-recognized nonprofits.

The Institute of Fundraising is the UK-based professional body for fundraisers, working to promote the highest standards in fundraising practice and management.

Networkforgood.org's Online Donation Resources can help you expand your constituency base and find more convenient and automated ways for your organization to collect and track funds.

NGOnet's Grant-Maker List is electronic networking resource for nongovernmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, NGONet.org is administered by Freedom House Budapest.

Nolo Press offers free legal information about nonprofit earned income and tax concerns.

The Nonprofit Guides are free web-based resources designed to assist established nonprofit organizations and entities through the grantwriting process.

The Resource Alliance is an international network working to build the fundraising and resource mobilization capacity of voluntary sector, nongovernmental, and community-based organizations.

In-Kind Donations
Below are a few websites where organizations can receive in-kind donations, or create "wish lists" of items they need, which can then be donated to them by businesses or individuals.

The Alliance For Nonprofit Development Serving limited areas of California, the Alliance's Wish List Program maintains a centralized database that matches wishes of local nonprofits with in-kind donations available from local businesses. The AFND, a registered nonprofit organization, works in collaboration with BARC, a computer refurbishment program for nonprofits.

Excess Access The Excess Access system matches business and household donations with the wish lists of nonprofits that can provide pick-ups or accept drop-offs. A registration fee is required.

Freecycle Conceived in Tucson, Arizona as a way for community members to keep excess waste out of landfills, Freecycle has grown into an international, web-based network that lets individuals and nonprofits "recycle" unwanted but useful items they would otherwise throw away.

Gifts In Kind International Driven by its mission of providing an effective conduit for the donation of products, goods, and services from the private sector to the charitable sector, Gifts In Kind International is a recognized leader in the field of product philanthropy and is a registered nonprofit organization.

Goodwill Gallery Goodwill Gallery gives businesses and members of the public alike the opportunity to offer free goods, services, or time to help British charities that visit the Charity Choice website.

InKindEx InKindEx facilitates the donation of excess inventory to nonprofit organizations by offering corporations an integrated donation strategy that answers financial, environmental, and corporate citizenship concerns while unclogging warehouses. Registration and transaction fees are required.

NY Wa$teMatch This service allows nonprofit organizations and schools in New York City to post requests for materials and supplies, while businesses and other organizations get information about where to donate goods and equipment they no longer need, earning tax deductions in the process. NY Wa$teMatch is a program of the Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), a registered nonprofit organization.