Of the following sites, some provide financial data from Form 990, others offer advice to potential donors, and some provide background on the nonprofit world in general. Low on graphics but high in content, this site serves as a good first stop for potential donors seeking information on a specific charity or on the giving process as a whole. Besides the basics, the reports, one to five screens each, note whether a charity meets CBBB's standards for solicitations, which include ratings on use of funds, fundraising practices, governance, and more. Expiration dates for the reports are provided, and users may request three free print reports via mail. Because the amount of information in a report depends on an organization's willingness to comply with CBBB, some are more comprehensive than others.
Most organizations also provide details on their programs and fundraising activities.
All reports contain data from the past two years, as more recent information will be hard to come by. The homepage also links to selected PAS tip sheets, which advise donors on donating money to police organizations, getting off charity mailing lists, and giving to child sponsorship organizations. However, some reports are quite incomplete. The Foundation Center, a clearinghouse for nonprofit information and publisher of reference materials, supplements its work with this informative site. Though best known for its links to grant-maker web pages, it offers a wealth of resources useful for researchers and professionals alike.