Finding Effective Organizations

To find effective nonprofits, conduct a landscape analysis, research grantees of credible foundations, ask knowledgeable people, or conduct online research.

Even after you have decided on your philanthropic goals, you may find it difficult to choose which organizations to fund when a number of them seem to be doing similar work in your focus area. This chapter addresses the question of how to find organizations aligned with your goals. (The next chapter will help you assess the quality of the organizations that you identify.)

You can find organizations by:

• conducting a landscape analysis
• researching grantees of credible foundations
• asking knowledgeable people and networking
• performing online research

A landscape analysis will provide a strong foundation on which to build your philanthropy. If your time and capacity is too limited, then skip ahead to the other ways of finding organizations.