1. GuideStar 2020
Building the Scaffolding of Social Change
(iteratively)
(multi-dimensionally)
(at scale)
(without being a jerk)

2. Not chaos-like together crushed
and bruised;
But, as the world, harmoniously
confused:
Where order in variety we see;
And where, though all things
differ, all agree.
Alexander Pope, 1713

3. The nonprofit sector is immensely diverse
And individual nonprofits are immensely complex
And we (all) have long had trouble wrapping our minds
around that diversity and that complexity
But it is becoming possible to do just that…
…to tell the shared story of social change with both
rigor and nuance.

4. Three strategies
Eight principles
Five findings

6. First, you collect data. Then, you distribute that
data to people who need it.
Then, you innovate
upon that supply chain
(Then, you start the cycle again and you keep learning.)
Data Innovation
Data Collection Data Distribution

10. The essence of GuideStar’s strategy is this:
 A nonprofit common profile
 …that is multidimensional,
 …placed in context,
 …linked to the key tech platforms of our time,
 …and enhanced by constant cycles of innovation & learning…
 …at scale
 (without being a jerk)

11. We are serious when we talk about scale
2.3 billion pieces of data
7.2 million unique users
22 million API hits
15,000 new registrants per
month
37,000 GuideStar Exchange
participant seals
70 platform partners
C U R R E N T S C A L E
…to build upon
over the next
several years…

12. And we also recognize that linear growth simply will not cut it
 The nonprofit sector requires nonlinear change…
 …that will involve shifts in cultural expectations,
 …new levels of interconnection,
 …new business models,
 …and new forms of partnership

13. PRINCIPLE #1: Be clear about goals
“Start with purpose.” -- Fay Twersky

14. PRINCIPLE #2: Design for Actual use
“Thou shalt not design for thyself.” – Heather Fleming

15. PRINCIPLE #3: Boldness or Nothing
“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” - Goethe

16. PRINCIPLE #5: Plan, then Iterate
“The tactical result of an engagement forms the base for new strategic decisions. "
- Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

17. PRINCIPLE #6: Build on Existing Scale
“On the Internet…you can be two sizes: you can be big, or you can be small.”
– Jeff Bezos

18. PRINCIPLE #7: Go Far, Together
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.“ —African proverb

19. PRINCIPLE #8: Hold on to Humanity
"Now, now how come your talk turn cold? /
Gain the whole world for the price of your soul.” – Lauryn Hill

20. $

21. F I NANCI AL F I NDI NG #1 :
We have built a
sustainable business
model

22. F I NANCI AL F I NDI NG #2 a: Our revenue base is diverse

23. F I NANCI AL F I NDI NG #2 b : Our revenue base is diverse

24. FI NANCI AL FI NDI NG #3 :
Our plan will involve significant additional costs

25. FI NANCI AL
F I NDI NG #4 :
We believe we
can steadily
grow our
earned income

29. We cannot face the great challenges
of our time with an anemic and fragmented
civil society.
It is now possible to build data systems
that drive learning, enable accountability,
cultivate collaboration, and ensure dignity.
So let’s do it.

30. Appendix

32. Information about…
Organizations (e.g., Nurse-
Family Partnership is
currently serving 22,795
babies and their mothers in
40 states across the U.S.)
Resources (e.g., The Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation
made a 5-year, $10 million
grant to Nurse-Family
Partnership in 2007)
Interventions (e.g., regular
nurse visitation for new
mothers their babies leads to
a .2 point increase in math &
reading GPA in grades 1-6)
Issues (e.g., 50% of
children from at-risk
backgrounds are below
the basic level for
reading and math skills)

33. Many types of information can help social change actors
make good choices
Contribution
(you helped)
Attribution
(you were responsible)
Qualitative
(stories and descriptions)
Quantitative
(numbers)
Independent
(just about you)
Comparative
(you in the context of others)
and
and
and
Retrospective
(what happened in the past)
Prospective
(goals for the future)
and

34. Data about
nonprofits
Data about social
issues
Data about what
works (social
science research)
Data about resource
flows
Operational
data
Financial data
Programmatic
data
Qualitative
(descriptions)
Quantitative
(metrics)
Perceptions
e.g. Charting Impact
activity/output/outcome data
Experts, donors, volunteers,
beneficiaries

37. Infrastructure for
philanthropic
giving
Infrastructure
for impact
investing
Impact measurement:
• common taxonomy
• shared database
Joint partnerships with private sector:
• financial institutions
• search engines
• social networking sites
Shared social change strategies:
• joint theories of change
• integrated business models

38. Data
Operations
Product
Engineering
Information
Systems
SalesStrategy Accounting
Development
Human
Resources
Marketing
Comms
Nonprofit
Programs
Product
Management
Nonprofit
Services
Business
Intelligence
Research
Design
Market
Research
Measurement
and Evaluation
Facilities