Foundation Directory Online by Candid vs. Candid GuideStar

Foundation Directory Online is the best foundation research software I have used. As a grant writing professional, it has come in very handy when I'm trying to get more information or context about a foundation and they do not have a website that I can research. The additional feature of suggesting similar foundations is very nice and can save lots of time when looking for new funding opportunities

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GuideStar Pro is well suited in two scenarios: when you want to demonstrate your organization's commitment to transparency (through the seals) and when you know what you're looking for when searching through 990s. Basically, if you can mine a 990 well, GuideStar Pro is perfect for you. If you are new to the grant-seeking industry and need more guidance/clearer information already mined for you, then GuideStar Pro is likely to be overwhelming.

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• Grant research (best online database of grantmakers and grants).
• Grant management for nonprofits (you can track your progress and documents).

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• Excellent data.
• Easy to use site to find what I need.
• Provides relevant data that is recent and not many years old.

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• While FDO has an advanced search feature, I've found that sometimes it tries to be too smart for its own good. For example, if I'm looking for the Virginia Smith Foundation it will pull all foundations located in the state of Virginia with some sort of affiliated Smith and not the Virginia Smith Foundation that I'm actually looking for.
• I'm uncertain as to how often the information is updated on FDO.

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• None - anything missing from GuideStar Pro can be found in FDO, also from Candid

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Any question is answered within 24-48 hours, professionally. If one person can't answer right away, they will seek answers within their support group and find the answer for you.

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I have not had any issues with GuideStar Pro where I needed personal support. They have helpful tutorials and overall the platform is very user friendly.

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CyberGrants is more of a grant request software so that's pretty different. Grantseeker by Fluxx is a good tracking software for keeping track of your institutional fundraising progress, but ultimately FDO's database of information dwarfs any other.

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I have always used Guidestar as my go-to not only when I was a non-profit executive and wanted to ensure we remained worthy of their rating but also now as a non-profit consultant where I need to understand my current and potential partners across financials, key contacts, board members, etc.

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• We don't apply for many grants, however; we use look for resources to direct nonprofit when looking for additional funding outside of our funding process.

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• More informed grant proposals.
• Able to easily and efficiently complete grant research.

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