Eye on FDO

Free Professional Trial for Platinum Subscribers

Last week, we debuted our new interactive mapping and charting tools for FDO Professional subscribers. If you're an FDO Platinum subscriber, I'd like to invite you to test-drive Professional for an extended period of time, free! To activate your no-obligation trial, look for the special link near the top of the FDO Home Screen. Once activated, you can switch back to Platinum at any time. This special access won't last long, so don't delay!

New! Mapping and Charting

I'm excited to announce that we've added two new tools for FDO Professional subscribers. Now you can map and chart the distribution of a funder's recently awarded grants!

Our interactive mapping tool enables you to view grant dollars on a U.S. or world map and drill down to see disbursements by county, city, or ZIP code. Our interactive charting tool enables you to view a bar chart breakdown of grants by recipient type or primary subject and drill down to second and third levels of detail. Look for the new Map Grants and Chart Grants tabs at the top of FDO's grantmaker records.

These new features will help you focus your fundraising strategy like never before and I hope you're as enthusiastic about them as I am. To share your thoughts with us, click the "Tell Us What You Think" link at the top of any mapping or charting screen or click the Comments link below.

Fund Raising Day in New York

This Friday is Fund Raising Day in New York, held each year by the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). According to AFP, the event is "America's largest one-day conference on philanthropy."

If you'll be attending Fund Raising Day in New York this year, be sure to stop by the Foundation Center's exhibit booth, #309, to preview a new and exciting FDO enhancement. Plus, mention this blog for a free gift card providing access for one week to top-tier FDO Professional for yourself or a friend. I hope to see you there!

Funding for the Environment Month

June is Funding for the Environment Month at the Foundation Center!

As I search FDO Professional today for grantmakers with a known giving interest in the environment [Search Grantmakers Screen: Fields of Interest = Environment], I find 4,807 funders. A search for grants awarded in support of the environment [Search Grants Screen: Subjects = Environment] retrieves 63,487 individual awards. Of course, you can easily narrow these searches down to target particular areas of environment-related funding; just select a more specific search term from the applicable FDO index.

Interested in learning more about using FDO to find funding for environment-related programs? We're offering a special environment-focused Introduction to Foundation Directory Online course this month at our New York and San Francisco library/learning centers.