Eye on FDO

Online Librarian

As a Foundation Directory Online subscriber, you're no doubt aware of FDO's comprehensive Help file and FAQ section. When you have a question about content, functionality, or anything else relating to FDO, these are the resources to turn to. But for more general questions about the philanthropic field and nonprofit sector, I encourage you to take advantage of the Foundation Center's much-acclaimed Online Librarian service. Our top-notch team of reference experts can assist you by answering your everyday questions about foundations, philanthropy, and fundraising research. You can submit your questions via e-mail or initiate a live chat...and best of all, it's free of charge!

Trustees, Officers, and Donors

Today, a few words about FDO's Trustees, Officers, and Donors index. Did you know that this index, accessible from the Search Grantmakers Screen, currently contains almost half a million names at the Professional level? Let's think about the possibilities... Maybe you want to search for grantmakers associated with each of your organization's board members or volunteers. What a great way to introduce yourself (or be introduced) to a new prospect! Or perhaps you want to identify the foundations that your individual donors are affiliated with. Might those grantmakers also be willing to support your programs?

When searching for grantmakers in this way, be sure to select names from the index rather than typing them directly into the Trustees, Officers, and Donors search field. Otherwise, if you don't know the exact way the name of the person you're trying to find appears in the index, your search will be unsuccessful. For example, if a name is listed in the index as "Doe, John Q.," typing "John Doe" into the search field won't retrieve the grantmaker record you're looking for—the "Q." must be included. To open the Trustees, Officers, and Donors index, click on the View Index link located beneath the search field title.

Have you used this index in other ways to find new sources of support? Click the Comments link below and let us know.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to "Danger," the winner of our Foundation Directory Online Grantseeker's Best Friend Photo Contest. More than 600 ballots were cast and over 100 of you chose this photo as one of your top five favorites. Danger's photo was submitted to us by Cathy Chang of the Climate Project in Nashville, Tennessee. Danger is a Maltese/Yorkshire Terrier mix and, according to Cathy, he's the Climate Project's "office puppy." As the winner of our contest, Cathy and the Climate Project will receive a free, one-month extension of their current FDO subscription.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos and participated in the voting. You helped make our contest a stunning success!

2009 Grants

As I search FDO Professional today for grants authorized in 2009 [Search Grants Screen: Year Authorized = From: 2009], I find 5,969 individual awards. Many of these grants were reported to us electronically by grantmakers that recognize the fact that currency is extremely important to grantseekers. Without the cooperation of these eReporters, many of these recently awarded grants would remain unknown until tax returns were filed, processed by the IRS, and released to the public. Currently, 256 grantmakers are participating in our eGrant Reporting Program, submitting grants lists to us on a regular basis: quarterly, annually, even monthly.

FDO Talk

Back in April, I mentioned that the headline of my most recent blog entry was now appearing on the left side of the FDO Home Screen in the blue Eye on FDO box. You'll notice that we're now displaying the headline of the most recent post to FDO's message board, too. Look for it in the blue FDO Talk box, directly underneath the box for Eye on FDO. So, the next time you log in to FDO, take a peek at what people are talking about. If it's a subject you're interested in, click on the headline to go directly to the latest post and join the discussion.

While I'm on the subject of FDO Talk, I'll remind you that our message board is a great way to connect, communicate, and network with other Foundation Directory Online subscribers. Feel free to ask for advice, share a favorite strategy, or just keep up with the latest dialog. As with most message boards, you can initiate new conversations or participate in ongoing ones. You can also search several years worth of message board posts by keyword or key phrase. Check out FDO Talk today. Your fellow grantseekers will be happy to hear from you.

Polls Are Open!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our Foundation Directory Online Grantseeker's Best Friend Photo Contest a huge success so far. We received more than 100 photos portraying dogs of all shapes and sizes from FDO users located around the country and around the world. If nothing else, this contest proves a point: people love their dogs!

The submission period has now come to an end but the fun is just beginning. Whether you entered the contest or not, take a few minutes to visit our polling page and view all the photos we received. Then, select your top five faves and cast your ballot. We'll tally all the votes and the owner of the winning dog will receive a free, one-month extension of their current Foundation Directory Online subscription.

Statistical Update

Here's the latest FDO Professional statistical update:

• 98,170 grantmakers
• 492,489 trustees, officers, and donors 
• 1,637,227 grants
• 3,580 companies
• 584,740 keyword-searchable 990s

Dog Photos

Thanks to everyone who submitted a photo for our Foundation Directory Online Grantseeker's Best Friend Photo Contest. On the FDO Home Page, you'll now see a small slideshow featuring all the photos we've received. To see a larger version of the slideshow, click the View Larger link.

If you haven't yet entered the contest, there's still time to do so. Please e-mail one photo of your dog to dogphotos@foundationcenter.org and include your name, your organization's name, and your dog's name. We'll add your photo to the slideshow and at the conclusion of the submission period FDO users will vote for their favorites. The owner of the winning dog will receive a free, one-month extension of their current Foundation Directory Online subscription.

Again, thanks for all the great photos! Be sure to check out the slideshow and stay tuned to find out when and how to vote.

FDO News

Don't forget to catch up on the latest major developments and more with FDO News. In the April edition, read all about our new search fields; learn about the new economic crisis information that we've added to FDO; hear about our Grantseeker's Best Friend Photo Contest; and discover the benefits of our grantseeker training courses.

Final Days to Upgrade

Today, a short message. So short, in fact, it could be a Twitter tweet.

Thursday is the final day to upgrade your subscription to Professional and receive a free copy of the 2008 edition of Philanthropy Annual.