Data for Good:
Unlocking the Potential of Big
Data to Change the World
Peter Panepento
Assistant Managing Editor
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
What Passes for Public Data About Nonprofits
How We Started to Bridge the Gap
• Built a Research Team
• Conduct 6-8 Surveys Annually
• Focus on Large Nonprofits – big groups have
the best data
The Philanthropy 400
America’s Top Donors
The Philanthropy 50
Executive Compensation
Corporate Giving
A New Approach
Mining Public Data:
How America Gives
Examine 2008 IRS Giving Data by ZIP Code and
Income Level
Compares regions by cost of living
Includes U.S. Census data on demographic trends
Incorporates input from academics
Creates rankings by ZIP Code, City, County, State
How America Gives: Audience
Strong focus on WHO is going to use the data
It’s not about the data, it’s about the user
How are people using
How America Gives data
Charity Staff, to inform decision making
For example, when planning for a “Symphony on the Go”
program
Share local giving data with board members and stakeholders
Fundraisers, to compare their charity with community giving hot
spots
Independent fundraisers, to approach local charities and
propose to do telephone fundraising from home
To compare top donating zip codes to the overall most
philanthropic
Prospect researchers, to identify areas to suit fundraising needs
How others are using
How America Gives data
Community forums and charity umbrella groups, to
examine ways to spur local giving
Estimate how much charitable capital is leaving the region
Meet with communities to discuss the potential of
building local community endowments
Academics and researchers, to explore links between giving
and homelessness, government spending, and how donors are
affected by their peers
Legislative research teams, to identify patterns in rural and
urban charitable giving to identify correlations with socioeconomic indicators
Aggregating Data:
Online Fundraising
Visualizing Other Groups’ Data
Foundation Center
Philanthropy In/Sight
Open Government Data?
ProPublica: Nonprofit Explorer
The Next Step
Is a Golden Age Coming?
The Possibilities
Matching charity data with demographic data
Charting it over time
Does philanthropy move the needle?
Can patterns drive change?
How to reach me
Twitter: @ppanepento
@philanthropy
Facebook: facebook.com/peter.panepento
E-mail: peter.panepento@philanthropy.com
Compelling Storytelling in an Online
Age