We’ve received a number of outstanding questions and felt it would be prudent to place them on our site for all interested non-profit organization leaders to see. If you have a question, do not hesitate to send us an email to info(at)npcatalyst.com. We’ll add it this FAQ page!
What are the ratings based upon precisely? How are the numbers derived?
The answer to this question might take eight months to describe, as that’s the amount of time it took us to create, refine, test and finalize the scoring system. As mentioned, scoring is based on five performance indicators: Data & Efficiency, Finance & Fund Development, Governance, Human Resources, and Public Information. The first, Data & Efficiency, is gathered directly from the participating organization’s most recent IRS Form 990. The latter four are analyzed based on responses to an 80-question form, which the charity’s top executive completes. We also ask for a handful of documents to verify accuracy, thus enabling us to present a true analysis.
It should be noted that participating organizations will receive ratings relating to each of the five indicators, as well as an overall rating.
Is the sample profile the full analysis as it doesn’t begin to give a full picture; it’s merely a stating of facts that should be easily available from any non-profit.
You’re so correct. We can easily provide the answers to all the questions asked in the 80-question analysis form. However, with the many people with whom we’ve tested this idea, the overwhelming majority have asked us to present a simple and easy to follow profile, containing the key information. We’re happy to provide additional information to anyone who seeks to dive in deeper into the performance of each organization. This includes the best practice “solutions” we will provide each participating organization, which is one of the NPHealthCheck’s most desirable benefits.
I would challenge your suggestion that the information is easily available from any non-profit. While the information exists, we find that the issue lies within “seeking” the information. Too often than not, non-profit leaders are slow to respond to requests for additional information. Of course, we have found that many people interested in seeking additional information are hesitant to make contact with the organizations for a variety of reasons, be it the mere fear of making contact, not knowing whom to contact, simple researching, or a lack of desire to initially give contact information. Posting a profile of each organization provides those seeking information about charities a resource with which is confident, convenient, and connecting. Step one of every relationship is the identification of the prospective donor. NPcatalyst provides immediate access and assistance with this step.
How does it connect to our organization?
We have partnered with an incredible web-development firm to manage our website. Like us, they’re fully committed to the advancement of the charitable sector. The design of our site, including the individual non-profit profile pages, enables direct connectivity to the participating organization. This includes the organization’s website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and YouTube page. Factor in the “Donate Now” button and the profile page serves as an outstanding connector directly to the organization’s website and social media opportunities. As such, no customized language or coding is necessary.
When you click the ‘donate now’ button – does 100% of the donation go to the charity or is there a portion to NPcatalyst?
Great question. It depends entirely on the participating organization. If the organization already has a “Donate Now” button, we’ll send the donor directly to that page…NPcatalyst will not receive a dime. We will, however, be able to track the number of clicks to the page, helping us measure the traffic we’re driving to the button.
Now, most (if not all) “Donate Now” buttons are linked to PayPal or similar merchant service program. If this is true for your organization, you’re paying a percentage of every contribution processed. For organizations which do not offer a “Donate Now” button, we suggest that they contact our merchant services partner, MerchantsXL, which in addition to guaranteeing a 10% savings compared to their competitors, employs a charitable mechanism which will reinvest proceeds back to local non-profit organizations.
For organizations opting to transact contributions through the NPcatalyst account, a 3% transaction fee will be placed on each contribution. The remaining amount will be directly distributed to the participating organization.
How do we get a record of transactions so we acknowledge our contributors?
Since NPcatalyst only serves as the catalyst or “middleman” with online giving, we do not register any contributions. All contributions will be transacted through each organization’s merchant services program.
One of the benefits associated with the NPHealthCheck is the design of an online fundraising campaign. To help us track performance, it’s likely we will ask each participating organization to furnish us with overall numbers (total number of donors, total amount raised). We will not need nor track individual contributions.
Where is the traffic being generated from that will guarantee us new donors – are you referencing the ‘donate now’ button only?
I’m not sure where the guarantee of new donors relates to, but we certainly hope to be the catalyst toward driving many new donors and volunteers to your organization. Our outreach, or promotions, program utilizes our partnerships and connections with local media (television, radio, and print) as well as our social media connections. Between them, we’re connected to thousands of local residents and feel we have a immediate reach to several target audiences, from the mass public to potential major individual contributors. The “Donate Now” button is simply one vehicle.
As a benefit to participating in NPHealthCheck, each organization will receive regular promotions. This includes stories about the organization’s mission, individual spotlights, and event announcements. As mentioned, we strive to drive attention to each organization, resulting in increasing financial and voluntary support.
In addition to the regular promotions, each participating organization may receive a specially-designed online fundraising campaign (one month maximum) aimed at generating contributions. The design of the campaign will determine the audiences being targeted, whether they’re solely from NPcatalyst or your organization, a combination of the two or an entirely new audience. While we feel the value of each of our benefits exceeds the investment, the online fundraising campaign is driven to provide the greatest potential for ROI.
Is there a guarantee of return on our monthly or annual investment?
No. We cannot guarantee a return on your investment to participate in NPHealthCheck. As with everything, if the program is properly leveraged (beginning with your rating score), ROI should be attained and, even better, surpassed. What we present is the opportunity for contribution growth, by tapping into existing and new audiences. For many charities, existing processes and leaders (staff and board) are focused on specific projects (i.e. events, major giving, programs, administration), that it’s difficult to reach new audiences. NPcatalyst provides solutions to this and, taking things further, seeks to create connections and build relationships with new prospective donors. Much can be said for your organization’s existing donors, when they see that the organization is using transparency to share vital information about the organization to the public.
Our custom-tailored online giving strategy, only available for NPHealthCheck participants, is designed to generate revenue for each organization. While the initial goal is to match the investment amount, our strategy is aimed at a net gain.
We continue to add benefits, endorsements, and partners. We add a new “endorsement” each day from a local corporation or corporate leader who utilizes the resources and information on the NPcatalyst website to improve charitable contributions and corporate engagement activities. In addition, new partners are added to provide resources and opportunities beyond our expertise, all aimed at enhancing non-profit leadership, programs and revenue-generating opportunities.
Our hope is that participating organizations double their annual investment in NPHealthCheck, not just for one year, but through a strong relationship lasting for years to come.
Is there an option if we cannot afford the monthly or annual investment?
Yes. With over 20 years of non-profit leadership, we certainly understand the limitations, resistance, and requirements realized by staff and board leadership. Recognizing this, we’ve developed NPHealthCheck in such a way that organizations of all budget levels can participate. Again, our goal is to drive as much attention as possible to the organizations which participate in our NPHealthCheck program.
Based on the extremely positive feedback we’ve received from corporate and community leaders, we’ve created a “sponsorship” program. Businesses, donors, foundation directors and others may cover part or all of the participation fee, on behalf of the organization. In addition, leaders may enlist NPcatalyst to conduct research on organizations which do not appear on our list. The amount paid for the information ($250 per organization) will be credited to the organization with which information was gathered.