Nonprofits: Where to Start

Industry research for over 700 U.S. industries plus hard-to-find U.S. "specialized industries," including 60 industries in Australia, China, and the UK. Go to "Key Statistics" to find financials and 7 kinds of "Key Ratios." To limit your search to the countries above, use the link "Global Industry Research", then on the next page link to "Search for international industries."

Profiles thousands of companies, both for-profit and nonprofit. Since nonprofits are private organizations, the amount of information available may be somewhat limited.

Company profiles, SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) where available, industry profiles, stocks & investment info., management-related articles, Harvard Business Review case studies and streaming videos from the Harvard Business School Faculty Seminar Series.

Management-related articles in various fields including Accounting, Education, Food Science, Hospitality & Tourism, Library Services & Information Management, Marketing, Nutrition, and Professional Development. CHECK-OFF "Only content I have access to" for full-text articles and book chapters.

Selective, full-text business and management-related articles. This is a subset of the larger database Business & Company Resource Center.

Full-text articles from over 6,000 newspapers/magazines, national and international. Updated daily. Best source for up-to-date business news.

Statistics, market studies & reports for over 600 international industries, 37 countries, and 60,000 wide-ranging topics! Enter your own search terms or browse data reports listed under these links: Categories, Key Topics, Popular Statistics, and Recent Statistics. A sampling includes college enrollment with projections up to 2020 in the U.S., college payment (how U.S. families pay for college), college sports, debit cards, demographics (size & characteristics of a population), employment outlook, food & beverage, footwear & apparel, global climate change, hospital costs, hospitality (conventions, conferences, dining & accommodations), immigration, mobile Internet & apps, nutrition, online shopping, personal debt, smartphones, social media, travel & tourism (cruise industry), video gaming, wages & salaries. NOTE: Click through any security certificate warnings & pop-up blockers that may appear in order to proceed to the Statista website and display all content.

Provides detailed profiles of over 25,000 trade. fraternal and professional associations in the U.S. Includes contact information, founding data, activities/purpose, conferences, publications and more. Best resource of its kind.

From The Rhode Island Foundation. Directory of over 2.700 charities/nonprofits. Searchable by keyword. Profile includes charity/non-profit's name, contact information, purpose/mission and website link (when available). Outstanding resource.

From "Business History". "Nonprofit" profile has a very extensive chronology. Also links to business biographies, business/economic history and more. "Bibliography" links to information about specific titles (most of which are available from Amazon.com). Outstanding and easy to use.

"A government wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public". "Contains detailed program descriptions for 2,272 Federal assistance programs", including those available to state/local governments. Includes FAQ. Another outstanding federal government resource for assisting those seeking information/links to federal programs.

From the Foundation Center. "A searchable database of the literature of philanthropy. It incorporates the unique contents of the Foundation Center's five libraries and contains more than 30,000 full bibliographic citations, of which nearly 22,000 have descriptive abstracts. It is updated daily. Oustanding resource of up-to-date information.

From the Urban Institute, one of America's most respected research organizations. "Conducts and disseminates research on the role and impact on nonprofit organizations and philanthorpy".

Links to over 100 nonprofits; most are for specific organizations, but also include directories and "gateways". Good source for quick reference, since many of the most prominent charitable organizations are included.

From the Kennedy School of Government (Harvard). Supports research on nonprofits from a variety of perspectives, including public policy analysis, scholarly research and more. Excellent links to additional industry resources.

From Carter McNamara's "Free Management Library". Gives in-depth information for many aspects of starting a nonprofit organization. Outstanding; thorough and easy-to-use.

Links to over 100,000 nonprofit/community organizations. Also provides numerous links to volunteer opportunities, jobs, internships and more. With its comprehensive, international focus, this is one of the best sites for volunteering.

Formerly "Internaction"."The leadership forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world". "Resources" section links to practical tools for nonprofits.

From Hieros Gamos. Discusses various types of business structures. The section on nonprofits provides an excellent, in-depth analysis.

"A nonprofit educational clearinghouse emphasizing environmental, justice, peace, health issues and solutions for progressives". "Maintains a database of over 6,000 organizations, periodicals, publishers, businesses, media contacts".

"Our Mission: NCRP promotes philanthropy which serves the public good, is responsive to people and communities with the least wealth and opportunity, and is held accountable to the highest standards of integrity and openness". "Our work is based on the three principles of Philanthropy at its Best: 'Promoting Accountability and Transparency', 'Encouraging Good Grantmaking Practices', 'Increasing Funding for Marginalized Communities". This excellent resource also provides information on research, events and publications (many of which are free downloads).

"Details how to form a nonprofit organization in all 50 states and DC, and provides information on board governance, tax exemption, and fundraising registration".

Well-written, practical articles on starting and managing a nonprofit. Especially useful for advice on incorporation and taxation, issues not always covered in other resources.

"Directory of Organizations of Interest To or Serving Non-profits". Over 40 links to organizations which provide assistance/counseling to nonprofits. Also has numerous links to Michigan nonprofits. From Jon Harrison, Michigan State University Libraries.

"This website focuses on nonprofit directories and other web sites (over 100 in all) providing advice or information about running nonprofits". From Jon Harrison, Michigan State University Library. Outstanding; highly recommended.

"A network of locally based not for profit organizations that provide comprehensive, high-quality and affordable technology assistance to other nonprofit groups nationally". Great resource for nonprofits seeking to upgrade their IT capabilities.

This organization provides practical information on many aspects of nonprofits. Membership required for full access to the site's resources, but there is much free content available.

"Official information and services from the U.S. government". Links to federal agency/program sites for tax information, grants/loans/other assistance, management/operations. Best resource for accessing federal non-profit resources in one place.

From the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

From the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT).

From "Business Insights: Global".

From CNN Money.

From "Statista".

From "Statista".

From the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

From the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

From "Business Insights: Global".