Company Creates On-Line Giving Guides

Donor Resource, a Seattle company, has created an on-line storehouse of data about charities that it hopes donors nationwide will turn to for information.

Donor Resource’s “Commit” Web site currently features free giving guides for the San Francisco and Seattle areas, with a Portland, Ore., site expected in the fall. Visitors can choose from one of two categories to find the charities that best suit their interests: “people” or “problems.” By choosing the people section, potential donors can find organizations that focus on certain groups of people, such as women or the elderly. The problem section allows people to find charities that work to alleviate specific societal ills.

Potential donors who want more information about the groups can then get program and financial data about any of those charities listed.

“Commit” also offers an alphabetical listing that visitors can browse to find information about local, national, or international charities. The site now has information on 1,200 charities in the San Francisco and Seattle areas, as well as more than 300 groups in other parts of the world. Organizations must be classified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to be listed on the site; only groups that provide services are included, however.

Mark Rothman, who started Donor Resource out of frustration with the dearth of information available about the non-profit world, says that he would eventually like to create giving guides for cities nationwide.

To get there: Go to http://www.commit98.net.