Nonprofit Data Scorecard
We’ve been blogging about the Nonprofit Data Scorecard. Want to check it out? Please go here.
The Map
To understand the effect of ’08/09’s economic recession on the nonprofit community, it helps to have some basic and current knowledge about the sector to start with. How many nonprofits are there? Where do they operate? What do they do? How well are they doing it?
In pursuing that question, we discovered that not all states are equal when it comes to maintaining quality data about the nonprofits operating within their borders. To shed some light on where the highest quality data lives, we’ve ranked each of the 50 states according to who’s doing the best job maintaining an accessible, up-to-date and quality public record.
In the interactive map below, you’ll see we assigned a “final grade” to each state, with the highest grade corresponding to the darkest shade of orange. The final grade is a composite of several discrete ranking categories, but you can also see how each state fares in a particular ranking category by clicking the map and adjusting the legend on the map accordingly.
The Scorecard
The map is a visualization of what we’ve been calling the Nonprofit Data Scorecard – or our report card for the record-keeping efforts of each of the 50 states. The Scorecard ranks each state according to the 7 ranking categories and rating system listed below. The highest rating is 5, but the key says 5-6+ simply because that’s how it’s configured in ManyEyes, which was the best mapping and visualization tool we could find for free. Read on for a description of our ranking methodology.
All states were ranked against the public data sets they’ve made (or haven’t made) available online. Our crack squad of data researchers combed through state data sets primarily using this directory provided by the National Association of State Charity Officials. In general, State Attorney General’s offices and Secretary of State offices were the holders of nonprofit data – and our go-to resource.
But our methods aren’t perfect! We’re human beings. And we ran into plenty of tough ranking decisions and data inconsistencies along the way. So, in making this data available to you, the public, we invite you to suggest, challenge, adjust and add to our rankings by clicking the “Help Improve the Data” button above. You can also view and download the data in spreadsheet form, embed the map in your blog or website, share the map via social media, and see blog posts about the Scorecard with the other buttons above.
We hope that making these rankings public will:
• Encourage states to provide the public with better, freer data
• Help the philanthropic and nonprofit communities connect more strategically
• Give journalists, bloggers and media folks a resource for continuing the conversation around transparency in government
• Begin to tell the story of the nonprofit community, mid-recession
Free the data!
Sincerely,
The Nonprofitmapping.org team
| Rating System | 1 Star Grade: F | 2 Star Grade: D | 3 Star Grade: C | 4 Star Grade: B | 5 Star Grade: A |
| Data Relevancy: Contains Key and Relevant Data | Data not available. | Records have the name of the non-profit, registration status, and the address. | Records have the name of the non-profit, registration status, address, and financial data. | Records have rich information about non-profits, including registration status, organization address, geographic scope, current and historic assets, fundraising, expenses, and organization type (NTEE code). | Records have rich information about non-profits, including registration status, organization address, geographic scope, current and historic assets, fundraising, and expenses, organization type (NTEE code), impact, key funders, and staff turnover. |
| Data Searchability: Easily Searchable and Understandable to the User | No search engine. | Has an engine for search by non-profit name or ID, user interface for search is not intuitive or easy to navigate. | Has an engine for search by non-profit name or other types of criteria. Search results may be limited to only part of the dataset. | Has an engine for search by non-profit name or other types of criteria. Search results include all relevant records in the dataset. | Has an engine for search by all non-profit characteristics and keywords, search results display all relevant records in the dataset. |
| Data Downloadability: Easily Downloadable and Used for Data Analysis | Data not available. | Part of the dataset can be downloaded, and/or it is available only in a format (e.g. .pdf) that cannot easily be used for analysis. | Part of dataset can be downloaded. Available in a format that can be used for analysis, but clean up is required. | Full dataset can be downloaded. Available in a format that can be used for analysis, but clean up is required. | Entire dataset can be downloaded and used by other applications for analysis. |
| Data Timeliness: Contains Up-to-Date Data | Data not available. | Data is updated semiannually or less frequently. Status of the organizations is unclear. | Data is updated quarterly. Status of organizations is unclear. | Data is updated monthly. Status of organizations is unclear. | Data is updated at least monthly; it’s clear whether an organization’s filing is pending (they got an extension), or they’re not operational. |
| Data Historical Trending: Contains Records from Past Years | Data not available. | May contain select historical data for some categories, but only for non-profits that are currently registered. | Historical data is presented in aggregate (e.g. Average assets over past 3 years). | Records for all organizations registered in the past 3 or more years are available, including those with expired or out-of-date information. | Records for all organizations registered in the past 5 years or more are available, including those with expired or out-of-date information. |
| Data Comprehensiveness: Contains Records of All Nonprofits: Registered, Out-of-Date and Expired | Data not available. | Only currently registered non-profits are included in the dataset. Some current organizations may not be included in the dataset. | Most currently registered non-profits and charities are included; however, some may not include all categories of data. | All registered non-profits and charities are included in the dataset. | All non-profits and charities are included in the dataset, registered and expired. |
| Data Accuracy: Has a High Level of Accuracy | Data not available. | Less than 50% of information in dataset is accurate. | Information in dataset is at least 50% accurate. There is no defined process for correcting inaccurate records. | Information in dataset is at least 70% accurate. | Information in dataset is at least 95% accurate. Regular updates are made to correct any inaccurate records. |
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by GlobalIntegrity: Congrats to @NonProfitMap for ratings of nonprofit/charity transparency in US states. http://ow.ly/10mE9 Nice work from new group…
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