Extracting Leads from Nonprofit and Charity Directories, Foundation Databases, Grant Registries and Philanthropic Networks
By Email ExtractorPublished 8 min read
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Why Nonprofit Directories Are Rich Lead Sources
The nonprofit sector includes over 1.8 million tax-exempt organisations in the United States alone, with combined annual revenue exceeding $2.5 trillion. These organisations are required by law to disclose significant financial and operational information through IRS filings (Form 990), state charity registrations and public reporting. This transparency creates uniquely rich prospecting databases: you can see an organisation's revenue, expenses, executive compensation, programme areas, top donors (for foundations) and board members before you ever reach out:
Directory type
Data available
Who uses this data
IRS 990 databases (GuideStar/Candid, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, IRS EO BMF)
Organisation name, EIN, address, revenue, expenses, assets, executive compensation, board members, programme descriptions, mission statement, major grants awarded (for foundations), top contractor payments
Foundation directories (Foundation Directory Online, Candid)
Private and community foundations; grant-making areas; geographic focus; average grant size; application requirements; programme officer contacts; recent grants awarded
Grant writers and fundraising consultants; nonprofits seeking funding; researchers studying philanthropic trends
Donors deciding where to give; nonprofits benchmarking against peers; consultants identifying organisations that need improvement
Nonprofit association directories (state nonprofit associations, National Council of Nonprofits, AFP chapters, NTEN)
Association members: organisation name, contact person, title, email, phone, mission, budget size, geographic area
Vendors targeting engaged nonprofit professionals (association members are typically more active and better-resourced than non-members)
Key Databases and What They Contain
IRS 990 data
Data source
What it contains
Format
Access
GuideStar / Candid (guidestar.org)
Profiles for 1.8M+ US nonprofits; parsed 990 data (revenue, expenses, people, programmes); organisation-submitted profiles with mission, impact data, financials
HTML (searchable website); bulk data downloads available (requires account; API available)
Free basic search; premium tiers for detailed data and bulk access
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (projects.propublica.org/nonprofits)
Searchable database of IRS 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF filings; scanned original filings (PDF); parsed financial data
HTML (searchable website); API available; PDF scans of original filings
Free; no account required for basic search
IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (EO BMF)
All tax-exempt organisations: EIN, name, address, ruling date, activity codes, foundation status, filing requirement, asset amount, income amount
CSV (downloadable from IRS.gov in monthly data files)
Free; downloadable bulk data
IRS 990 e-file data (via AWS)
Machine-readable 990 filings from organisations that file electronically (approximately 60-70% of filers)
XML (hosted on AWS S3; bulk download available)
Free; requires technical ability to process XML
State charity registration
Source
Data
Format
State attorney general charity databases
Charities registered to solicit in each state; registration status; annual financial reports; officers and directors; professional fundraiser registrations
HTML (most states have searchable online databases); some states provide downloadable data (CSV, Excel)
Key states with robust online databases
California (Registry of Charitable Trusts), New York (Charities Bureau), Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Florida
Each state has its own portal with different search capabilities and data availability
Multi-state registration data
Some platforms aggregate registration data across states (e.g., the National Association of State Charity Officials links to individual state databases)
Varies by state
Extraction Workflows
IRS 990 data extraction
Step
Action
Details
1. Define target criteria
Decide which nonprofits to target: by revenue range (e.g., $1M-$10M annual revenue -- large enough to buy services, small enough to need external help); by geography; by programme area (NTEE codes: arts, education, health, human services, environment, etc.); by organisation type (501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6))
NTEE codes classify nonprofits by mission area; example: A (arts, culture, humanities), B (education), E-H (health), I-M (human services), C-D (environment), T (philanthropy/grantmaking)
2. Search GuideStar / ProPublica
Use the search filters on GuideStar or ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer to find organisations matching your criteria; search by geography, revenue range, NTEE code, keywords
GuideStar requires a free account for basic search; ProPublica is fully open
3. Save search results
Save the search results pages (HTML); for GuideStar, save individual organisation profile pages that include contact information; for ProPublica, save search results and individual filing pages
Some profile pages include email addresses for key personnel; the original 990 filing (PDF) includes names, titles and sometimes addresses for officers, directors and key employees
4. Download 990 PDFs
For organisations where you need detailed contact information (officers, directors, highest-compensated employees), download the original 990 filing PDF from ProPublica or GuideStar
Part VII of Form 990 lists officers, directors, trustees and key employees with names and titles; Schedule I lists grant recipients; Schedule O may contain additional contact information
5. Upload to Email Extractor
Upload saved HTML pages and downloaded 990 PDFs to Email Extractor to extract email addresses
Email Extractor processes both HTML and PDF files; email yield from 990 PDFs is typically low (990 forms do not require email addresses) but GuideStar profiles and organisation websites referenced in search results often include executive director and development director email addresses
State charity registration extraction
Step
Action
Details
1. Identify target states
Select states based on your service area or target market; states with the most registered charities: California, New York, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts
Each state has different registration requirements and thresholds; not all nonprofits register in all states (only in states where they actively solicit)
2. Search state databases
Use the state attorney general's charity search tool; search by: organisation name, location, registration status (active), revenue range (if filterable)
Search capabilities vary significantly by state; some states offer robust filtering; others only allow name-based search
3. Save results and download reports
Save search results pages (HTML); download available annual reports (PDF); some states provide downloadable datasets (CSV)
Annual reports filed with states may include contact information, financial details and officer names not available elsewhere
4. Upload to Email Extractor
Upload all saved pages and downloaded reports to Email Extractor for extraction and deduplication
State registration records sometimes include email addresses for registered agents and officers; annual reports may include additional contact information
Prospecting by Nonprofit Size
Revenue range
Number of US nonprofits (approximate)
Decision maker
What they buy
How to reach them
Under $250,000
~1.2 million (majority are very small, volunteer-run)
Executive director (who is often also the founder, fundraiser, programme director and volunteer coordinator)
Difficult to reach at scale; many use personal email addresses; best reached through local nonprofit association events, community foundations and volunteer networks
$250,000 - $1 million
~150,000
Executive director; possibly a development director or development coordinator
Fundraising CRM (Bloomerang, Little Green Light, DonorPerfect); email marketing (Mailchimp, Constant Contact); basic website; accounting services; insurance
Reachable through state nonprofit association directories, GuideStar profiles, local community foundation networks
$1 million - $5 million
~60,000
Executive director; development director; finance director or outsourced CFO
GuideStar profiles; state nonprofit association member directories; AFP chapter member directories; conference attendee lists
$5 million - $25 million
~20,000
CEO/executive director; VP of development; CFO; COO; IT director
Enterprise CRM (Salesforce NPSP, Blackbaud); comprehensive fundraising platform (EveryAction, Virtuous); HR/payroll platform; IT services; strategic consulting; major gift fundraising consulting; planned giving programme
Well-documented in 990 data; active in professional associations; attend major conferences (AFP ICON, NTEN NTC, Blackbaud bbcon); reachable through professional networks
$25 million+
~8,000
C-suite (CEO, CFO, CDO, CIO, COO); VP-level leaders; department heads
Enterprise technology (Salesforce, Workday, Oracle); consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, Bridgespan); investment management; complex insurance programmes; executive search; major IT infrastructure
Well-documented in 990 data and media; formal RFP processes; long sales cycles (6-18 months); reached through executive networks, board connections, conference speaking
Data Quality Considerations
Issue
Details
Mitigation
990 data is 6-18 months old
IRS 990 filings are due 5.5 months after fiscal year end (with extensions up to 11 months); processing and posting adds additional time; the most recent data available may be 1-2 years old
Use 990 data for identifying target organisations and understanding their size, mission and structure; verify current contact information through the organisation's website, LinkedIn and association directories
Executive turnover is high
Average nonprofit executive director tenure is 4-7 years; development director tenure is even shorter (2-4 years); the person listed on a 2-year-old 990 may no longer be at the organisation
Cross-reference 990 officer names with LinkedIn and the organisation's current website to verify they are still in the role
Email addresses are rarely on 990 forms
IRS Form 990 asks for a phone number and address but does not require an email address; email addresses must be found from other sources
After identifying target organisations from 990 data, find email addresses from: the organisation's website (staff page, contact page); GuideStar profile; LinkedIn; state nonprofit association directory
Small nonprofits may not have a website or online presence
Organisations under $250,000 in revenue (the majority of nonprofits) may have minimal online presence; finding contact information is more difficult
Focus prospecting efforts on nonprofits above $500,000-$1M in revenue where online presence and contact information are more reliably available
