GuideStar Enhances Nonprofit Information Delivery Through Six New APIs
Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 23, 2014 -- Today, GuideStar announced six new application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide users with efficient alternatives for accessing comprehensive, high-quality information about nonprofits across the country. The new GuideStar APIs provide a variety of benefits to users, including faster performance, scalability, reliability, easier integration, and a flexible pricing model.
These APIs make GuideStar’s extensive nonprofit database easily available to existing or new applications. Users have immediate access to the most up-to-date nonprofit information, streamlining their workflows and saving them valuable time. They can directly access the information in real time as needed, rather than using information obtained periodically. Users can choose from a variety of search and verification packages.
“There is no need for people to download data or manage and maintain a database of nonprofits themselves,” stated Betty Baffer, national sales director for GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information. “Not only do our APIs provide faster and more seamless delivery of our high-quality information about nonprofits across the country, but it’s easier to integrate into existing systems. Our APIs are just the latest way we help people access and incorporate nonprofit information into products, services, websites, and platforms.”
The six new fully RESTful APIs offer a variety of solutions for organizations' needs in the following areas:
--Verifying Charity Legitimacy--
Those wishing to verify a charity's legitimacy and good standing with the IRS can purchase GuideStar Charity Check, the only pre-grant due-diligence tool that is 100 percent compliant with IRS requirements. In addition:
• Developers now have the ability to integrate GuideStar Charity Check data into their applications using the new GuideStar Charity Check API.
--Researching Nonprofit Data--
High-quality nonprofit information is already directly available on GuideStar or can be purchased as bulk data from GuideStar. Now companies can easily integrate this information into their applications and websites using two new APIs:
• The GuideStar Search API helps companies search GuideStar's 13 most frequently searched fields of nonprofit data to find organizations most relevant to their users.
• Organizations needing to target and narrow their searches to return a specific set of organizations can use GuideStar’s Advanced Search API.
--Enhancing Nonprofit Data--
Information from third-party entities such as the IRS is valuable, but sometimes the best information comes directly from nonprofits themselves. GuideStar gives nonprofits an opportunity to share their full stories through the free GuideStar Exchange. Through the GuideStar Exchange, nonprofits ensure that institutional funders, donors, professionals, and the general public have the most up-to-date and reliable data. That nonprofit-supplied information is available on GuideStar's site, by buying bulk data from GuideStar, and now through three new APIs:
• The new GuideStar Exchange API enables direct integration of comprehensive nonprofit-supplied information into existing or new applications or websites.
• Similarly, the GuideStar Detail API is the avenue for people wanting to combine nonprofit-supplied GuideStar Exchange data with information from other sources about millions of organizations.
• Simplify is a seamless, automated approach to information sharing between funders and grantees. The GuideStar Simplify Common Data Profile API works alongside Simplify to provide rich nonprofit-supplied data tailored for grant management systems and grantseekers.
“The Guidestar Search and Exchange APIs are crucial parts of our nonprofit offerings,” said Brendon Thomas of Okanjo, a Milwaukee-based company that builds community around e-commerce. “They deliver fast, comprehensive information about nonprofits that integrate easily with our services, and both take a huge responsibility off our plate as well as let us focus on our core competencies: delivering engaging online giving solutions to our nonprofit customers."
The APIs are the latest step in GuideStar’s efforts to enable a nonprofit information system that encourages accountability in nonprofit practice through data transparency. GuideStar’s new APIs dovetail with Foundation Center’s free Foundation Stats API, which enables open access to a wealth of data on the U.S. foundation community. Together, these two organizations’ open data initiatives are redefining how the social sector accesses and uses the information it needs to make a difference.
“GuideStar’s mission promises to revolutionize philanthropy, and these APIs are the latest mechanisms for delivering on that promise,” added Baffer. “We are thrilled to provide the next-generation data platform to our users.”
For more information, including a list of the specific fields of information that each API provides, please visit http://www.guidestar.org/rxg/products/business-solutions/guidestar-apis.aspx. For pricing and bundling information, call GuideStar’s Sales team at 866-710-7663 or e-mail sales(at)guidestar(dot)org. Developer resources are available at https://data.guidestar.org.
--About GuideStar--
GuideStar, http://www.dot)guidestar(dot)org, connects people and organizations with information on the programs, finances, and impact of more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. GuideStar serves a wide audience inside and outside the nonprofit sector, including individual donors, nonprofit leaders, grantmakers, government officials, academic researchers, and the media.
Lindsay Nichols, GuideStar USA, Inc., http://www.guidestar.org, +1 202-637-7614, [email protected]
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