GuideStar Blog

Few of us think twice when we pull out a card to pay for a shopping cart full of groceries or a plane ticket. We enjoy the cashback or miles we’ll be getting, and whatever the merchant has to pay in processing fees is of no concern to us.

There’s lots of public scrutiny about how much nonprofits spend to raise the money they need to fund their missions and work. But there is more to effective fundraising than low costs—and the obsession with minimizing fundraising costs can actually put our organizations at risk. That’s why BoardSource, along with our partners at GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, has released a new framework and calculation for measuring fundraising effectiveness.