Active Audience: Course guide: Nonprofits: Donors and volunteers

Proquest
Interdisciplinary database with trade journals, newspapers, scholarly journals and dissertations.  Good source for nonprofit literature and research on philanthropic trends.  Try searching: (volunteers and motivation and nonprofit)

Catalyst Formerly known Simmons OneView
Contains survey questions on donating and volunteer habits.

• Candid Foundation Directory
• Foundation Directory provides descriptions of grant makers, including private grant-making foundations, community foundations, operating foundations, and corporate grant makers.
• Candid Guidestar
• Provides reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2010, their database contained over 5 million IRS Forms 990 on 1.9 million organizations.
• Philanthropy New York
• Since 1979, Philanthropy New York has worked to enhance the ability of philanthropic organizations and individual donors in the New York region to serve the public good. Our membership comprises 280+ grantmaking organizations — the world’s leading private, corporate, family and public foundations. Collectively, they provide $6 billion in annual support to thousands of nonprofits and NGOs located in New York, the U.S. and around the world.
• Giving USA: the annual report on philanthropy
• A compilation of facts and trends on American philanthropy", <1970>-1984; Estimates of philanthropic giving in ... and the trends they show, 1985-1987; "Annual report on philanthropy for the year ...", 1988-
• Nonprofit organizations
• Guide with selected resources for research on nonprofits.

• In general tax-exempt organizations are required to file annual returns with the 990s though there are some exceptions.  The 990 is a good way to get financial information on a company and the salaries of management. If an organization that is required to file does not they can lose their tax-exempt status.

• Charitable organizations are generally considered 501(c)(3) organizations. In order to be considered tax-exempt under the IRS code charitable organizations must be organized and operated exclusively for its mission and cannot spread any of its profit to shareholders or private investors.