Cosmic

In the world of social impact, information is power. It’s the raw material for strategy, the foundation for compelling storytelling, and the evidence that builds trust with funders and supporters. But this information is often scattered, hard to access, or locked behind paywalls. That’s what makes a tool like the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer so valuable.

At its surface, the Nonprofit Explorer is a public database—a powerful search engine that unlocks the financial data and operational details of over 1.8 million tax-exempt organizations, all pulled from IRS Form 990 filings. For many, it’s a tool for transparency and due diligence. But for the savvy nonprofit leader, it’s something more. It’s a strategic intelligence tool hiding in plain sight.

Your organization is competing in a crowded attention economy. Moving beyond short-term, transactional tactics and embracing a long-term, brand-building philosophy is essential for survival and growth. The insights you can glean from the Nonprofit Explorer, when viewed through a strategic lens, can help you build the resilient, supporter-centric brand your mission deserves.

From Data Points to Strategic Direction

A brand is more than a logo; it’s a container for your reputation. Every action you take pours meaning into that container. The key is to move from simply operating to strategically positioning. The Nonprofit Explorer allows you to see the landscape you’re operating in with unprecedented clarity, providing the context to make smarter decisions about where to invest your time, energy, and limited resources.

Instead of seeing it as a tool for snooping on your peers, reframe it as a resource for sharpening your own focus. Here are four ways to use the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer to go beyond transparency and drive your strategic planning.

1. Map Your Ecosystem for Smarter Positioning

No organization exists in a vacuum. You share issue areas, audiences, and funders with a host of other groups. Understanding this ecosystem is the first step toward building a truly differentiated brand.

Use the Explorer to research organizations that are thematically or geographically similar to yours. Don’t just look at direct competitors; identify potential collaborators as well. As you review their Form 990s, ask strategic questions:

Financial Model: Where does their revenue come from? Are they heavily reliant on grants, individual contributions, or program service revenue? Understanding their financial model can reveal their stability, priorities, and potential vulnerabilities.
Key Personnel & Governance: Who is on their board? What is their executive compensation? This can provide insight into their networks and operational priorities.
Program Accomplishments: Pay close attention to how they describe their main programs in Part III of the 990. This is their official, public-facing narrative. Does it sound generic? Is it compelling?

This analysis helps you find your unique space in the ecosystem. Seeing how others talk about their work is often the inspiration you need to refine your own messaging, moving away from academic speak and buzzwords to nail your impact story with clarity and power.

2. Benchmark Your Operations to Justify Investment

Many social impact organizations are trapped in a cycle of scarcity, believing that a “scrappy” approach is a virtue. But chronic underinvestment in marketing, technology, and people is a direct threat to your mission. The data in the Nonprofit Explorer can become a powerful tool to advocate for the resources you need to build a sustainable organization.

Find five to ten organizations of a similar size and scope and compare their financial data to your own. Look specifically at:

Marketing & Fundraising Spend: What are they investing in outreach and development? If their budget for what they might call “advertising and promotion” or “professional fees” is significantly higher and they appear to be growing, you have a data-backed case for why marketing isn't overhead—it’s a crucial investment in growth.
Salaries and Compensation: Are you competitive enough to attract and retain top talent? Data from peer organizations can help you make the case to your board for fair and competitive compensation structures.
Revenue Growth: How has their revenue changed over the past few years? This can provide a realistic benchmark for your own growth targets.

This process helps break the cycle of prioritizing immediate needs over foundational work. By showing your board what similar organizations invest to succeed, you can move the conversation from "we can't afford it" to "we can't afford not to." This is a key part of developing a real nonprofit brand strategy that is built for the long haul.

3. Uncover Potential Funder and Partner Insights

While it’s no substitute for dedicated prospect research tools, the Nonprofit Explorer is an excellent free resource for identifying potential funding streams. When you find an organization working on similar issues, scroll down to Schedule B (Schedule of Contributors) on their 990. While individual donor names are redacted for privacy, foundation names are often visible.

This allows you to see which foundations are actively giving in your issue area. You can compile a list of these institutional funders and use it as a starting point for deeper research. It’s a simple yet effective way to warm up your pipeline and make your fundraising efforts more targeted. This is a crucial element of your Activation strategy, ensuring your team is focused on the most promising opportunities rather than casting too wide a net. To make the most of these opportunities, your team needs a clear understanding of what strategic communications is and how to implement it.

4. Sharpen Your Unique Value Proposition

Perhaps the most powerful and overlooked section of a 990 is Part III, Statement of Program Service Accomplishments. This is where an organization must describe its mission and most significant activities. It is, in essence, a brand statement.

Read this section for a dozen peer organizations. You will likely see a sea of sameness: jargon, bureaucratic language, and a focus on activities (outputs) rather than change (outcomes). This is your opportunity. By seeing how everyone else blends together, you can more clearly define how you stand out.

Ask yourself:

Does our narrative here truly capture the soul of our work?
If a potential major donor read this, would they be inspired? Or confused?
What unique perspective, approach, or impact can we highlight that no one else can claim?

This exercise is central to the transformation from Unremarkable to Unforgettable. It forces you to distill your complex work into a simple, powerful story—a skill that is critical for every fundraising appeal, social media post, and nonprofit website you create.

Data is the Start, Not the Finish Line

The ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer can give you a map, a benchmark, and a mirror. But data alone doesn't create change. An insight about a cluttered competitive landscape is useless if you don't have the creative and strategic capacity to build a brand that cuts through the noise. Discovering a new potential funder means little if your digital presence is fragmented and fails to convert their interest into support.

This is why a holistic approach that integrates Brand, Digital, and Activation is non-negotiable. The insights you gather must fuel a larger strategy. Your brand narrative must be supported by an integrated digital ecosystem—your website, CRM, and email platforms working in concert. And your activation strategies must be designed to build genuine community, not just chase transactional wins. This is how you escape the trap of siloed, short-term thinking and build a magnetic brand that attracts supporters. Our services are designed to help organizations build this integrated and resilient foundation.

The most successful social impact organizations don't just do the work; they build a powerful brand that tells the story of that work. They don't just run programs; they build communities. They use every tool at their disposal to gain an edge, and they understand that turning information into impact requires partnership, creativity, and a long-term vision. Our full suite of services helps our clients do just that.

Ready to turn strategic insights into sustainable growth and a more powerful brand?