Toward a Robust Marketplace for Philanthropy

Unlike for-profit investors, who have access to timely, accurate and detailed information about companies and their performance, philanthropists often make multi-million dollar decisions based on little more than hunches about which non-profit organizations are most effective. The study notes that each year individuals, foundations, and businesses in the United States distribute more than $300 billion to more than a million nonprofit organizations, yet often know little about their progress in their chosen fields.