Enhancements to The Giving Partner

(September 2021)


The Giving Partner continues to evolve and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County is excited to announce a significant refresh to the platform. 

We’ve incorporated feedback from the community – nonprofit organizations, donors and funders – in this effort to enhance the platform’s functionality for all users. These upgrades will make it easier for nonprofit partners to make updates and to make The Giving Partner more valuable for all stakeholders. Things will still look very familiar, yet we’ve added some new fields, eliminated a few fields and relocated a few fields. 

Enhancements will be deployed to The Giving Partner, starting September 8, 2021 as indicated below:

NEW FIELDS

  Overview tab:
  • Mission Category (options: Animal Welfare; Arts, Culture & Humanities; Civic Engagement & Societal Benefits; Education; Environment; Food & Nutrition; Health; Human Services; Youth Development; Religion & Spiritual Development) 
  • Achievement Definition (what does this look like for the organization) 
  • Geographical Areas Served - Overall Organization (by zip code)
  • Specific Areas Served (specific neighborhoods, areas) 
  • Unite Us profile (can indicate if organization has this) 
  Programs tab (renamed to Programs & Results tab):
  • Program Type (Seasonal, Year-round, Discontinued) 
  • Program End Date (for programs discontinued; retains data and outcomes of previous programs) 
  • $ Amount of Need (as relates to each program)
  • Geographical Areas Served by Program (by zip code)
  • Date Outcomes Achieved or Reported (indicates how recent the outcomes data is) 
  • Number that Achieved Intended Outcomes (option to enter “Unknown”)
  • Outcome was Measured/Confirmed by (option to select from available choices or enter custom answer)

  Financials tab: 

  • Capital Campaigns - Amount Raised to Date
  Governance tab:
  • What was the top accomplishment that your board achieved in the last year?
  • Board Members - Sexual Orientation*
  • Board Members - Ability*
  Management & Volunteers tab (renamed to Staff & Volunteers): 
  • CEO/ED - Gender Identity*
  • CEO/ED - Race & Ethnicity*
  • CEO/ED - Sexual Orientation*
  • CEO/ED - Ability*
  *Note: There is always the option of selecting “Decline to State” or “Information Not Available” for these fields.


FIELDS REMOVED

  Fields removed (these were listed on Overview tab):
  • Goals (a similar field “Achievement Definition” has been added to the Overview tab) 
  • Accomplishments (a similar field “What was the top accomplishment that the board achieved in the last year” has been added to the Governance tab) 

  Fields removed (these were listed on Legal, Planning & Policies tab):

  • Conflict of Interest policy 
  • Awards, Affiliations & Accreditations 
  • Year Fundraising Plan Begins 
  • Year Communication Plan Begins 
  • Year Strategic Plan Begins 

  Fields removed (these were listed on Management & Volunteers tab):

  • Development Opportunities Provided 
  • Evaluation Frequency - Management/Director 
  • Evaluation Frequency - Non-Management 
  • CEO/Executive Director - Experience 
  • CEO/Executive Director - Total Compensation Prior Year 

OTHER ENHANCEMENTS

  • Needs (renamed to “Administrative Needs” and moved to the Financials tab) 
  • Dropdown Functionality (appears for several fields to facilitate selection of answers and consistency)
  • Info Bubbles (instructions have moved into Info Bubbles displayed beside each field) 
  • Indicators for Incomplete Fields (most required fields that are incomplete are denoted in red in the Admin Dashboard of TGP so these are easily distinguishable). Note: Certain required fields that are incomplete are unable to be denoted in red at this time (typically these are within a table format, such as the Financial Data sections, etc.). For a list of required fields, refer to the Nonprofit Toolkit - CHECKLIST.

NEW DEMOGRAPHIC FIELDS

In September, based on national best practices from Candid (formerly known as Guidestar), we will introduce new demographic fields for board members and staff leadership. While we have always asked for race/ethnicity and gender for board members, additional fields have been added (along with the opportunity to select the answer “Decline to State”) for sexual orientation and ability. 

We expect by having greater knowledge of our community, stakeholders will be able to make better informed decisions. We know that what gets measured is a beginning point for thoughtful conversations about who we are and what we can become.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is committed to improving the lives of all people. We believe the strength of our community is in its diversity. Together, we strive to address issues and create opportunities so all people can achieve their full potential.

We will use data to:

  • Deepen our understanding of the community and their needs
  • Assess our reach, gaps, and identify opportunities
  • Measure the impact of our charitable investments