Resources for Donors

The Maine Community Foundation offers this list of selected regional and national resources to help you make the most of your philanthropy.

In Maine

• Maine Association of Nonprofits. A statewide, membership organization dedicated to strengthening the voice, leadership, and organizational effectiveness of Maine's nonprofits.
• Maine Humanities Council. The council brings people and ideas together to foster wisdom in an age of information, providing context in a time of change.
• Maine Philanthropy Center. Promotes philanthropy to increase its impact in Maine by convening and facilitating interaction among Maine grantmakers.

National Resources

• BoardSource. BoardSource, formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofits by strengthening their boards of directors.
• Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. Conducts and disseminates research on the role and impact of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy; and conducts research on and analyzes trends in the operations and finances of U.S. charitable organizations through data developed and maintained by its National Center for Charitable Statistics and other sources.
• Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Increases the understanding of philanthropy and improves its practice through programs in research, teaching, public service and public affairs.
• Council on Foundations. An association of foundations and corporations that promotes responsible philanthropy.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy. News source for nonprofit professionals and others working in philanthropy.
• Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy. A national forum of business CEOs and chairpersons focused on encouraging corporate philanthropy.
• The Foundation Center. A clearinghouse for information on grant seeking and foundation and corporate giving.
• Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Encourages and assists grantmakers to adopt and maintain practices that increase their organizational effectiveness and enhance their ability to achieve their goals and mission.
• Guidestar-Charity Search. Provides comprehensive data on more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations, connecting them with donors, foundations, businesses and governing agencies.
• Independent Sector. Forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world by leading, strengthening and mobilizing the independent sector.
• Learning to Give. Educational initiative seeking to maintain and enhance a civil society by educating youth about philanthropy.
• National Center for Family Philanthropy. Promotes philanthropic values, vision and excellence across generations of donors and donor families.
• New England International Donors. An affinity group for donors, grantmakers, social investors, and those who advise them, who give -– or are looking to give -– internationally.
• Turning Passion Into Action: Giving While Living, a report published by The Atlantic Philanthropies. This report addresses some key steps for donors considering "giving while living"--actively donating funds, skills, and time during their lives. (Note: Although the examples given have a slightly left-leaning political bias, the the fundamentals of the report are worth considering.)
• Visions of Giving. An online conversation about giving, hosted by Robert Wood Lynn and D. Susan Wisely ("The more we know about the mysteries of giving, the more we come to understand how little we know about it").