A group, organization, institution or corporation formed to provide goods and/or services for a charitable, educational, religious, literary or scientific purpose. Nonprofits' assets are usually donated by companies, foundations or individuals who do not expect to be repaid. These contributions are tax deductible.
If a nonprofit meets the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service's Code, section 501(c)(3), it can obtain tax-exempt status, and does not pay federal or state income taxes.
For an in-depth glossary of terms to use when writing and thinking about nonprofits, check out GrantSpace's glossary of foundation, nonprofit, and fundraising terminology.
The NYIT Library offers students access to many databases full of trustworthy, vetted, and peer-reviewed sources, including articles, reports, and much more.
The following databases are suggested for use when conducting research for or about nonprofit organizations.
| Statista | One of the world’s largest statistics portals providing access to relevant data from over 18,000 sources. Great for finding in-depth reports and statistics. |
| CQ Researcher | Great for current events and issues, useful for creating PEST |
| Opposing Viewpoints in Context | Great for current events and issues, useful for creating PEST |
| ProQuest Central | Great for finding up to date news articles from newspapers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, also great for general research |
| Encyclopedia of Associations | Detailed information concerning nonprofit American membership organizations of national scope, and multinational associations |
When researching nonprofits, students may need information about managing, starting, or funding nonprofits. Students may also need to know demographics and statistics about the population the nonprofit is serving. For more in-depth guidance on finding statistics, visit the NYIT Statistical Resources LibGuide.
| GuideStar | Search GuideStar for complete, up-to-date data on thousands of nonprofits |
| National Council of Nonprofits: Nonprofit Sector Trends | Great for information about nonprofits |
| New York State Associations, Nonprofits | Great for finding information about nonprofits in NY State |
| NYC Nonprofits | Resource for finding information about nonprofits in NYC |
| USA.gov Nonprofits | Official government website with information about starting a nonprofit in the U.S. |
| NCSS Nonprofit FAQ | The NCSS (National Center for Charitable Statistics) FAQ for organization, management, regulation, resources and development of nonprofits |
| Idealist: Resources for Nonprofit Organizations | Information and resources about nonprofits |
| Resource for finding volunteers and nonprofits in NYC |
| US Census | Great for finding demographics in the United States |
| American FactFinder | Great for finding facts, statistics, and demographics from the US Census |
| Pew Research | Great for finding statistics and reports about all subjects |
| Urban Institute | Great for finding statistics, reports, data visualizations and policy debates. |
A PEST analysis is a business measurement tool useful for understanding market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business.
P olitical
E conomic
S ocial
T echnological
Use this template to create a PEST for a nonprofit organization or business!
A SWOT analysis is a business measurement tool useful for reviewing strategy, position and direction of a company or business proposition.
S trengths
W eaknesses
O pportunities
T hreats
Use this template to create a SWOT for a nonprofit organization or business!
Books about managing, researching, and fundraising for nonprofit organizations that are available in the NYIT Library. Click the book's link for details!
If you need to find a specific publication one of the most powerful tools on the library's website is the NYIT Journal Locator.
Search the NYIT Journal Locator by subject to discover journals and magazines that NYIT holds. Publications held in both the print collection and electronic collections are indexed.
