Query Tips: How To Find Family Foundation Gifts In ResearchPoint

Katherine Swank · May 2021

Increasing concentrations of wealth have played a substantial role in creating family foundations where more and more charity-bound funds are being deposited, accumulated, and then granted. A family foundation is a type of private foundation set up by a family, funded with the family’s assets, and often run by family members who can also participate in its charitable grantmaking. It can last as long as the family needs it to serve its philanthropic ambitions, and it can adapt as the family’s composition and charitable focus change.

The average family foundation holds assets of less than $1 million, but together, they give away tens of billions in grants each year. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than $24 billion was provided to over 30,000 recipients according to one source. Over $13 billion in grants and pledges was provided to racial equity funding last year – some of which came from family foundations. Overall family foundations are known for their ability to remain in perpetuity control being passed to countless generations of family, perpetuating the founder’s values, continuing established charitable work, and leaving a legacy well beyond the creator’s lifetime.Family foundations make up over half of all private (family, corporate, independent, and operating) foundations, according to the Council on Foundations. They range in asset size from thousands of dollars to more than $1 billion and may hold up to 50 percent of all foundation holdings. These often smaller foundations by asset size, make decisions more quickly, make grants in lump sums rather than multiple payments, and offer easier application processes. What's more, the competition for their support may be less intense than for the better-known private and corporate foundations out there.

This philanthropy sector has evolved dramatically in the recent past. Family-focused foundations are responding more nimbly with multi-year grants, fewer reporting requirements, shifts in willingness to support general operating needs, and funding full program costs. The coronavirus health pandemic sparked a broader conversation on the 5% of assets payout requirement with a widespread movement to increase payout dollars when community needs warrant it. Funders are increasingly reflecting on the perpetuity goals of their foundation and conversations have opened to changes in spending and investment policies with a mission-oriented focus in light of the crisis and other current events that rapidly unfolded in 2020.

Two Steps to Finding Family Foundation Donations in ResearchPoint

The framework of family foundation giving may evoke excitement among your fundraising team who would like to find potential donors that have established them. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as searching the local newspaper of phone number rolls to identify them; but with ResearchPoint® - your prospect research software tool - you have a leg up on the pursuit. There are only 2 steps you’ll need to take to find some results.

Step 1:

Screen one or more of your constituent records through the WealthPoint data sources. This can be done by screening one record at a time, or by screening groups of two-or-more records grouped into a research list. Specifically, you’re going to be looking for clues within the gift listings returned from the NOZA Database of Philanthropy. The more records screened, the more likely you’ll be to find returned results.

This Knowledgebase Solution tells you more. But wait! Your list of desired records isn’t yet in ResearchPoint, but it’s in Raiser’s Edge? Here’s how to quickly move your list into ResearchPoint for screening.

Step 2:

Create these three ad hoc queries in ResearchPoint. The first query uses results found in the GuideStar data source search and is the easiest way to identify an affiliated family foundation. It uses both constituent name and address to find matching results. These results, if any are returned, may include false matches (family foundations associated with a person with a similar name) and you may need to take a few minutes to review, investigate and confirm that the foundation listing is connected to the household in which your constituent resides. The higher the match code or confidence level of the matching data, the more likely the match can be confirmed.

The second query has been narrowly defined to identify confirmed gift listings from the NOZA philanthropic giving data source. It uses both constituent name and address to find matching results. These results, if any are returned, take little time to confirm the matched data. It’s nearly certain the listing is connected to the household where your constituent resides.

The third query employs a much wider filter - looking for gift listings that match the constituent’s name only. These results will be more voluminous and may take additional time to review, investigate and confirm that the gift listing is connected to the household in which your constituent resides. The output I’ve suggested may produce multiple line results for the same individual. You can create an export definition in ResearchPoint to further filter the reported information to desired attributes only. Check out our Blackbaud Target Analytics community article ResearchPoint Export Tips: Creating An Export Definition With Attributes to learn more and watch an instructional video!

Query 1: Private Foundations (GuideStar)

Description: Levels 1-5 confidence matched foundation listing as found in GuideStar

Include records where:

Wealth Information\\Foundation Affiliations\\Match code is not blank

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Query 2: Foundation Donors to Nonprofit Organizations (Confirmed or Levels 2-4 Confidence)

Description: Confirmed or levels 2-4 confidence matched gifts to nonprofit organizations from Foundation donors as found in NOZAsearch

Include records where:

Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Name contains Foundation
And Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Rejected is equal to No
And (Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Match code is one of P07, S07, P12, S12, P13, S13
Or Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Confirmed is equal to Yes)

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Query 3: Foundation Donors to Nonprofit Organizations (Unconfirmed or Level 1 Confidence) Description: Unconfirmed or level 1 confidence matched gifts to nonprofit organizations from Foundation donors as found in NOZAsearch

Include records where:

Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Name contains Foundation
And Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Rejected is equal to No
And (Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Match code is one of P21, S21
Or Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Confirmed is equal to No)

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Useful Query Output Fields:

First name
Last/Organization/Group/Household name
Address (Primary)\\City
Address (Primary)\\State abbreviation
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Confirmed
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Match code
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Name
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Organization
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Category
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Gift type
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Gift year
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\Low amount
Wealth Information\\Philanthropic Gifts\\High amount
Wealth Information\\WealthPoint screening date

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If you need help in creating these queries in ResearchPoint, reach out to our stellar Support Analyst team at www.Blackbaud.com, Support, and then Chat.

Carolyn Copp · June 2021

As usual, Katherine, you have been reading my mind! This is a great post and I will be putting it to work immediately! Thanks!?