FAQs – questions about giftsearch answered
What is fr&c’s giftsearch?
It’s a database of donations and donors to Australian nonprofits, all of them reported in the public domain, compiled by Fundraising Research & Consulting’s staff.
It’s designed to help fundraisers and researchers in the not-for-profit sector to find good information on philanthropic giving in Australia.
How is it researched?
We gather information from websites, annual reports and other public domain sources.
The information is edited and checked by our researchers.
Is it all in the public domain?
Yes. For every record we show the website or document where the information was sourced, usually with a live link
What does it contain?
It contains records of nearly 900,000 philanthropic gifts, company sponsorships, and trustees for a range of nonprofits
“Nonprofits” includes charities, universities and schools, museums and arts organisations, as well as campaigning organisations
The database includes
The database includes the names of trustees and patrons of leading Australian nonprofits.
We include, for some records, additional notes on the donation – for example where the specific purpose of a gift is given in the public record.
For every record we show a link to the website or document from which the information was sourced; these links do go out of date over time, so older ones may no longer link to the source document; often this means that Giftsearch is the only place outside of the recipient organisation that the gift is permanently recorded.
The database is fully searchable on any of these fields, and any combination of these fields. Users can search by name or partial name, for example, or put together a search combining recipient type (“Arts/Culture”) with amount (“More than $1,000”).
Search results can be exported, instantly, into an Excel file. NB there is an export limit of 1000 records per search.
How can I search in giftsearch?
The database is fully searchable on any field, and any combination of these fields. Users can search by name or partial name, for example, or put together a search combining recipient type (“Arts/Culture”) with amount (“More than $1,000”). See the help page for detailed information on searching effectively in giftsearch.
Search results can be exported, instantly, into an Excel file. NB there is an export limit of 1000 records per search.
Is there a limit to the number of records I can download from giftsearch?
Yes, downloads are limited to a maximum of 1000 records per search; however there is no limit on the number of searches a subscriber can carry out. If you have a need to download a larger number of records, you can contact us to discuss your requirements.
How will giftsearch help my fundraising or development program?
In giftsearch you can:
How many records are there in giftsearch?
There are currently nearly 900,000 entries, all drawn from public domain sources, listed in giftsearch. This number increases continually, as our research continues.
There is at least $16 billion in donations recorded in giftsearch.
This number is the sum of the total donations of a specified amount added to the sum of the “lower gift band” amounts given for donations in a specified gift band. Again, this number increases with our continued active research program.
How far back does the data go?
We started work on compiling the data in 2009, so most of the data is from the last few years and does not go back further than that. However we are continually adding both new organisations and data, and older data on significant donations as well.
Can anyone subscribe to giftsearch?
Any nonprofit organisation in Australia can subscribe to giftsearch.
What do I get for my subscription?
Unlimited access to the database, 24/7. Unlimited searches in the database.
Fully searchable fields – text and numbers.
Instant, free, download of information into an Excel file.
How much is a subscription?
For nonprofit organisations, the current annual subscription to giftsearch is $950+ GST.
How do I subscribe?
Just contact us via our website
What are the Terms and Conditions?
FR&C’s standard Terms and Conditions apply.
The “Specification” referred to in the Terms and Conditions is as follows:
“Access, for subscribing organisation only, for one year from receipt of payment, to FR&C’s giftsearch for the purpose of promoting philanthropy by researching donations to Australian nonprofits. No part of the database may be used for any other purpose, nor may any part of the database be sold, leased or loaned on to third parties.”
I have a concern about this data! –what do I do?
If you have any queries or concerns about our data please contact us via our website
Can I use this data for commercial purposes? Or to make a mailing list?
No. Special terms and conditions apply to giftsearch to ensure that we comply with the spirit and the laws of data protection. You will have signed these terms when you signed up for giftsearch. The data does not include contact details either for donors or for recipient organisations
What is fr&c’s giftsearch?
It’s a database of donations and donors to Australian nonprofits, all of them reported in the public domain, compiled by Fundraising Research & Consulting’s staff.
It’s designed to help fundraisers and researchers in the not-for-profit sector to find good information on philanthropic giving in Australia.
How is it researched?
We gather information from websites, annual reports and other public domain sources.
The information is edited and checked by our researchers.
Is it all in the public domain?
Yes. For every record we show the website or document where the information was sourced, usually with a live link
What does it contain?
It contains records of nearly 900,000 philanthropic gifts, company sponsorships, and trustees for a range of nonprofits
“Nonprofits” includes charities, universities and schools, museums and arts organisations, as well as campaigning organisations
The database includes
- Donor’s name
- Recipient organisation’s name
- Recipient’s postcode
- Recipient organisation’s sector (for example – “Education/Training” or “Arts/Culture”)
- Where the information is available it also contains the donation value or donation band (for example “$5,000-$10,000”)
- Year that donation was made/recorded
The database includes the names of trustees and patrons of leading Australian nonprofits.
We include, for some records, additional notes on the donation – for example where the specific purpose of a gift is given in the public record.
For every record we show a link to the website or document from which the information was sourced; these links do go out of date over time, so older ones may no longer link to the source document; often this means that Giftsearch is the only place outside of the recipient organisation that the gift is permanently recorded.
The database is fully searchable on any of these fields, and any combination of these fields. Users can search by name or partial name, for example, or put together a search combining recipient type (“Arts/Culture”) with amount (“More than $1,000”).
Search results can be exported, instantly, into an Excel file. NB there is an export limit of 1000 records per search.
How can I search in giftsearch?
The database is fully searchable on any field, and any combination of these fields. Users can search by name or partial name, for example, or put together a search combining recipient type (“Arts/Culture”) with amount (“More than $1,000”). See the help page for detailed information on searching effectively in giftsearch.
Search results can be exported, instantly, into an Excel file. NB there is an export limit of 1000 records per search.
Is there a limit to the number of records I can download from giftsearch?
Yes, downloads are limited to a maximum of 1000 records per search; however there is no limit on the number of searches a subscriber can carry out. If you have a need to download a larger number of records, you can contact us to discuss your requirements.
How will giftsearch help my fundraising or development program?
In giftsearch you can:
- Find donations by cause
- Find donations to a specific charity
- Build lists of prospects who support a particular type of cause
- Build lists of prospects who have given to nonprofits in a defined geographic area
- Check your donor’s other philanthropic interests
- Check your strategy
Example
Your organisation is planning a new appeal in, for example, the field of animal welfare.
Which other organisations have had notable gifts in this field? How much are donors giving? Who are our competitors? Who are the prospects?
By using combinations of Advanced Search options you can see who’s giving to what, when and where.
Bear in mind that giftsearch ONLY reports on donations known in the public domain. It is not, and cannot be, a listing of all donations to all causes.
It also does not contain any geographic or address or business information on the donors, so it is not always possible to be sure that the Dick Smith you find is the Dick Smith you are looking for.
Can I download information?
Yes. It’s fast and easy.
Just carry out a search, then click on the “Export to CSV” at the bottom of the list of results (on any page).
Your search results will be instantly exported to an Excel file. Save the file in your desktop or folders in the normal way.
To protect our IP, downloads are limited to 1000 records in any one download
How many records are there in giftsearch?
There are currently nearly 900,000 entries, all drawn from public domain sources, listed in giftsearch. This number increases continually, as our research continues.
There is at least $16 billion in donations recorded in giftsearch.
This number is the sum of the total donations of a specified amount added to the sum of the “lower gift band” amounts given for donations in a specified gift band. Again, this number increases with our continued active research program.
How far back does the data go?
We started work on compiling the data in 2009, so most of the data is from the last few years and does not go back further than that. However we are continually adding both new organisations and data, and older data on significant donations as well.
Can anyone subscribe to giftsearch?
Any nonprofit organisation in Australia can subscribe to giftsearch.
What do I get for my subscription?
Unlimited access to the database, 24/7. Unlimited searches in the database.
Fully searchable fields – text and numbers.
Instant, free, download of information into an Excel file.
How much is a subscription?
For nonprofit organisations, the current annual subscription to giftsearch is $950+ GST.
How do I subscribe?
Just contact us via our website
What are the Terms and Conditions?
FR&C’s standard Terms and Conditions apply.
The “Specification” referred to in the Terms and Conditions is as follows:
“Access, for subscribing organisation only, for one year from receipt of payment, to FR&C’s giftsearch for the purpose of promoting philanthropy by researching donations to Australian nonprofits. No part of the database may be used for any other purpose, nor may any part of the database be sold, leased or loaned on to third parties.”
I have a concern about this data! –what do I do?
If you have any queries or concerns about our data please contact us via our website
Can I use this data for commercial purposes? Or to make a mailing list?
No. Special terms and conditions apply to giftsearch to ensure that we comply with the spirit and the laws of data protection. You will have signed these terms when you signed up for giftsearch. The data does not include contact details either for donors or for recipient organisations