GuideStar International.

GSI and GuideStar UK

GuideStar UK is a web-based service that provides easily accessible, detailed information about every registered main charity in England and Wales.  The Directory of Social Change (DSC) operates GuideStar UK www.guidestar.org.uk. It promotes greater public understanding of the work of charities and how they are managed and is an invaluable source of statistical and financial information for grant makers, researchers and public policy makers. The site provides a high profile free web presence, not just for established charities, but also for the many smaller specialist and local organisations that do not have websites. No one pays to be included in the database and use of the website is absolutely free of charge.

 

GuideStar Data Services (GDS) was established as a community interest company in January 2008. GDS operates the GuideStar Third Sector Database and provides data analysis services to institutions on all registered charities in England and Wales, as well as not-for-profit companies, social enterprises and industrial and provident societies. The GuideStar Third Sector Database comprises more than 500 searchable fields of data on 240,000 organizations.  GDS provides information to the non-profit, private and public sectors and its clients include local and national government, banks, insurance companies, journalists, academics and grantmakers.

 

By combining this wealth of data with its experience in analysing and interpreting nonprofit information, GDS provides unique insight into an under-investigated, poorly understood, yet hugely important sector. GuideStar Data Services is wholly owned by the Directory of Social Change and all profits go toward furthering the charitable goals of increasing transparency and confidence in the Third Sector.  More information on GuideStar Data Services can be found here

www.gs-ds.co.uk.

 

GuideStar UK was established in response to the 2002 Cabinet Office Strategy Unit Report that found that the level of information available to the public on charities was inadequate. Initiated by the Institute of Philanthropy and modeled on the established and successful GuideStar information system in the USA www.guidestar.org, GuideStar UK was developed in initial partnership with the Charity Commission, with funding from the Treasury and grantmaking trusts in the UK and US.

 

Following two years of development and valuable advice and feedback from representatives of charities, donors, funders, professional advisers, researchers and government, the free public website www.guidestar.org.uk was launched in December 2005.