2017-04-27T10:20:42-05:00 2016-12-31 521392008 GELMAN ROSENBERG & FREEDMAN 4550 MONTGOMERY AVE SUITE 650N BETHESDA MD 208142930 990 2016-01-01 541774039 GuideStar USA Inc GUID 7579411444 4801 Courthouse Street No 220 Williamsburg VA 231882678 Mizmun Kusairi VP Strategy & Finance 7579411444 2017-04-27 1 Terri McKnight CPA P00543022 3019519090 75.103.231.202 2017-04-27 11:20:20 ED P 24E2B1EDDFB7997E904F8C8AA54720A5F314F67A 4BBA5E68799B7B28B2F5341D734E042EB3E0DABC 2016 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z Jacob Harold 4801 Courthouse Street No 220 Williamsburg VA 231882678 11269539 0 X www.GuideStar.org X 1995 DE See Part III, Line 1. 10 9 95 9 119475 0 4812870 1658524 9113959 9473702 -3540 3012 39223 118501 13962512 11253739 0 0 0 0 7012231 8203485 0 0 320565 4644974 4589052 11657205 12792537 2305307 -1538798 5436088 3965331 3181910 3249951 2254178 715380 X GuideStar USA, Inc.'s mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving. 0 0 3034636 5429162 Web Program: GuideStar is working to create tools to support decision making by nonprofit and foundation professionals. GuideStar believes the better people understand the philanthropic sector, the more effectively and efficiently it will operate, and the more support it will receive. In 2016, the GuideStar database comprised information on nearly 2.5 million current and historic tax-exempt organizations, including 1.7 million 501(c)(3) entities. Nearly 7 million unique users visited our website to explore this information. Total website visits in 2016 exceeded 12.6 million. GuideStar continued to enhance its decision-making resources. GuideStar Charity Check, our pre-grant due-diligence tool, is 100% compliant with IRS regulations. GuideStar Premium and Pro give users deep and comprehensive research capabilities. In 2016, GuideStar updated its Nonprofit Profiles to simplify navigation and make program information more prominent. The new profiles present nonprofit data in an enhanced view that allows users to easily find and compare relevant information alongside historical trends. GuideStar also refreshed its search tool in 2016. The new search engine improves the initial relevancy of results and allows users to filter by geography, issue area, Seal of Transparency, and different financial metrics. These advances in user interface design and dynamic data visualization offer new opportunities to understand and analyze data. The online GuideStar Community expanded its reach to include nearly 10,000 registered users in 2016. The GuideStar Community allows our users and customers to more easily find a solution to issues and receive faster responses. More importantly, the community provides a space for community participants to engage with one another and share needs, challenges, and successes. It enabled users to more easily and efficiently find a solution to their issues, and provided a forum for GuideStar to better understand the challenges faced by our users. The total product count for our Web Program includes "free" products offered as part of the Membership Program. However, Membership revenue is listed separately on our financial statements. 2500925 2488364 Data & Knowledge Services: GuideStar provides custom support to various stakeholders working to research and report on the nonprofit sector. In 2016, we published the 16th edition of our annual compensation report and assisted many organizations in their research. We provided data and analysis on several topics to a number of media organizations, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and NBC News. Journalists incorporated this information into stories or used it as background to enhance the quality of their reporting on the nonprofit sector. 2413196 Nonprofit Profile Program: GuideStar is working to create a common profile for nonprofit organizations. The creation of a comprehensive profile will help improve the nonprofit sector's efficiency. Nonprofits, foundations, and others will more easily be able to compare and benchmark nonprofits' programs, progress, and results. In 2015, we initiated the GuideStar Profile Standard (GSPS), a best practice guide for collecting and sharing information about nonprofit organizations. The GSPS document is refreshed yearly to reflect changes and developments. GSPS now applies to our Profile Update Program and determines an organization's qualifications for a Seal of Transparency. Nonprofits can earn Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Seals of Transparency depending on the amount of information they share. In 2016, GuideStar launched a feature in the Profile Update Tool to enable nonprofits to share quantitative program results data, known as the Platinum level of transparency. Organizations are empowered to tell their stories and explain their impact through programmatic metrics. As part of this process, GuideStar also created the first sector-wide database of common programmatic metrics, the Common Results Catalog, with 686 common metrics applicable to different cause areas. As of December 31, 2016, GuideStar had 3.1 billion pieces of data, and more than 120,000 organizations had provided additional data for their GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles. Some 36,534 of these organizations achieved the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Seals. Of the 1,627 organizations that earned a Platinum Seal, 71% of their metrics came from the Common Results Catalog. In 2016, GuideStar also continued to enhance the design of the GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles to emphasize an organization's programs and results; leverage interactive data visualization and pre-calculated metrics for insight into financial performance and stability; and offer deeper understanding of nonprofit practice. 2317007 1556176 Platform Program: GuideStar is working to disseminate high-quality information on nonprofits through as many channels for donations and grantmaking as possible. GuideStar works to ensure that nonprofit information is available whenever and wherever it is needed. In 2016, we improved our Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to better facilitate data delivery to our partners and customers. We also aligned GuideStar's product architecture to be able to easily copy features from guidestar.org to our platform products. Information in GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles powered 207 philanthropic websites and applications in 2016. Our data distribution network partners included Facebook, Volunteer Match, AmazonSmile, and the donor-advised funds of Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard. Hits to GuideStar data, via APIs and web services, totaled more than 14.6 million in 2016. GuideStar supports community foundations' fundraising and engagement efforts through the DonorEdge platform. In 2016, 20 community foundations used this service. GuideStar for Grant Applications (G4G) continued to build momentum with active adoption of the tool by six grants management software vendors and more than 40 foundations in 2016. The tool auto-populates grant applications with Nonprofit Profile data. It saves nonprofits time, enabling them to focus resources on their missions, allows foundations to improve grantmaking efficiency, and ensures grantmakers have up-to-date information. In 2016, GuideStar also began developing a new tier for its platform products suite-plug-in products that allow customers to embed GuideStar's core functionality into their own web pages by inserting code snippets into pages on their websites. The first product in this suite is the GuideStar Local Nonprofit Directory, which lets a community foundation and other grantmaking organizations provide a nonprofit search limited to the location it serves. This product is ideal for smaller funders that have little or no technology staff and serve a defined geographic area. We completed a beta release of this plug-in in 2016 and expect to release this product in 2017. 2317007 1556176 10265764 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 41 0 1 95 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 10 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 AL AR CA CT FL GA HI IL KS KY MD MA MI MN MS NH NM NJ NY NC OR PA RI SC TN UT VA WV WI X X Mizmun Kusairi 7579411423 4801 Courthouse St Ste 220 Williamsburg VA 23188 Jacob Harold President/CEO 40.00 X X 235459 0 29943 Mari Kuraishi Chair 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Alix Guerrier Secretary 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Dalila Wilson-Scott Treasurer 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Brian Trelstad Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Art Howe Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Sunand Menon Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Katherina Rosqueta Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Glen Galaich Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Stephen Goodall Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Mizmun Kusairi VP Strategy & Finance 40.00 X 177046 0 19564 James A Dobrzeniecki VP Technology 40.00 X 195584 0 22966 Debra Snider VP Operations 40.00 X 157234 0 13187 Adrian Bordone VP Strategic Partnerships 40.00 X 146902 0 23047 Evan T Paul VP Products 40.00 X 141187 0 20446 Jose Antonio Rodriguez Sr. Dir. Of Strategic Partnerships 40.00 X 139133 0 9689 Eva Nico Senior Director of Programs 40.00 X 123166 0 3686 Charles E McLean Senior Research Fellow 40.00 X 121688 0 19283 1437399 0 161811 17 0 1 0 DSCS LLC 5000 College Ave College Park MD 20742 Data Digitization 975585 CliftonLarson Allen LLP 220 S 6th St Ste 300 Minneapolis MN 55402 Software implementation svcs 169568 Exponent Partners 720 Market St Ste 600 San Francisco CA 94102 Software implementation svcs 134132 Zen Electronics Ltd 23 Nikola Vaptzarov Fl 1 Sofia BU Software consulting & testing services 122882 4 591740 1066784 1658524 Nonprofit Data Services 519130 8550227 8550227 Membership Dues 900099 804000 804000 Advertising 541800 119475 119475 9473702 3012 3012 134301 15800 118501 118501 118501 11253739 9354227 119475 121513 850983 290887 460814 99282 5939143 4946098 849233 143812 168814 145689 20055 3070 725856 598210 110104 17542 518689 415304 94359 9026 73888 25122 42116 6650 32195 24790 6761 644 409289 343902 63139 2248 126631 92577 30009 4045 321783 267832 46494 7457 2266694 2103474 159753 3467 501393 397508 93820 10065 240202 163660 74649 1893 33309 24351 7894 1064 15000 11495 3207 298 341952 265166 70341 6445 54096 45026 7816 1254 Training & recruitment 97386 38542 57735 1109 Dues 35812 29808 5174 830 Bad debt expense 22995 22995 Publications & subs. 11198 9321 1617 260 5229 4007 1118 104 12792537 10265764 2206208 320565 3252900 1948539 275000 101845 960760 897862 60838 3000 5010889 4104446 818135 906443 1244 68455 106398 5436088 3965331 473860 476762 1873338 1911491 600000 600000 234712 261698 3181910 3249951 X -116655 -167140 2370833 882520 2254178 715380 5436088 3965331 -1538798 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 2449938 2088187 1931061 4812870 1658524 12940580 2449938 2088187 1931061 4812870 1658524 12940580 6548050 6392530 55518 74860 76784 39223 137313 383698 13324278 43590236 0.47980 0.43840 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 269224 69279 199945 2406688 2297889 108799 2334977 1737278 597699 906443 Deferred Rent 261698 261698 X 11269539 15800 15800 11253739 0 11253739 12808337 15800 15800 12792537 0 12792537 Part X, Line 2: For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Organization has documented its consideration of FASB ASC 740-10, Income Taxes, that provides guidance for reporting uncertainty in income taxes and has determined that no material uncertain tax positions qualify for either recognition or disclosure in the financial statements. Part XI, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Rent expense reported as expense on the financial 15,800. statements and netted against revenue on form 990, part VIII, line 6b. Part XII, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Rent expense reported as expense on the financial 15,800. statements and netted against revenue on form 990, part VIII, line 6b. X X X X X 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jacob Harold President/CEO 235459 0 0 0 0 0 8732 0 21211 0 265402 0 0 0 Mizmun Kusairi VP Strategy & Finance 177046 0 0 0 0 0 6300 0 13264 0 196610 0 0 0 James A Dobrzeniecki VP Technology 195584 0 0 0 0 0 6976 0 15990 0 218550 0 0 0 Debra Snider VP Operations 157234 0 0 0 0 0 5545 0 7642 0 170421 0 0 0 Adrian Bordone VP Strategic Partnerships 146902 0 0 0 0 0 4988 0 18059 0 169949 0 0 0 Evan T Paul VP Products 141187 0 0 0 0 0 5276 0 15170 0 161633 0 0 0 Part I, Line 5 GuideStar's business development team receives monthly commission pay based on actual receipts for new and renewal product sales. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The Form 990 information was assimilated by the Finance Department with assistance from the CFO and VP of Operations. The information was then sent to the outside tax professionals at Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman who completed and reviewed the return. The completed return was then reviewed by the CEO and after review and modifications, if any, it was reviewed by the GuideStar Audit Committee. After taking into account any comments/recommendations of the GuideStar Audit Committee, the Form 990 was finalized and sent electronically to the full Board prior to filing with the IRS. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c Per the GuideStar employee handbook, all employees are under a "continuing obligation to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest as soon as it is known or reasonably known." They must complete a "Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement and update it annually. Board members complete a "Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement" annually. Where an actual or potential conflict exists between the interests of GuideStar and an interested party with respect to a specific proposed action or transaction, GuideStar will refrain from the proposed action or transaction until it has been approved by the disinterested members of the board of directors using the following procedures: 1. An interested party who has an actual or potential conflict of interest with respect to a proposed action or transaction will not participate in any way in, or be present during, the deliberations and decision making with respect to the action or transaction. The interested party may, upon request, be available to answer questions or provide material factual information about the proposed action or transaction. 2. The disinterested members of the board of directors may approve the proposed action or transaction if it is in the best interests of the corporation. The board will consider whether the terms of the proposed transaction are fair and reasonable to the organization. 3. The disinterested members of the board of directors will approve the action or transaction by vote of a majority of directors in attendance at a meeting at which a quorum is present. An interested party may be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present but will not be counted for purposes of determining what constitutes a majority vote of directors in attendance. 4. The minutes of the meeting will reflect that the conflict disclosure was made, the vote taken, and, where applicable, the abstention from voting and participation by the interested party. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 GUIDESTAR'S COMPENSATION POLICIES OVERSIGHT GuideStar's President and CEO compensation policies are established by the GuideStar Board of Directors Executive Committee and approved by the full GuideStar Board of Directors. For 2016, the Executive Committee consisted of the following people: - Mari Kuraishi, Board Chair - Dalila Wilson-Scott, Board Treasurer - Alix Guerrier, Board Secretary Responsibilities of the Executive Committee regarding policies and procedures pertaining to the compensation of the President and CEO: 1. Review and approve organizational goals and objectives 2. Review his or her performance in light of those goals and objectives 3. Review parameters for total compensation 4. Annually review compensation policies and procedures and make recommendations for adjustments 5. Review and approve any employment agreement 6. Review and approve any severance 7. Oversee plans for management development and succession 8. Retain and terminate, in its sole discretion, any compensation Compensation Philosophy The allocation of GuideStar's financial and human resources and its compensation plans are designed to help achieve progress in meeting GuideStar's mission and strategic plan. The board recognizes that achieving this requires attracting, retaining and rewarding skilled executives and personnel within appropriate guidelines established by the IRS and good nonprofit governance practices. As a result, we have designed compensation plans that are competitive in the market place and balanced between short and long-term goals. Process used to Determine Executive Compensation IRS Guidelines: 1. Total compensation for GuideStar's senior executives must meet the standards under the IRS "intermediate sanctions" regulations. 2. The IRS intermediate sanctions regulations apply to "disqualified persons" at 501(c)(3) public charities and 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations. GuideStar is a 501(c)(3) organization. A disqualified person is someone who is in a position to exercise substantial influence with respect to the organization's affairs. Disqualified persons include chief executives, chief operating officers and other key employees, board members, close relatives of officers and board members, and others who are in a position to influence the organization. 3. Compensation, for purposes of intermediate sanctions, includes all remuneration (base pay, incentives and bonuses, deferred compensation, and benefits). Thus, total compensation compared to the market is the appropriate comparison for intermediate sanctions purposes. Incentives and bonuses are permissible under intermediate sanctions, as long as the total amount of compensation is reasonable. GuideStar process: 1. Every fourth quarter, the full Board meets to establish goals for the coming year and allocate financial resources. These goals become the basis for establishing performance goals and metrics for the organization as a whole, departments and individuals. 2. The Executive Committee meets to establish performance goals for the President and CEO and to establish overall compensation philosophy for the coming year. In 2016, the total compensation package for the President and CEO no longer included an annual incentive based on achieving organization and individual objectives. Objectives are based on GuideStar's strategic plan. 3. The board has also set a goal that all GuideStar employees, including executives, receive market-competitive benefits. 4. For executives, a job description is reviewed each year and each GuideStar position is placed at a market-based salary point according to the competitive marketplace for that position and Guidestar's financial capacity. 5. To meet the "reasonable standard" of the IRS, GuideStar periodically hires an independent outside consultant to help determine as the IRS states "the value that would ordinarily be paid for like services by like enterprises under like circumstances." 6. During the course of the year, any change in compensation of the President and CEO is reviewed by the Chairman and approved by the Executive Committee. The President and CEO is responsible for annual performance reviews of all executive staff. 7. Base pay is reviewed based on cost of living, market place movement and GuideStar's financial status. The last compensation review was in September 2016. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 GuideStar's financial statements are made available on its website www.guidestar.org. Additionally, these documents along with GuideStar's governing documents and conflict of interest policy are provided upon request from the public.