GuideStar UK Remains Free of Charge

GuideStar.org.uk is a website that serves 700,000 unique visitors per year. It posts data concerning 350,000 UK third sector organizations in an accessible and user-friendly format, and, until yesterday, was sponsored by GuideStar International.

The Directory of Social Change (DSC) announced that on March 2 it took over administration of the GuideStar site. DSC is an independent charity founded in 1974 that seeks to promote social change through independent and voluntary third sector efforts. It focuses on training, publications, and education to achieve its goals. It will continue to operate the website free of charge, as did GuideStar UK.

Third Sector’s John Plummer reported that DSC acquired GuideStar Data Services and GuideStar UK with no exchange of money through a confidential transfer agreement. DSC intends to use its new data services capabilities to enhance accessibility of information for both funding organisations and for the public, in order to facilitate more informed funding decisions and improve public understanding of third sector activities, including charitable fundraising.

GuideStar International’s Caroline Neligan said that the move was in keeping with other international ventures in which they set up such sites and then transfer them at no cost to non-profit charities. Though GuideStar Data Services, the commercial branch of the organisation, had successfully established accounts and met most of its objectives, the transfer to DSC is seen as a way to boost its financial performance. DSC will develop the site further with the help of three GuideStar UK employees and additional staff it plans to hire.

The bottom line is that this valuable service will remain free and will continue to evolve into what promises to be the most comprehensive site available at which to research charitable and non-charitable third sector organisations and their impacts in the UK.