What We Do
Giving Compass is a one-stop shop to help individual donors learn about issues, get involved, and give to community-led change. In the US, 80% of giving to nonprofits comes from individuals (Giving USA). While the amount we give is important, how we give also matters. We guide donors toward practices that advance equity and address the root causes of society's issues.
We are guided by the principles of impact-driven philanthropy (IDP).
IDP Priorities
Our Mission
To help impact-driven donors transform their generosity into meaningful change for communities and society.
Who We Support
Donors
Access learning content, find opportunities to get involved, and give to trusted organizations.
Nonprofits
Reach donors through our platform by sharing your expertise and insights.
Partners
Provide added value to your donor audience with our content and technology solutions.
Our Story
Giving Compass was inspired by Jeff and Tricia Raikes, co-founders of the Raikes Foundation. Early in their own giving journey, they met other donors who faced a similar challenge: Finding targeted resources to guide a values-aligned, community-inclusive, and effective giving strategy.
Giving Compass Timeline
- June 2017 Giving Compass goes live in partnership with Giving Tech Labs as a minimal viable product (MVP)
- November 2018 Giving Compass publishes Charting Our Course: First-year Reflections
- June 2019 Giving Compass spins out from Giving Tech Labs from an MVP product toward a long-term, scalable platform
- July 2019 In partnership with Stanford PACS, Giving Compass launches the Philanthropy Resource Directory
- December 2019 Giving Compass reaches 40,000 users per month
- December 2019 Giving Compass publishes its 2019 annual reflection
- March 2020 In partnership with National Center for Family Philanthropy, Giving Compass launches the Coronavirus and COVID-19 Funds Directory
- May 2020 Giving Compass surpasses 78,000 users - 200% YoY growth
- December 2020 Giving Compass publishes its 2020 annual reflection
- October 2021 Giving Compass releases the latest version of Giving Planner, which includes its new Benchmark Calculator
- November 2021 Giving Compass launches a repository of social justice nonprofits
- December 2021 Giving Compass publishes its 2021 annual reflection
- January 2022 Giving Compass spins out from the Raikes Foundation as an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
- July 2022 Giving Compass Network acquires X4Impact, a data intelligence company for social innovation in the U.S.
- December 2022 Giving Compass publishes its 2022 annual reflection
The Facts
The world faces many pressing problems, but impact-driven donors can create lasting change by proactively learning more, getting involved, and giving with impact.
Guided by the principles of IDP -- equity, effectiveness, due diligence, and transparency -- Giving Compass:
- Presents facts and frameworks in our library of curated and original articles, columns, videos, and podcasts. Updated daily. Sign up for our newsletter.
- Features event listings, volunteer opportunities, and tools to help donors connect with others, find support, and get involved.
- Creates partnerships with nonprofit and philanthropy experts to provide credible information and trusted best practices.
- Offers a dynamic digital platform for the best user experience.
- 85% of donors want more impact
- 32% spend 2 hours per year to inform their giving
- 9% do comparative research before giving
Our Impact
(Source: Google Analytics, 2023)
- 22,000 Users Connected to equity-focused giving opportunities.
- 2,000,000 Views Of philanthropic articles, best practices, and partner collections.
- 57,000 Views Of an established library of Impact-driven philanthropy resources.
- 3,000 Users Discovered information about philanthropic advisors, networks, and research.
- 28,000 Users Accessed special coverage resources that addressed urgent needs and crises.
Our Funders
Our Content Partners
1954 Project
Animal Grantmakers
Alliance for Education
BELE Network
Beth Kanter
BlackHer
Black Voters Matter
Boardsource
Blue Meridian Partners
Bridgespan Group
Bright Funds
Camelback Ventures
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Center for Effective Philanthropy
Center for High Impact Philanthropy
Chandler Foundation
Charity Navigator
City Year
Clean Energy Districts of Iowa
Colorado Succeeds
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Donors of Color Network
Dasra
David Bonbright
Emergent Fund
Equity in Education Coalition
Exponent Philanthropy
Fidelity Charitable
GlobalGiving
Global Washington
Goodnation
Imperative
Indiaspora
JustFund
KABOOM!
Latino Community Foundation
LeAnne Moss, June Wilson, and Candace Tkachuck
Leap Ambassadors Community
Milken Institute
Minneapolis Foundation
Mission Investors Exchange
Movement Voter Project
National Center for Family Philanthropy
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
New England International Donors
New Profit
Noel S. Anderson, Lisette Nieves, and Becca Huntting
OneAmerica
Philanthropy Together
PhilanthropyWoRx
Raikes Foundation
Seattle Foundation
Science Philanthropy Alliance
Schwab Charitable
Social Impact Exchange
Social Venture Partners
Stanford PACS
Stanford Social Innovation Review
The Johnson Center
The Life You Can Save
The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI)
The Philanthropy Workshop
The ImPact
VolunteerMatch
VoteAmerica
Women's Philanthropy Institute
Giving Compass offers a range of partnership opportunities.
Donors
Share your story or provide feedback about the site to help us improve.
Nonprofits
Elevate your brand through our content marketing platform and event listings.
Partners
Learn about our content and funds widget and API solutions.
Our Team
Dale Pfeifer
she/her
CEO
Brandolon Barnett
he/him
Head of Innovation & Philanthropy
Jacqui Gray
she/her
Vice President of Marketing
Brian Hilgendorf
he/him
Senior Financial Executive
Charles Allen
Director of Sales
Joseph Alonso
Director of Engineering
Milan Ball
Director of Development & Philanthropic Partnerships
Kavitha Thimmaiah
Director of Donor Education & Content Production
Madeleine Alegria
she/her
Philanthropy & Impact Analyst
Alex Andino
he/him
Lead Software Engineer
Jeremy Babb
he/him
Associate Product Manager
Our Values
Innovation
We embrace fresh ideas, forward thinking, and fast improvements.
Impact
We are accountable to our mission and to delivering a public benefit.
Integrity
We are driven by the desire to do the right thing.
Inclusion
We believe in the power of elevating diverse voices and representing the breadth and depth of work in our sector.
Inspiration
We’re motivated by the joy of giving and spreading it.
Join The Giving Compass Team
Giving Compass Board of Directors
Jeff Raikes
Co-founder
Larry Leibowitz
Co-founder
Stephanie Fuerstner Gillis
Senior Advisor
Kim Laughton
Board Member
Dien Yuen
Board Member
Location
PO Box 709
Union, WA 98592
Contact
https://givingcompass.org/contact
Newsletter
Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.
Donate
Donate to Giving Compass to help us guide donors toward practices that advance equity.
Follow
About
Partnerships
Topics
© 2025 Giving Compass Network
A 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 85-1311683
Privacy Policy User Agreement