Spreading the word: How nonprofits share their knowledge, and why it’s a good idea 

Does the following scenario sound familiar? Your nonprofit implements a program, through which you gather valuable data and insights about the problem you’re trying to solve and the solutions that work (or don’t). But then you ask yourself: How can I share what I’ve learned with others in the field? Your findings may prove essential in developing effective solutions—but only if others are able to access that information and learn from your experience. 

Why is it important for nonprofits to share their knowledge? 

As a librarian by training, I tend to be biased toward knowledge sharing. I think we’re all more successful in our endeavors when we have access to others’ experience and expertise. It’s also integral to Candid’s core mission: to get people the information they need to do good.  

Sharing knowledge is in keeping with the spirit of collaboration toward solving common problems that define philanthropy. Nonprofits have a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by the communities where they work, as well as efforts to solve those problems. Nonprofits sharing their knowledge has many benefits: First, it adds to the knowledge base around a particular subject; your work can provide more context or another data point to help fill in gaps.  

Second, when nonprofits share their knowledge, it enables others to build upon that work, saving time and resources—ensuring that finite grant dollars aren’t spent repeating existing research. It also allows organizations tackling similar issues in other communities to learn from and apply your successes to their own efforts. For example, a case study of a successful afterschool program may offer lessons that can be adapted by an early childhood education program in another state. 

Finally, sharing your research helps increase visibility around the work you do and enables you to tell your nonprofit’s story more effectively. When connecting with potential funders, your research serves as an example of your accomplishments that help make the case for support. Additionally, sharing your work demonstrates both your willingness to seek feedback from peers as well as an openness to collaborating on projects it might inform. 

How can nonprofits share their knowledge? 

There are simple ways for nonprofits to share their knowledge and data, as well as steps you can take to make it more accessible. The first step is to post your findings to your organization’s website. Ideally, this should be to a dedicated page highlighting all your research, so it’s easily discoverable and accessible to those you want to share it with. It’s also important to consider the format. Always provide a downloadable version of your research, such as a PDF or CSV file. These are generally less susceptible to damage or loss of information and more easily accessed and shared. Make sure to highlight your research through your social media channels and ask your funders to share it as well.  

Also consider sharing your knowledge through other channels. Journals focused on a specific topic have wide reach among practitioners in that field. Other outlets focused on enabling nonprofits to share their knowledge include funders’ websites, which typically highlight the research they’ve funded, or Candid’s Issue Lab, a free repository dedicated to collecting and providing access to social sector knowledge. The more opportunities people have to encounter your research, the broader the impact it can have. 

Wherever you choose to share your research, it’s also important to ensure that people know how they can share, reuse, or adapt it. Providing clear copyright statements, coupled with open-access language or a Creative Commons license to your work, are all good practices. People are more likely to build upon your findings if they know they’re explicitly encouraged to do so.  

How can foundations help nonprofits share their knowledge? 

Foundations can play a role in helping grantees showcase their work and also benefit from it. The knowledge shared can raise awareness of and inform the work being done as well as how to best support those efforts. In addition to directly funding data gathering and analysis, grantmakers can highlight reports through their own websites, marketing, and social media channels to help draw attention to new research.  

Other ways a foundation might offer support include helping nonprofits navigate journal publication criteria or covering costs to ensure the work is freely accessible. Helping grantees share their knowledge can help bring attention—and increased support—to the efforts of nonprofits working to solve problems in their communities.  

Nonprofits sharing their research broadly and openly provides an immeasurable benefit to the sector and beyond. It enables organizations to assess the various approaches to addressing an issue or identify potential collaboration partners. By sharing data and insights gained through project implementations, case studies, and lessons learned, applying and building upon it alongside others, we can accelerate the work to address social issues and strengthen communities. 

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