GuideStar http://www.guidestar.org is a database for nonprofit organizations. This website provides information for nonprofits, grant makers, donors and others who are interested in nonprofit organizations. If you are doing research on a nonprofit organization, you can click the link for "More Search Options" under the search box in the upper left-hand corner of the main page. Type in the name of the organization in the nonprofit name box under "Advanced Search." You can also type in the city, state, zip code and/or EIN for the organization if you have it. The results will provide the name of the organization with symbols for available documents (reports, financials, Form 990s and links to the organization's website). The Form 990 is the information return filed with the IRS by tax-exempt organizations with incomes over $25,000.

There are three levels of information available from GuideStar. The first level is GuideStar EZ, which is free, and contains an organization's basic information such as address, EIN and a financial snapshot.

The second level is GuideStar Plus. This level is also free, but you do need to sign up to gain access using your e-mail address and a password once you have registered. At the GuideStar Plus level, Form 990s are accessible (may only be as recent as the previous year). Other information available on GuideStar Plus is company contacts, financials, board of directors and a full organization report.

The third level contains fee-based databases containing analyst reports, compensation reports and salary information.