The learner will:

• name nonprofit organizations in the community.
• identify nonprofit organizations using resources like telephone books, technology and local periodicals.

Anticipatory Set:
Display a list of various profit and nonprofit organizations that could be found within the community, for example, local art museum, Girl Scouts of America, local grocery store, local retail store, local public library, local baseball team, local veterans hospital, etc. Pairs of students or small groups of children may try to categorize the list of organizations into profit and nonprofit organizations. Share the lists the students have categorized and discuss how students decided in which list to place the organizations.


• Teacher note: The lessons in this unit are written with the understanding students know the definition of nonprofit and for profit organizations. Please see http://learningtogive.org/materials/vocabulary.asp if students need a better understanding of nonprofit or any associated vocabulary.
  
  
• Review the definition of a nonprofit organization with the students. A nonprofit organization's income is not used for the benefit of people with an interest in the company. Separate tax treatment by the IRS exists based on whether it is a charity or not. Cite a few examples of well known nonprofit organizations like The Red Cross, United Way, Goodwill, etc.
  
  
• The students will research local nonprofits. Have three stations set up around the classroom: Station 1 - telephone books, Station 2 - computer, and Station 3 - local publications.
  
  
• Before arranging students into three groups, brainstorm and list key words students can look for when searching on the Internet and in the Yellow Pages. For a Web search, type in the city or community name and words like nonprofit, foundations, or charities. Guidestar http://www.guidestar.org/ is a Web site that can be used to find nonprofit organizations. Click on the advance search and type in the zip code for a local area. This will help narrow a search for nonprofit organizations for a particular community. Another very helpful web site is Idealist at www.idealist.org. Click on “Organizations” on the right side of the home page under “Advanced Search.” On the search page entering the country, state and city, such as “United States, Indiana and Indianapolis” will result in a comprehensive list of nonprofits and their focus. For a Yellow Pages search, look in the index for subjects like churches, community service agencies, hospitals, mental health services, orchestras and bands, relief agencies, veterans organizations, volunteer services, women’s services, youth organizations and centers, zoos, etc. Research Organizer (see Attachment One) should be duplicated, with several - at least one per member - distributed to each research group.
  
  
• Arrange the students into three groups and tell each group to find local nonprofit organizations. Students will keep a running record of the organizations they find. Have each group of students circulate to each station.
  
  
• After students have generated a list of nonprofit organizations, share the lists as a class. On chart paper, record all the local nonprofits children found and discuss why each organization is a nonprofit. Ask students if they can name any other local nonprofits not mentioned. The list should include organizations like:

1. Local zoo: money raised by ticket sales goes toward caring for animals and the facility.
2. Local food bank: money raised pays for maintaining building, buying supplies and food.
3. Churches and Synagogues: money collected pays for building maintenance, employees, and community services.

Helpful Web sites include:

• Crandall, Kori. Glossary of Philanthropic Terms. [web page] February, 1998, http://learningtogive.org/materials/vocabulary.asp (Accessed 3 December2000).
• GuideStar: the Donor's Guide to the Charitable Universe. [web page] December, 2000, http://www.guidestar.org/(Accessed 3 December 2000)
• Idealist.org – http://idealist.org - a project of Action Without Borders. Over 45,000
  nonprofit and community organizations in 165 countries, which can be searched by name, location or mission. It also has information on volunteer opportunities in local communities and the world as well as a Nonprofit Career Center with hundreds of job and internship listings.