NPOAuthority

NPOAuthority is donor research and screening software for small 501(c)(3) nonprofits. It is best for organizations that want to combine individual prospect research with batch screening and have an annual budget for the work.

Overview

The service brings donor wealth and giving patterns together with philanthropic interests, net worth, real estate, charitable contributions and business affiliations. Predictive modeling and analytics are intended to help teams identify promising prospects and target fundraising campaigns. Its partnership with DonorSearch supports online prospect research, while editable profiles let users bring the most relevant information forward.

Each profile data item has an editable quality score, giving staff a way to assess information rather than accept it at face value. That is useful in a research workflow where donor context matters as much as a screening result. NPOAuthority also includes political data from federal and state sources, plus foundation details and supported causes for grant seeking.

Key features

• Research and screening: Unlimited online research tool usage and batch wealth and philanthropy screening support assessments of donor capacity and inclination. Teams can upload an Excel file for batch screening, a practical route for organizations working from an existing donor list.
• Flexible profiles: Full profiles open with one click and can be edited to show desired information. This makes the service more adaptable to a team's research priorities, though staff still need to interpret the data and quality scores.
• Mobile access and privacy: Searches can be performed on a mobile device, and batch results are delivered securely online. User-provided application data is accessible only to the organization that supplied it and is not shared with other organizations.
• Training: Free training and reference manuals are among the options, while every paid plan includes unlimited training. That can help a small nonprofit get staff oriented without a seat cap.

Pricing

NPOAuthority has no free plan and offers a 30-day trial. Its annual contracts pair unlimited one-off searches, seats and training with the full online tool. The entry plan costs $1,695 a year and has no included batch record allotment in its plan description, so it suits teams focused on one-off research rather than planned bulk screening.

• Annual Contract — 1,000 records: $1,795 a year, including 1,000 wealth screening records and donor retention software alongside the shared contract features. This is the least expensive listed option with a defined batch allowance.
• Annual Contract — 2,500 records: $1,995 a year, with 2,500 records and donor retention software. It fits a team whose screening volume exceeds the 1,000-record tier without moving to a much larger allowance.
• Annual Contract — 3,000 records: $2,100 a year, with 3,000 records and donor retention software. It offers a modest increase over the 2,500-record tier for organizations that need that additional capacity.
• Annual Contract — 5,000 records: $2,500 a year, with 5,000 records and donor retention software for larger donor files.
• Annual Contract — 10,000 records: $3,499 a year, with 10,000 records and donor retention software. This is the highest listed allowance and is most relevant to organizations expecting substantial batch screening.

All listed contracts are billed annually. The record tiers add a defined screening quota; the entry plan instead keeps the recurring commitment lower by omitting a stated bulk allowance. Unlimited seats matter for nonprofits with several staff members involved in fundraising, but the annual term and lack of a free plan make this a poor fit for teams that need occasional access or cannot forecast screening needs.

Platforms

NPOAuthority supports Android, iOS and web. Mobile searching complements spreadsheet-based batch screening, while the web tool supports the broader research workflow.

Who it's for

This is a strong fit for small 501(c)(3) organizations that want donor research, affinity and wealth screening, and multiple staff accounts under one annual contract. The research, foundation and political data also give grant-seeking teams reasons to consider it. Organizations looking for a free ongoing plan, or a commitment that scales month to month, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Unlimited seats and one-off searches keep staff access and individual research from being constrained by a per-user or per-search allowance.
• Pros: Record-based contracts offer clear batch screening allowances, with donor retention software included on the screening tiers.
• Pros: Editable profiles and data quality scores let teams shape and assess the information they use.
• Cons: No free plan and annual billing create a meaningful commitment, particularly for nonprofits with uncertain research volume.
• Cons: The entry contract has no stated batch screening quota, so organizations needing predictable bulk screening must pay for a higher tier.

Alternatives

Nonprofit Donor Prospecting Software is a useful category overview for comparing tools before choosing a prospecting service.

• Hatch is the better starting point for a team that needs a free plan: its free tier includes 50 enrichment profiles and one seat, though QuickSearch is limited to five uses in the first month.
• Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT suits organizations seeking personalized pricing based on organizational needs, with implementation, training and ongoing support potentially included.
• DonorAtlas is an enterprise option with unlimited searches and donor profile views, enterprise support, SSO and SCIM, and role-based access; pricing is custom.
• Gratona Donor Intelligence is an alternative with a Launch plan at $750 a month, billed annually at $9,000/year, including 1,000 AI credits per month, one primary workflow and email and chat support.
• Windfall Wealth Screening is another paid wealth-screening option with pricing based on needs and a demo request.
• Code-fi offers annual subscriptions with unlimited access to its tools, data and knowledge support services; pricing varies by team size.
• DonorScope has a free plan and an annual subscription at $998 a year, making it worth considering for organizations comparing lower-cost donor data options.
• DonorTrends is another fundraising reports and analysis option.

Verdict

NPOAuthority is a sensible choice for small nonprofits that need donor research, adjustable profiles and batch screening with no seat limit. Its strongest advantage is the combination of unlimited one-off research with selectable record quotas. The annual contracts and absence of a free plan are the reasons to look elsewhere if screening needs are occasional or budgets are uncertain.