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Peer Prospecting

Learn how to use Instrumentl's Peer Prospecting features to identify, track, and evaluate peer organizations.

Kyle Ward avatar
Written by Kyle Ward
Updated over a month ago

Instrumentl's Peer Prospecting features are crafted to empower Nonprofit Professional Plan users to discover, track, and analyze peer organizations. These tools streamline the process of identifying funders of similar nonprofits, saving you time and boosting your research efficiency.

Peer Prospecting allows you to create a comprehensive, long-term grants strategy on a much deeper level than Reverse Search/Recipient Profiles!

Value Add of Peer Prospecting

Strategically utilize insights into the 'who' 'what', 'when', 'where', and 'why' of funding for organizations like yours to bolster your grants success.

Why would I need peer prospecting 990 insights if I already access to Reverse Search features in my Standard Plan?

Find high ROI Funders

Understanding the ROI of a funder from a vast array of 990 information and websites is hard! Often they don't show you the full picture, nor do they truly highlight the funder's real interests and motivations. By identifying funders who have given to your peers, you are identifying funders with real evidence of funding similar work to your own nonprofit.

Understand how you compare

Keeping an eye on peers helps you understand how you are 'performing' as a nonprofit. If very similar peer organizations are pulling in significantly more money, it might be worth understanding how and from where. This can influence your overall funding strategy.

Uncover the mystery of repeat funders and mutual funders

Combing through 990s and synthesizing funding data for peers takes initial time investment, but the insights you gain are incredibly valuable. Knowing the full story between a peer and a funder can be extremely helpful going forward. Has this funder been giving to them for many years? Is the funding increasing or decreasing for that peer? If they are a mutual funder, are they giving more or less to my peers?


Getting Started

To get started with peer prospecting, add your Organization EIN to the Organization Profile located under your Account menu.

Peer Prospecting features are divided into three main components:

1. Peer List

Access the Peer List in two ways:

  1. Under the LISTS section in the left-hand navigation (below projects).

2. By clicking the “Create Peer List” or “Edit Peer List” link on the new funder matches filter.

In the Peer List, users can add or remove peers on the left side, while the right side displays the 990 page of the selected peer.

Note: Currently, only U.S. nonprofit peers (990 filing entities) are supported.

To add a peer:

  1. Select the + Add Peer button.

  2. Search for the peer organization.

  3. Click the + button next to the selected peer to save it.

2. New Recipient Insights

Organization Comparison

Quickly see how you stack up against other organizations with our comparison table. Key metrics are highlighted and differences are shown to help you identify potential peers based on size, revenue, and grant history.

Funding History

Get a detailed view of peers' past awards with two viewing options:

  • All Time Funders (default): Lists all funders, showing:

    • Average Amount: Average received from each funder, with comparisons to the funder's typical award.

    • Last Granted: Most recent grant year.

    • Total Awards: Total number of awards. Click the down arrow to expand details.

  • By Year View: Visualizes award details for each year.

3. New Filter on Funder Matches

Narrow down funder matches to those who have supported your peer organizations. Access the Peer List through the 'Create or Edit Peer List' link. The circled number shows how many peers are saved, which helps refine funder matches.


For any questions or assistance, please contact us via chat or email at hello@instrumentl.com.

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