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Research · Nonprofit

Nonprofit research support: grant prospects, donor intelligence, & impact data, without pulling staff off mission

By Zack Pennington, CEO Updated

Nonprofits run lean, and research work: whether it's identifying viable grant opportunities, building donor profiles, or pulling program outcome benchmarks, tends to pile up on whoever has a spare hour. A Nacho EA takes on that backlog systematically, so your development director isn't spending Sunday nights on Candid or your program manager isn't manually compiling data for a board report. This is research work that needs to get done well; it just doesn't need to be done by you.

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Can a Virtual Assistant handle research for nonprofits?

Yes. Nacho matches nonprofits with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist who owns research week after week, not a one-off task. Onboarding starts with a $300 Delegation Strategy Plan, your Talent Budget starts at $1,000 a month, and matching takes about a week.

See how the match works What a Talent Budget costs Book a discovery call

How it works

How your Specialist owns research for nonprofits

When a nonprofit client engages Nacho for research support, the first step is a Delegation Strategy Plan developed with your Client Success Manager: this is where we get specific about your research priorities, whether that's foundation prospecting, peer organization benchmarking, or constituent data gathering. From there, your EA works inside tools like Candid (Foundation Directory), GuideStar, DonorSearch, and Google Scholar depending on the task, and delivers findings in whatever format is most useful: a formatted spreadsheet, a briefing doc, or a summary slide. The client's role is to review outputs, flag what's useful, and redirect as priorities shift; the EA handles the digging. For grant research specifically, EAs track deadlines, eligibility criteria, and funder priorities so your team is working from a current, organized pipeline rather than a scattered browser bookmark folder.

Off your plate

What your Specialist takes off your plate

Before your first session, pull together one or two examples of grants you've successfully received or prospects you've already qualified, this gives your EA a concrete filter for what 'a good fit' actually looks like for your organization, rather than starting from scratch. The most common mistake is handing off research with vague criteria like 'foundations that fund education,' which leads to a broad list that still requires heavy internal review; the more specific you are about geographic restrictions, funding minimums, and program areas, the more actionable the output will be from day one.

  1. Foundation and Grant Prospect Research

    Using Candid's Foundation Directory and funder websites, the EA identifies grant opportunities that match your organization's mission, budget size, and geographic focus, and compiles them into a prioritized prospect list with deadlines and giving history.

  2. Donor and Major Gift Prospect Profiling

    The EA pulls publicly available wealth indicators, philanthropic giving history, and board affiliations from tools like DonorSearch or iWave to build profiles that help your development team prioritize outreach.

  3. Peer Organization and Benchmarking Research

    Using GuideStar/Candid financials and IRS Form 990 data, the EA compiles program, staffing, and budget benchmarks from comparable nonprofits to inform strategic planning or board presentations.

  4. Program Impact and Outcome Data Compilation

    The EA researches published studies, government datasets, and sector reports to gather statistics and evidence that support your theory of change or strengthen grant narratives and annual reports.

  5. Corporate Partnership and Sponsorship Prospect Research

    The EA identifies companies with active CSR programs, local giving priorities, or cause alignment relevant to your work, and builds an outreach-ready list with contact information and giving focus areas.

Your stack

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack, no forced migrations.

G2
SimilarWeb
SEMrush
ChatGPT
Claude
Statista

...and many more!

Client proof

Trusted by nonprofits

Nacho supports nonprofits including Clayton Christensen Institute, Educational Testing Services (ETS), Real Discussion, handling everything from research to broader operational support.

The model

What delegating to Nacho actually looks like

This is ongoing delegation to one vetted, US-based person, not a task posted to a marketplace.

  1. Start with a Delegation Strategy Plan

    A one-time $300 onboarding fee pairs you with a Client Success Manager who maps what to hand off first. See the full process.

  2. Get matched in about a week

    We match you with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist in your time zone. If the fit is not right, the Nacho Guarantee re-matches you free.

  3. Set a monthly Talent Budget

    Budgets start at $1,000 a month and draw across Executive Assistants from $40/hr, Specialists from $65/hr, and Fractional Executives from $125/hr. Up to $200 of unused budget rolls over each month. See pricing in detail.

  4. Three months, then month to month

    The initial term is three months so the working relationship has time to compound, then it rolls month to month. Book a discovery call to size yours.

Talent Budget

What delegating research costs for nonprofits

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants
from $40/hour
10 hours $400
Specialists
from $65/hour
20 hours $1,300
Fractional Executives
from $125/hour
0 hours $0
Your monthly budget
$1,700

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Delegation Strategy Plan.

Good questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a Nacho EA access paid research databases like Candid's Foundation Directory or DonorSearch?
EAs can work inside any platform you provide access to: if your organization already subscribes to Candid, DonorSearch, or iWave, your EA can log in and conduct research directly. If you don't have subscriptions, your EA can work with free-tier tools, public 990 data, and funder websites, though the depth of prospect research will reflect those limitations.
How is this different from hiring a grant writer?
Research support and grant writing are related but distinct: a Nacho EA handles the intelligence-gathering phase: finding prospects, documenting funder priorities, tracking deadlines, and organizing your pipeline. Grant writing itself requires a different skill set and is typically handled by a Specialist or Fractional Executive at Nacho, or by a dedicated grant writer on your team working from the research your EA provides.
We only need research support a few hours a month, is Nacho a fit for that?
Nacho's monthly budget starts at $1,000, which covers roughly 25 hours of Executive Assistant time at $40/hour, and up to $200 of unused budget can roll over into the next month. If your research needs are lighter, those hours can flex across other administrative tasks: donor communications, scheduling, data entry, so you're not paying for capacity you can't use.

Ready when you are

Put your grant pipeline and donor research on a consistent schedule

Nacho matches nonprofits with US-based EAs who understand development workflows and can start contributing in about a week of onboarding. Schedule a call to talk through what your research backlog actually looks like.

Not sure yet? See how it works, compare the Executive Assistant, Specialist, and Fractional Executive roles, or read why we stayed 100% US-based.