[Data-modeling] Non-profits, once more with feeling

Dan Ancona da at vizbang.com
Sun Aug 17 20:00:42 UTC 2008


The New Progressive Coalition did a little modeling for US politically 
focused orgs (mostly nonprofits and mission-driven for-profits). Not 
sure how helpful this is but it might give you some ideas...

http://www.newprogressivecoalition.com/network/organization/browse

Glad to see all the new data in politics. I'm working on a couple of 
systems that I'm hoping will interoperate with that data and it seems 
like it's going a great direction. The UI is looking sharp too!

Dan

Faye Li wrote:
> I like it (or did, until sandbox got blown away).
> 
> -- Faye
> 
> 
> Jeff Prucher wrote:
>> Here's a revised model:
>> http://tinyurl.com/6emfhs
>>
>> Note that there's an error in the schema, which is that the "designation"
>> property is non-unique.  I'll fix that before putting anything on
>> production, of course.
>>
>> Note also that "registered with" is non-unique because in some countries,
>> orgs have to register at the state/provincial level, rather than the
>> national.
>>
>> Let me know what you think.
>>
>> Jeff 
>>
>>   
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com 
>>> [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Prucher
>>> Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 3:02 PM
>>> To: 'Freebase data modeling mailing list'
>>> Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Non-profits, once more with feeling
>>>
>>> The UK and Canada definitely have their own classification 
>>> systems; I imagine most places do. It occurs to me that we 
>>> could do what they did in the business domain for "industry" 
>>>     
>> -- there's one type ("Industry") that includes both free-form > user-entered
>> (or Wikipedia-extracted) topics like "Oil" and 
>>   
>>> also the NAICS industry hierarchy. And I think there are 
>>> plans to load other industrial taxonomies. So we could have a 
>>> "Sector" type that included NTEE-CC and other standard 
>>> taxonomies as well as free-form topics.
>>> The problem with this, though, is that as Tim points out, the 
>>> NTEE stuff is really non-profit specific but there might be 
>>> other types of organizations that have a sector.
>>>
>>> Jeff
>>>
>>>     
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com
>>>> [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Kirrily 
>>>> Robert
>>>> Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 2:01 PM
>>>> To: Freebase data modeling mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Non-profits, once more with feeling
>>>>
>>>> NTEE-CC seems to be US-only.  Do we have any thoughts on making it 
>>>> internationally applicable?
>>>>
>>>> K.
>>>>
>>>> On Aug 8, 2008, at 12:39 PM, Tim Kientzle wrote:
>>>>
>>>>       
>>>>> I was indeed thinking of putting "sector" on "organization", but 
>>>>> that's clearly inappropriate for existing taxonomies with
>>>>>         
>>>> restricted
>>>>       
>>>>> application.  It would make sense for the NTEE-CC property to be 
>>>>> associated with the "non-profit" tag, although I would
>>>>>         
>>>> suggest being
>>>>       
>>>>> more specific with the property name: "NTEE-CC sector" 
>>>>>         
>>> rather than 
>>>     
>>>>> just "non-profit sector."
>>>>>
>>>>> Whether it makes sense to separate "endowment" properties 
>>>>>         
>>> depends a 
>>>     
>>>>> lot on the data at the other end of that link.  If there are 
>>>>> endowments that fund a variety of types of entities, then putting 
>>>>> "endowment" on an "Endowed Entity" type does simplify 
>>>>>         
>>> cross-domain 
>>>     
>>>>> queries.  I can't say I know enough about endowments to be sure.
>>>>>
>>>>> Tim
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Aug 8, 2008, at 11:34 AM, Jeff Prucher wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>         
>>>>>> I like Faye's suggestion, too, and I'm looking into other
>>>>>>           
>>>> countries
>>>>       
>>>>>> to see what kind of patterns there are.  And thanks for
>>>>>>           
>>>> catching the
>>>>       
>>>>>> duplicate "geographic scope" property on organization.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In terms of sector, are you proposing that it go on
>>>>>>           
>>>> "organization",
>>>>       
>>>>>> instead?
>>>>>> It's sort of the organizational equivalent to "industry",
>>>>>>           
>>>> so I could
>>>>       
>>>>>> imagine it going there.  (That said, taxonomies like the
>>>>>>           
>>>> NTEE-CC are
>>>>       
>>>>>> explicitly for non-profits, so linking to them from another type 
>>>>>> might be semantically weird, assuming of course that they have 
>>>>>> compatible licenses.) In terms of endowments, what type 
>>>>>>           
>>> would you 
>>>     
>>>>>> propose putting that property on?
>>>>>> "Endowed
>>>>>> entity"?  I guess I don't see how the having an
>>>>>>           
>>>> "endowment" property
>>>>       
>>>>>> on the "College/University" type precludes an 
>>>>>>           
>>> "endowment" property 
>>>     
>>>>>> being on "Non-profit organization".
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jeff
>>>>>>
>>>>>>           
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com
>>>>>>> [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Tim 
>>>>>>> Kientzle
>>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 6:09 PM
>>>>>>> To: Freebase data modeling mailing list
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Non-profits, once more with feeling
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Faye makes a good point.  It seems quite possible that the only 
>>>>>>> property of "non-profit" would be the tax framework under
>>>>>>>             
>>>> which it's
>>>>       
>>>>>>> recognized (e.g., "US Government 501(c)(3)").  Every
>>>>>>>             
>>>> other property
>>>>       
>>>>>>> of your proposed "non-profit" type applies to things
>>>>>>>             
>>>> other than non-
>>>>       
>>>>>>> profits:  Harvard has an endowment, the Organization 
>>>>>>>             
>>> type already 
>>>     
>>>>>>> has a "Geographic scope," and there are philanthropic and/or 
>>>>>>> charitable organizations that are not non-profit but to
>>>>>>>             
>>>> which your
>>>>       
>>>>>>> "non-profit sector" classification would still apply.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tim
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Aug 7, 2008, at 5:15 PM, Faye Li wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> Technically a non-profit is just an organization that's not 
>>>>>>>> commercially motivated. :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Legally though, the term has very specific definitions
>>>>>>>>               
>>>> in the US,
>>>>       
>>>>>>>> state-defined definitions, actually, which means a CA-based
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> nonprofit
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> may very well not qualify as a "non-proft" under say,
>>>>>>>>               
>>>> Montana state
>>>>       
>>>>>>>> law. To sort through the state-to-state discrepancy the
>>>>>>>>               
>>>> IRS has the
>>>>       
>>>>>>>> final say on nationally recognized non-profit
>>>>>>>>               
>>>> organizations through
>>>>       
>>>>>>>> section 501(c) codes. There are over a million
>>>>>>>> (!) of them registered with the IRS today. Even 1% of that
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> data will
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> make a nice chunk in Freebase. :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> But that's besides the point, which is: a non-profit has a
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> privileged
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> status which has to be qualified by the system that
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> recognizes it as a
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> non-profit, much as a protected site needs to specify the
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> park system
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> under which it is protected. Without that data, or at least
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>> a property
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>> to input that data, the claim of being a non-profit
>>>>>>>>               
>>>> becomes...well,
>>>>       
>>>>>>>> unqualified, and legally weak.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Kirrily, I'll have to check out your charities domain. :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -- Faye
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Kirrily Robert wrote:
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>>>> Not all non-profits take donations.  However, I have
>>>>>>>>>                 
>>>> been modeling
>>>>       
>>>>>>>>> charities in a domain of my own (/user/skud/charities) and
>>>>>>>>>                 
>>>>>>> I've got
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>> properties for religious affiliation as well as geographical 
>>>>>>>>> focus.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> K.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Aug 7, 2008, at 3:27 PM, Alexander Marks wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>                 
>>>>>>>>>> How about a Religious Affiliation property? Applies to any 
>>>>>>>>>> organization, I guess, but seems especially relevant for
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>> those that
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>>> take donations.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Al
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>>>>> From: "Jeff Prucher" <jeff at metaweb.com>
>>>>>>>>>> To: "Freebase data modeling mailing list"
>>>>>>>>>> <data-modeling at freebase.com
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2008 9:24:29 PM (GMT) Europe/London
>>>>>>>>>> Subject: [Data-modeling] Non-profits, once more with feeling
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I sent a note about this a couple weeks ago, and received no 
>>>>>>>>>> responses. I'm figuring that either things are slow
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>> because it's
>>>>       
>>>>>>>>>> summer (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway) or that nobody
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>> cares much
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>>> about this schema one way or another.  Just in case it's
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>> the former,
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>>> I'm reposting my non-profit organization schema to
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>> sandbox; if it's
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>>> for the latter reason, I'll go ahead and upload the
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>> schema at my
>>>>       
>>>>>>>>>> leisure. :)
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>> https://sandbox.freebase.com/type/view/organization/non_profit_organ
>>>>       
>>>>>>>>>> ization
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> It's pretty basic; it includes the types Organization
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>> (to get the
>>>>       
>>>>>>>>>> board members and parent/child organizations, among other
>>>>>>>>>>                   
>>>>>>> things),
>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>>> and Employer.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Jeff Prucher
>>>>>>>>>> Type Librarian & Ontologist
>>>>>>>>>> Metaweb Technologies, Inc.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>>>>> Data-modeling at freebase.com
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>>>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>>>>                   
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>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>         
>>>> --
>>>> Kirrily Robert
>>>> Freebase Community Director
>>>> kirrily at metaweb.com
>>>> http://freebase.com/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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