Excellence in Giving
Excellence in Giving is a faith-based philanthropic advisory firm that combines a curated Nonprofit Analytics database (600+ charities, 175 data points each) with full-service advisory for high-capacity families and institutions, operating as a subsidiary of OneAscent since March 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersColorado Springs, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Excellence in Giving does
Excellence in Giving, LLC is a private, faith-based philanthropic advisory and research firm headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, operating since 2002 as a subsidiary of OneAscent following its March 2025 acquisition. The firm delivers full-service philanthropic advisory to high-capacity families, individuals, foundations, corporations, and financial advisors through a structured four-phase process: Discover, Evaluate, Participate, and Celebrate. Its core technology asset is the Nonprofit Analytics database, a curated repository covering 600+ U.S. charities with 175 data points each, refreshed annually and accessed via subscription on analytics.excellenceingiving.com. The EIG Insights research division, augmented by the 2024 acquisition of Edessa Research, provides monitoring & evaluation consulting, theory of change development, program evaluations, and causation-based impact studies for Christian Relief, Development, and nonprofit organizations across 12 sectors and 30 countries. Additional products include the Certified Transparent Seal, the annual Nonprofit CEO Compensation Study, a Member Dashboard for tracking nonprofits, and a monthly Philanthropy Newsletter.
Excellence in Generating revenue combines two streams. The advisory business operates as a custom, quote-based professional services engagement with high-capacity families (primary segment) and institutional clients. The analytics business monetizes the database through a credit-based subscription: 1 credit for $1,500, 4 credits for $5,000, and 10 credits for $10,000, payable as pay-as-you-go, with members able to download Nonprofit Analytics, purchase Evaluations (1-page green/yellow/red assessments), and follow nonprofits for real-time updates. Distribution occurs through direct enterprise advisory sales, a self-serve digital platform, and a nonprofit self-submission funnel that feeds the database with Certified Transparent Seal applicants.
Since founding, the firm states it has assisted clients with more than $850 million in domestic and international charitable gifts. The leadership team remains founder-led: Al Mueller as CEO and Chief Philanthropy Officer at OneAscent, Kate Williams-Whitley as EIG Insights co-founder, Kristen Check as VP of EIG Insights post-Edessa acquisition, and Paul Penley as Director of Research. The firm is BBB-accredited and has been featured in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Philanthropy Roundtable, and World Magazine.
Excellence in Giving firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Excellence in Giving
- Legal name
- Excellence in Giving, LLC
- Website
- https://excellenceingiving.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Excellence in Giving is a faith-based philanthropic advisory firm that combines a curated Nonprofit Analytics database (600+ charities, 175 data points each) with full-service advisory for high-capacity families and institutions, operating as a subsidiary of OneAscent since March 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Excellence in Giving industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)
Keywords
Where Excellence in Giving is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Colorado Springs
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Excellence in Giving business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Advisory Services: Full-service philanthropic advisory services to high-capacity families and individuals, providing clarity and confidence in charitable giving decisions.
- Nonprofit Analytics Subscription: Subscription-based access to the Nonprofit Analytics database, with credit-based purchasing for analytics downloads and evaluations. Members can follow nonprofits for real-time updates and request new analytics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 1 Credit — $1,500 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 4 Credits — $5,000 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Credits — $10,000 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Excellence in Giving product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Excellence in Giving is a faith-based philanthropic advisory and research firm that provides full-service advisory engagements (Discover, Evaluate, Participate, Celebrate) to high-capacity families and institutions making strategic charitable gifts. The firm also operates a proprietary Nonprofit Analytics database covering 600+ charities with 175 curated data points each, sold via subscription credits for nonprofit due diligence. EIG Insights, the firm's research division, delivers monitoring and evaluation consulting for international development nonprofits.
Product overview
Excellence in Giving is a full-service philanthropic advisory and research firm offering a portfolio of interconnected products centered on its EIG Analytics Database. The core platform provides Nonprofit Analytics (2-page charity evaluation reports with 175 data points) and Evaluations (1-page green/yellow/red assessments). The subsidiary EIG Insights delivers monitoring & evaluation consulting services. The Certified Transparent Seal allows nonprofits to demonstrate accountability. Additional offerings include the annual Nonprofit CEO Compensation Study, a Member Dashboard for tracking followed nonprofits, and a monthly Philanthropy Newsletter. Services are delivered through a subscription-based model (Buy 1 Credit for $1,500, Buy 4 Credits for $5,000, Buy 10 Credits for $10,000) targeting high-capacity donors, family foundations, and advisors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EIG Insights: Research division of Excellence in Giving providing evaluation and program services, including monitoring & evaluation consulting for international development non-profit organizations
Products and services
- EIG Analytics Database Subscription Subscription-based searchable database providing Nonprofit Analytics for 600+ charities with 175 curated data points per organization, updated annually. Members can search by topic, location, people served, leader, or organization name, request new analytics for any U.S. charity, follow nonprofits for real-time updates, and purchase independent evaluations.
- Nonprofit Analytics Reports Two-page summary reports delivering strategy, operations, and impact data for charities, including 15 organizational highlights per organization. Aimed at donors who want concise due diligence information updated annually for hundreds of 501(c)(3) organizations.
- Charity Evaluations One-page bullet-point reports using green, yellow, and red ratings to assess the strengths and weaknesses of any nonprofit's leadership, strategy, finances, and impact. Sold per evaluation (1-2 credits each) to advisors and donors needing independent assessments of nonprofit quality.
- EIG Insights Research Services Research and consulting division offering monitoring and evaluation services to international development and Christian nonprofit organizations, including theory of change development, program evaluations, causation-based impact evaluations, and market research, with experience across 12 sectors and 30 countries.
- Excellence in Giving Certified Transparent Seal A mark of integrity awarded to nonprofits that submit to Excellence in Giving's due diligence review covering strategy, leadership, finances, and impact, signaling transparency to high-capacity donors who use the platform for due diligence.
- Philanthropic Advisory Services Full-service philanthropic advisory engagement structured around the Discover, Evaluate, Participate, and Celebrate framework, providing high-capacity families and institutions with purpose discovery, grantee evaluation, gift optimization, participation oversight, and impact celebration. Delivered directly by the firm's advisory team on a relationship basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $850 million in domestic and international charitable gifts facilitated since 2002
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Excellence in Giving
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Excellence in Giving technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Excellence in Giving partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- OneAscentflagshipOneAscent acquired Excellence in Giving in March 2025. Excellence in Giving continues to operate in Colorado Springs under its current brand as a subsidiary of OneAscent. Al Mueller continues as CEO of Excellence in Giving and also serves as Chief Philanthropy Officer at OneAscent. OneAscent, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a family of Kingdom-minded companies delivering faith-based financial solutions. The acquisition reflects shared commitment to empower stewards to live aligned with their values.
- Edessa ResearchcoreEIG Insights (EIG's research division) acquired Edessa Research in July 2024 to expand its monitoring & evaluation consulting capacity for international development nonprofits. Edessa Research, founded by Kristen Check, had specialized since 2018 in serving the international development and humanitarian sector. Edessa brings a team with over 15 years of M&E experience across 12 sectors and 30 countries. Kristen Check now serves as VP of EIG Insights.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Excellence in Giving competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foundation Source: Provider of foundation management services and philanthropic administration for private foundations. Comparable in serving high-capacity families and individuals seeking outsourced foundation expertise at a fraction of in-house cost.
- TCC Group: Consulting firm serving foundations and nonprofits with strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building services. Closely comparable to EIG Insights in providing monitoring & evaluation and program assessment services.
- ID Insight: Monitoring & evaluation and evidence-building organization focused on international development. Closely comparable to EIG Insights' international development M&E practice, though broader and secular rather than faith-based.
- Arabella Advisors: Philanthropic advisory firm providing strategy, due diligence, and impact evaluation to high-capacity donors and foundations. Comparable in offering bespoke advisory services, though broader and secular rather than faith-focused.
- National Christian Foundation: Largest Christian philanthropic advisory and giving fund provider in the U.S., facilitating donor-advised gifts to faith-based nonprofits. Directly competes with Excellence in Giving's faith-based family advisory model and shares the same high-capacity donor and Christian nonprofit target market.
- Geneva Global: Philanthropic advisory and impact evaluation firm working with major donors on international development and faith-based giving. Closely comparable to EIG Insights in particular, with shared focus on program evaluation and donor strategy in relief and development.
Emerging players
- GiveWell: Nonprofit evaluator identifying high-impact charities through rigorous evidence assessment. Comparable to EIG Evaluations and Analytics in providing donor-facing charity assessments, though focused on international development impact rather than faith-based giving.
Broad incumbents
- Candid (formerly GuideStar + Foundation Center): Largest free nonprofit information provider in the U.S., aggregating data on millions of nonprofits. Competes directly with EIG Analytics as a primary due diligence source but at free or low cost and with significantly shallower curated data points per charity.
- Charity Navigator: Established nonprofit rating and evaluation platform covering thousands of charities. Competes with EIG Analytics for donor due diligence mindshare with publicly available ratings; less depth on the 175 data points but vastly greater coverage.
- The Bridgespan Group: Major nonprofit and philanthropy consulting firm advising high-capacity donors and foundations on strategy and impact. Comparable in targeting institutional philanthropic clients, though with broader scope and Boston-based rather than faith-focused.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Excellence in Giving social profiles
Digital presenceExcellence in Giving compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Excellence in Giving financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Excellence in Giving leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Excellence in Giving subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Excellence in Giving funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Excellence in Giving M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Excellence in Giving
What does Excellence in Giving do?
Excellence in Giving is a faith-based philanthropic advisory and research firm that provides full-service advisory engagements (Discover, Evaluate, Participate, Celebrate) to high-capacity families and institutions making strategic charitable gifts. The firm also operates a proprietary Nonprofit Analytics database covering 600+ charities with 175 curated data points each, sold via subscription credits for nonprofit due diligence. EIG Insights, the firm's research division, delivers monitoring and evaluation consulting for international development nonprofits.
Is Excellence in Giving a public or private company?
Excellence in Giving is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Excellence in Giving founded?
Excellence in Giving was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Excellence in Giving based?
Excellence in Giving is headquartered in Colorado Springs, United States, in the North America region.
How does Excellence in Giving make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are nonprofit Analytics Subscription.
Who are Excellence in Giving's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foundation Source, TCC Group, ID Insight, Arabella Advisors, National Christian Foundation and Geneva Global. GiveWell is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Candid (formerly GuideStar + Foundation Center), Charity Navigator and The Bridgespan Group.
Does Excellence in Giving have an API?
No public API is recorded for Excellence in Giving.
What industry is Excellence in Giving in?
Excellence in Giving's product category is Philanthropic Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAD, Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking), with a secondary code of FSAEAKAH, Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8700.