About Us
Triangle Research Partners, LLC empowers nonprofit organizations to become leaders and advocates for community change. By providing clients customized, affordable research services, it helps them gain a strategic knowledge of the communities where they operate; positively impacting their programs, funding, and visibility.
Our Mission
We provide research support to nonprofit organizations seeking to understand the community in which they operate.
Our Vision
We aspire to empower nonprofits to become leaders and advocates for community change.
Our Values
We believe that any nonprofit wishing to strengthen their understanding of the community in which they operate can do so when equipped with objective, sound, and customized tools. We approach a relationship with our clients with the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and ethics.
Our Leadership
Nathaniel H. Goetz, President & CEO
Nathaniel H. Goetz “Nate” received his Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Whittier College. He also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Oxford Queen Elizabeth House for International Development.
Nate is actively involved in the improvement of health and human services in Durham, Orange, and Wake counties. Nate authored the Community Profile Workbook, an interactive needs assessment for the Triangle Region. The workbook is the central tool utilized by United Way of the Greater Triangle in priority setting; helping to guide the allocation of over $7 million annually to the region’s health and human service nonprofit community. Nate also recently co-authored a United Way of America study of how community foundations, hospitals, universities, and museums from around the United States tie their major gifts and endowment work to specific community projects. The study identified a set of best practices used to inform United Ways across the country on ways to improve cultivation strategy.
Prior to forming Triangle Research Partners, Nate was a client services associate at eCivis, Inc. During his tenure, Nate built strong working relationships with over 100 local nonprofits, municipalities and counties throughout the country, including the state of North Carolina, by researching and creating effective strategies for improving grants performance. He worked directly with government leaders to identify funding opportunities for such projects as improving an aging sewer and water system in Hoke County, expanding a police dog program in the Town of Cary, and improving greenways in the City of Concord.
In 2002, Nate founded the Forced Migration Laboratory, a nonprofit/academic program at the University of California, San Diego. The program was established to share best practices in and to advocate for community-based solutions to help resettled refugees in San Diego. It also brought together nonprofits, government agencies and other stakeholders to coordinate resources and improve service delivery. While at the Forced Migration Laboratory, Nate served as a contract researcher to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, where he authored a study on how past strategies and lessons learned in refugee integration might help present day resettlement efforts. He also taught courses in research and public policy in the Department of International Studies and Department of Family & Preventive Medicine.
Nate began his career as a research analyst in the Milken Institute’s Regional and Demographic Studies Unit. He conducted research and analysis for local, regional and state governments and public and private organizations seeking to better understand the state of the economy within their communities. Nate co-authored, The Impact of September 11 on U.S. Metropolitan Economies. This highly acclaimed report was featured in national periodicals, including the Wall Street Journal, and was used in testimony on Capitol Hill.
Active in the Triangle, Nate sits on several regional nonprofit boards and steering committees, including the Triangle Community Foundation’s The Triangle Gives Back, Reed Seed, Inc., and Emerging Tar Heel Leaders. He also serves as co-chairman of the Wake County Government’s 2010 Community Assessment Secondary Data Committee, and is vice chairman of the City of Durham Human Relations Commission.
In 2009, Nate was a recipient of the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Award in recognition of his work with the Triangle’s nonprofit community.