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A Report of CEP's Nonprofit Voice Project
In the four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and movements for racial justice gained widespread public attention, nonprofits across the United States have demonstrated their pivotal role in meeting their communities’ needs and advocating for those they serve. Individual and institutional funders, too, have responded to calls for change. Given the vital role nonprofits play in communities across the U.S., we sought to understand how they are faring now and to shed new light on their experiences with funders.
Examine change over time in nonprofit leaders’ perspectives and experiences.
Help funders, both individual and institutional, better understand the nonprofit experience so they can more effectively support the organizations they fund.
Take the pulse of nonprofit leaders via CEP’s Nonprofit Voice Project, a nationally representative panel of U.S. nonprofits that receive foundation funding.
Examine change over time in nonprofit leaders’ perspectives and experiences.
Help funders, both individual and institutional, better understand the nonprofit experience so they can more effectively support the organizations they fund.
Take the pulse of nonprofit leaders via CEP’s Nonprofit Voice Project, a nationally representative panel of U.S. nonprofits that receive foundation funding.
Examine change over time in nonprofit leaders’ perspectives and experiences.
nonprofit leaders
responded
representing a 52 percent response rate
Finding 1
Burnout – for both nonprofit staff and leadership – remains a top concern for most nonprofit leaders, with half of nonprofit leaders feeling more concerned about their own burnout than this time last year.
of leaders surveyed express some level of concern
about burnout.
Nonprofit Leaders’ Level of Concern About Staff Burnout (N=239)
Extent to Which Staff Burnout Is Impacting Nonprofit Organizations’ Ability To Achieve Their Mission (N=237)
of nonprofit leaders identify staff-related concerns as one of their organization's biggest challenges.
– Nonprofit Leader
Finding 2
As in 2023, most nonprofits experienced either a balanced budget or a surplus in the most recently completed fiscal year, and the majority anticipate breaking even or having a surplus this fiscal year.
of leaders recorded a surplus in the last fiscal year, and about one quarter recorded a balanced budget.
Top Contributors to Last Year’s Financial Situation
of leaders anticipate a balanced budget in the
current fiscal year, and more than 20 percent
anticipate a surplus.
Top Contributors to This Year’s Financial Projections
Nonprofit Leaders’ Plans for Addressing Recent or Projected Deficits (N=90)
Finding 3
The majority of nonprofit leaders report that funders are maintaining or making new commitments to change their grantmaking practices, including reducing funding restrictions or streamlining processes.
of nonprofit leaders report that their foundation funders continued or made new commitments in at least one area of their funding practices in the last year.
Percent of Nonprofit Leaders Reporting Funders Have Made New Commitments or Continued Existing Commitments (Ns=226-232)
– Nonprofit Leader
of leaders note that their current foundation funders either have no commitments to advancing racial equity or have reduced or ended their commitments in
the last year.
Percent of Nonprofit Leaders Reporting Status of Funders’ Commitments to Advancing Racial Equity (N=224)
A Nonprofit Voice Project Report
While most nonprofits responding to our survey report strong financial results, burnout remains top of mind for nonprofit leaders across the country, both for themselves and their staff. Simultaneously, the majority of nonprofit leaders are seeing new or continued efforts from their funders to change their grantmaking practices, including reduced restrictions and streamlined application and reporting processes. However, while some funders have sustained or committed to efforts advancing racial equity, more than a third don’t prioritize it.
We hope that this report, and future Nonprofit Voice Project research, will continue to inform individual and institutional donors of the challenges facing leaders of nonprofit organizations in the coming years.
If this report has been helpful to you, please consider supporting CEP’s research. Reach out to us for more information. Thank you.
WEBINAR VIDEO
Recorded Thursday, June 20, 2024
Authors:
Christina Im; Seara Grundhoefer; and Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Ph.D.
Copies of the survey instruments can be found here.
Read more about the methodology for the Nonprofit Voice Project.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license.
© 2024. The Center for Effective Philanthropy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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