Highlights of GuideStar’s Survey on the Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector

You are likely already aware of how the current economic recession has impacted your nonprofit organization, but how has it affected the industry as a whole? To help nonprofits like yours gain a better understanding of the state of the industry, GuideStar recently conducted a survey of public charity and private foundation employees from institutions across the U.S. Below we have provided more information about the survey and have highlighted some of the key results.

The Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector

GuideStar collected more than 7,000 responses for its survey, including 6,434 from public charities and 580 from private foundations. While California was the most represented state, with 12% of all responses, all other states, including Tennessee, were also represented. Here are a few other key stats from the survey results:

40% of respondents reported total contributions to their organizations decreased between January 1, 2010, and May 31, 2010.
Even though organizations experienced a decrease in contributions overall, 63% of respondents said demand for their services increased during the same time period.
Despite the decrease in contributions, 41% of respondents reported their 2010 budgets have increased, compared to 2009.

Those are just some of the results from GuideStar's June 2010 survey. For all the stats and analysis, download a free copy of the results.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Daniel Moore, CPA at 901.761.2720 or dmoore@wucpas.com.