Executive Issues

Foundations Announce Expectations for Future Giving in Light of Economic Conditions
March 4, 2009

A new Foundation Center research advisory, "Grantmakers Describe the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Their Giving," examines how foundations expect their 2009 giving to be affected by the economic downturn. The advisory looks at public statements made by more than one-third of the 100 largest U.S. foundations by giving and 35 other foundation and corporate funders that have described their plans, ranging from raising payout rates to reducing administrative costs to cutting programs altogether.

National Council of Nonprofits Helps Community Organizations Apply Recovery Act
March 4, 2009

The language of "crisis" and "recession" is starting to give way to the language of "stimulus" and "recovery" following President Obama's signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last week. To help America's nonprofit sector make recovery a reality, the National Council of Nonprofits today issued two special reports on the new stimulus law and what it means for community-based organizations.   

In Uncertain Times, Donors Hold Back
February 26, 2009

Charitably inclined people are anxious. Charities, like businesses and families, have suffered in the economic maelstrom, while their services are needed more than ever. But donors fear they can no longer afford to give as much as they once did.

Economic Slump Likely to Mean M&A Surge among Nonprofits
February 26, 2009

A Bridgespan Group poll of nonprofit executive directors found 20% of 117 respondents stated that mergers could play a role in how they responded to the economic downturn. This finding dovetails with Bridgespan’s new, far-reaching study of more than 3300 nonprofit deals across four states over 11 years. The longitudinal research finds nonprofit merger and acquisition activity occurring at the same rate in the nonprofit sector as in the for profit sector, but with a heavy skew to small deals born of financial distress or leadership vacuums. Few nonprofits pursue mergers for longer-term strategic goals and mergers involving large nonprofits happen at just one tenth the rate of such deals in the corporate sector, a watch out as nonprofits turn to mergers in tough times.