News/Stats/Studies

Nonprofit groups are facing a growing wave of problems with the way the government processes and awards contracts that are supposed to help these groups provide services to the needy, according to a new report by the National Council of Nonprofits.

In the report—“Costs, Complexification, and Crisis: Government’s Human Services Contracting 'System’ Hurts Everyone”—the council says these problems have been exacerbated by the bad economy.

A new report released by the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) reveals the promise of philanthropic equity for the nonprofit sector. NFF Capital Partners’ Portfolio Performance Report, which analyzes the role of philanthropic equity in the nonprofit sector based on its own engagements, found that philanthropic equity has, on average, more than tripled program delivery, and doubled revenue for nonprofit organizations that have conducted comprehensive philanthropic equity campaigns.

The most recent Donor Confidence Report by marketing research firm Campbell Rinker shows that donor confidence is the lowest since 2008.

Advocacy is a growing part of the work of philanthropy, and groups in the Northwest have seen a significant return on investment for their efforts, according to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

It's also a unique strength of the region, said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based organization that measures philanthropy's impact on public needs. Dorfman was in Washington state this week to discuss a study his group has done of 20 community organizations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Foundation leaders are starting to use social media but not yet making it a regular part of their work, a new report says.

While many foundation executives regularly use more traditional social media like e-newsletters and Listerves, much fewer leaders are using so-called "Web 2.0" applications such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Podcasts on a regular basis, says the report by the Foundation Center.

Donors are less sure than they were in June about their economic future and even less confident about their charitable giving, according to a new poll.

The Donor Confidence Index compiled by Campbell Rinker, a marketing-research company, fell 3.2 points in August to 86.5 out of a 100, a score that is lower than at any other point since December 2008.

Wealthy black Americans are more likely to donate to educational institutions, religious organizations, and human-services groups than other affluent people, according to a new study.

Black donors who make at least $250,000 or who have $1-million in assets also tend to give anonymously and to nonprofits they know well, says Marguerite Griffin, national director of philanthropic services at Northern Trust Corporation, a financial-services firm in Chicago, which conducted the survey.

There's much debate underway regarding the effectiveness of traditional fundraising sources. We're hearing a lot about social media, the importance of websites, emerging technologies and the transitioning of direct mail to electronic media.

Snapshots of charitable support in 2009 have produced two very different pictures for nonprofit health care institutions in the United States and Canada, according to the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). The association's annual Report on Giving indicated donations dropped $944 million in the U.S. last year from 2008 levels, while rising $56 million in Canada.

This new research shows that charitable organizations are still outpacing the business world and academia in their use of social media. The latest study (2009) revealed that a remarkable ninety-seven percent of charitable organizations are using some form of social media including blogs, podcasts, message boards, social networking, video blogging, wikis and Twitter.