from Nonprofit Newswire: New Study Finds Non-reporting of Fundraising Expense Widespread: But Some States Much Worse Than Others A new study using the most recent IRS data available through GuideStar and performed by the Scripps Howard News Service has found that 15,389 nonprofit groups, or 41 percent of all United States nonprofits with annual budgets of $1 million or more, represent on their 990s that they spend exactly nothing on fundraising. While there are some situations in which this might actually be the truth, Scripps Howard followed up with further investigation and interviews which revealed that a number of the organizations reporting zero fundraising costs do spend money to raise money but simply do not report it. In an article by Scripps Howard’s Thomas Hargrove, one woman … Continue Reading

from Fundraising Success: New Study: People Who Don't Support Nonprofits Most people who do not financially support any nonprofit organizations believe the wealthy need to step up and give to charity so they don't have to. A majority of non-donors also have concerns that most nonprofits aren't really solving any problems, and that too much of their money would go toward overhead and expenses to make their gift worthwhile. ... Non-donors also express a number of concerns about nonprofit organizations. For one thing, 61 percent say, "So many nonprofit organizations are asking for money that it's just a turn-off," including 20 percent who agree strongly with this, and another 41 percent who agree somewhat. Complaints about this increase as age increases. Fifty-eight percent of non-donors … Continue Reading

For the first time since 2007, more than half of surveyed United States charitable organizations saw growth in charitable giving, according to the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC), which conducts a survey twice annually. Of surveyed charities in the U.S., 53 percent said contributions increased in 2011, compared with 2010. Just 16 percent saw charitable receipts remain flat in 2011, compared with 24 percent a year ago. Less than a third saw received contributions fall in 2011, a marked change from the 46 percent in 2009 that experienced a decline. Looking ahead for 2012, more than 70 percent of organizations in this latest study anticipate increases in charitable contributions received. However, the economy remains a concern to many. About a third said that the economy, both nationally … Continue Reading

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has released the results of its 2012 State of the Nonprofit Sector survey. More than 4,500 respondents at nonprofits across the country shared the details of how they are adapting their organizations and finances to current economic conditions. The survey reveals that while 2011 was a year of significant organizational and programmatic changes, many nonprofits are still facing fundamental challenges that threaten the stability of the sector and the well-being of the people they serve. 85% of nonprofits experienced an increase in the demand for services in 2011. This is on top of years of increased demand: previous NFF surveys found that 77% of nonprofits experienced an increase in demand in 2010; 71% experienced an increase in 2009; and 73% experienced an increase … Continue Reading

The Council on Foundations has released the 2011 Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report, the most comprehensive information available on staff composition and compensation for U.S. foundations. The report contains salaries for 34 full-time positions and allows grantmakers to benchmark compensation against their peers by foundation type, size, and region. The report also offers extensive information on benefits policies and practices and includes new data on health care premiums by plan type. The findings in the report are based on responses to an online survey of 910 grantmakers, which reported salaries for a total of 7,574 full-time employees. The respondents included 326 community foundations, 241 independent foundations, 163 family foundations, 100 public funders, 59 corporate grantmakers, 10 … Continue Reading

Small to mid-size private foundations give more than twice the amount they are required to distribute, and the smallest foundations give away significantly more, new research shows. While private foundations are required to pay out 5 percent of their assets each year, foundations with endowments of less than $50 million generally paid out more than 10 percent in 2011, according to preliminary findings from Foundation Source. And foundations with less than $10 million in assets increased their giving by 20.6 percent, while foundations with assets ranging from $10 million to $50 million reduced their giving by 7.8 percent, according to the data, which are based on actual grantmaking among 719 private foundations with assets under $50 million. "Small to mid-size private foundations are the … Continue Reading

The recent implosion of fiscal sponsor International Humanities Center is still-reverberating around the American nonprofit world. from The Nonprofit Quarterly: A Global Nonprofit Ponzi Scheme? Lessons Learned from a Fiscal Sponsor’s Collapse When a nonprofit implodes, the tendency is to avert one’s gaze and hope that it was simply that one nonprofit or its specific cast of characters that made it a “one-off.” When the nonprofit International Humanities Center (IHC), a fiscal sponsor for over 200 projects around the world, imploded, it’s estimated that it took with it more than $1 million in donations that never made it to the intended recipients in what begins to look like a nonprofit version of a Ponzi scheme. Much of the money donated to IHC to hold and administer on behalf of … Continue Reading