Below are some highlights from The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 .
America’s nonprofit sector continues to grow faster than its business sector or its government. The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 presents data on nonprofits’ place in the national economy and trends in wages, employment, private giving, volunteering, and finances. The tables and graphics will give scholars, practitioners, and policymakers the data they need at a glance, while the textual analysis will help them plan for the future.
Highlights*:
- 1.4 million nonprofit organizations registered with the IRS in 2005 (grown 27.3% between 1995 and 2005)
- There are over 300,000 public charities
- Private giving reached $295 billion in 2006
- Approximately 350,000 religious congregations in the US are also considered public charities
Even though the giving number appears to be big, the reality is private charitable contributions (in constant dollars) only grew at 10% between 2000 and 2006 while the US economy expanded by 15% (in constant dollars)*. In other words, the US is not giving in the same proportion as they did 8 years ago and now with a softer economy I imagine that number must be expected to decline.
So what can we do? Charities will continue to need support.
The Society is working on utilizing our platform to make donating time at vacation homes easier. Let’s use some of those vacant nights at your vacation home for the organizations that are making a difference.
* Source: The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2008 (www.urban.org)