Latest Reports from the Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and the Association of Fundraising Professionals established the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness and help nonprofit organizations increase their fundraising results. The 2011 FEP Donor Retention Supplement are based on data provided by 2,377 participating nonprofits about the 2010 behavior of 1.8 million 2009 donors to their organizations. Donor confidentiality is maintained for all FEP annual surveys. FEP measures and publishes statistics on gains, losses and net growth for both "number of donors" and "amount of gifts" (dollars).

For the first time since 2007, more than half of surveyed nonprofits saw growth in donations. Looking ahead for 2012, more than 70 percent of organizations anticipate increases in charitable giving. However, the economy remains a concern for organizations fundraising efforts. The Spring 2012 Nonprofit Fundraising Study also examines fundraising methods and board member giving. The survey represents a unique collaboration by the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics with Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Giving USA Foundation, Blackbaud, Campbell Rinker, and Convio.

Taxpayers who elect to itemize can claim a deduction against federal income tax liability for contributions made to registered charitable organizations. While cash gifts still account for the vast majority of charitable donations reported on tax returns, gifts of noncash property have grown as a share of total contributions. Gifts of corporate stock, mutual funds, and other investments account for the largest share of noncash donations and are almost exclusively reported by high-income taxpayers.

Sparked by the publication of Leap of Reason by Mario Morino, this symposium convened a select group of twenty leaders from government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and business to discuss a challenge that has limited the collective impact of the social sector: the lack of encouragement and support in the nonprofit community for disciplined, data-driven management. The symposium explored barriers to and opportunities for making performance management more common in the social sector. Participants discussed possible solutions that would advance performance management, including the Outcome and Effective Practices Portal (now called PerformWell), an online resource for nonprofits seeking assistance with identifying indicators and tools to measure their outcomes.

Nonprofits report being "cut to the bone" in their budgets and fundraising results have not improved over the past year. Nonprofit organizations, particularly smaller entities, are struggling to secure funding for the vital services they provide in their communities. The Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study examines fundraising results and their implications for organizational operations, and alerts managers and donors alike to consider the priorities facing the nonprofit sector in 2012 and beyond. The survey represents a unique collaboration by the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics with Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Giving USA Foundation, Blackbaud, and GuideStar.

This last 15th Anniversary Event of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy will focus on the future—the challenges and opportunities for the nonprofit sector and philanthropy in the face of evolving economic and political realities and changing sector dynamics.

More than 1.4 million nonprofit organizations were registered with the Internal Revenue Service in 2009, 19 percent above 1999. How much do you know about the nonprofit sector?

This brief attempts to access the trends in charitable giving and how the current economic turmoil has affected the nonprofit sector - the main topic of an August 2011 roundtable hosted by the Tax Policy and Charities project at the Urban Institute. Twenty-five experts on tax policy and the nonprofit sector convened to discuss past trends in giving, the charitable sector's current situation, and the possible effects of proposals to modify the charitable deduction.

This brief highlights trends from the eighth edition of The Nonprofit Almanac 2011, prepared by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute. We highlight the growth in the number and finances of 501(c)(3) public charities, as well as key findings on private charitable contributions and volunteering.

As budgetary pressure forces policymakers to look for ways to reduce the deficit, new proposals have emerged to reform both directly and indirectly the income tax deduction for charitable contributions. With charities already struggling from increased need and decreased giving due to the recession, it is vital to understand the effects that tax reform proposals could have on the charitable sector. This session explores the impact of the income tax deduction on charitable giving and present new estimates of the effects of specific tax reform proposals on the charitable sector.