As an American public I want to a pose an intriguing question for you to consider. How much do you really know about the function of Non-profits and the value they add to society? The first comprehensive poll published by the Associated Press and The Indiana University Lilly Family Foundation philanthropy to measure public attitudes on foundations and nonprofits offers signs that charitable organizations are more trusted than other institutions, such as businesses, governments, and the news media. But it shows many warning signs for nonprofits, given how little Americans know about charities and the pessimism they have about the ability of charities to make a positive difference in the world.
Two especially disturbing findings: 48% think that nonprofits are on the wrong track, and only a third believe charities contribute a lot to society.
Perhaps most surprising is that only 5% of Americans think they or someone in their immediate family has been helped by a nonprofit, even though one in 11 work for a charitable organization and a big share of people are served by colleges, hospitals, cultural organizations, or religious congregations or participate in advocacy drives by environmental, civil rights, and other nonprofits.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Over the past 15 years, nonprofit employment has grown 33 percent, dwarfing the 9 percent job growth enjoyed by the for-profit private sector over that time. Nonprofits have passed local government to become the second-largest source of employment in the country, behind the for-profit sector.
The top five states for nonprofit employment are all in the Northeast, with Vermont leading a New England sweep of the podium, along with Maine and Massachusetts. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island round out the top five. (D.C., that inveterate outlier, would beat out every state for first place — but it may not be fair to compare a dense urban core that is also the nation’s capital with the sprawl of your average American state.)
Angela Burgess empowers others to transform the world. She is the bestselling author of “Are You on the Right Bus? Navigating Change on the Road to Success” and the President and CEO of Broad Oaks Consulting. There she serves as a trusted advisor to nonprofit organizations on strategic planning, revenue generation, and investment development. She volunteers with foster children, participates in a prison ministry, and is on the International Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Angela is happily married and when she’s not trying to make the world a better place, she enjoys working out, cooking (and eating), and travel. She joined me this week to tell me more.
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