Research

New Survey: Wisconsin Nonprofits Continue to Cope with Economic Challenges
Forward Community Investments' latest survey looks at ways and means to help nonprofits serve more constituents better with fewer resources. A conclusion: nonprofits must look inward to build their capacities and outward towards collaboration opportunities in order to operate at a sustainable, effective level. - Wisconsin Nonprofits Annual Partner

The Online Giving Study: A call to reinvent donor relationships
This isn’t another study about the rapid growth of online giving (though it is skyrocketing)—it’s a call to reinvent donor relationships. This groundbreaking (just released) study from Network for Good and TrueSense Marketing examines the online giving experience not only on nonprofits’ websites, but also via donation portals and social networks, and finds it is directly tied to donors’ likelihood of giving more—and more often. Related story: insightful overview from The Agitator. Dec 2010

Civic Life in America: Key Findings on the Civic Health of the Nation features national statistics, findings, and key trends on civic engagement. These statistics, many of which are now published for the first time, are produced through a partnership between the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed into law by President Obama in April 2009, authorized both organizations to produce this report annually with the assistance of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. Oct 2010

Human Service Nonprofits and Government Collaboration: Findings from the 2010 National Survey of Nonprofit Government Contracting and Grants. This study by the Urban Institute, an independent, nonpartisan policy research organization, is the first-ever national survey of human service organizations, documenting the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes, and problems at the local, state, and national levels. It also examines the impact of the recession on these organizations and the cutbacks they have made to keep their programs operating.

The State of Working Wisconsin 2010. This biennial report, produced by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), offers a comprehensive review of the status of jobs and workers in Wisconsin and includes data and analysis of jobs, wages, poverty, and income, as well as an account of economic inequality in the state.

Survey Report: Non-Profits and the Economy in Northeast Wisconsin, April 2010. 65% of nonprofits responding to a survey by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation said demand for their services was up in 2009, while 46% reported a drop in donations. Nonprofits made tough decisions during the year, but the survey results suggest that the organizations are better positioned to move forward in 2010. Download 17-page report (PDF) here.

Volunteering in America 2010 (PDF) from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Across the country, 63.4 million Americans volunteered to help their communities in 2009, an additional 1.6 million volunteers when compared to 2008, contributing 8.1 billion hours of service, which has an estimated dollar value of nearly $169 billion.

Wisconsin Nonprofit Sector Report 2009
A state’s economy is driven by three sectors: public, private, and nonprofit. The general failure to recognize the economic benefits of nonprofits means that key decisions regarding the growth and support of this sector are being made without complete information. The Wisconsin Nonprofits Association presents this report, in collaboration with the National Council of Nonprofits and the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, to promote a better understanding and appreciation of our state’s nonprofit community. 

The Wisconsin State of Philanthropy Report 2009 provides a first-ever detailed look at grantmaking in Wisconsin as well as a deeper look into how philanthropy is practiced in the state.  At a time with economic difficulties facing our state, this report provides critical benchmarks for grantmakers and information on giving for nonprofits.

Wisconsin Nonprofits Coping with Economic Crisis Survey Report, May 2009
Survey participants include nonprofits from around Wisconsin that provide important services and strengthen the livelihood in our statewide communities. They are diverse in geographic location, staffing size, budget, and mission. The key findings of the survey results include:

Download the (PDF) report. WNA was a part of a group gathered and lead by Forward Community Investments to create, distribute, and analyze the survey.

Wisconsin Nonprofit Sector Report 2008
The Wisconsin nonprofit sector is a major economic force, strengthening our state every day. It has grown by 70 percent over the past ten years. In 2005, there were over 31,000 Wisconsin nonprofits that employed 8.9 percent of the state’s total workforce, marking a 5.2 percent employment growth rate over 2004 and pushing Wisconsin well above the national trend of nonprofits employing 7 percent of the workforce, according to the Wisconsin Nonprofit Sector Report – More Than Charity, a new report by the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association (WNA).