This brief highlights trends from the seventh edition of "The Nonprofit Almanac 2008", prepared by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute. The Almanac is the latest in the Urban Institute's series of statistical profiles of the nonprofit sector and focuses primarily on 501(c)(3) public charities. We also highlight key findings on private charitable contributions and volunteering, two vital components of the nonprofit sector. This brief includes the most recent available data (2005 and 2006).

Most heads of midsize nonprofits give their trustees low marks for fundraising and monitoring board performance, an Urban Institute study of nonprofits with annual expenses between $500,000 and $5 million has found.

Nonprofit boards are receiving increased attention from policymakers, media, researchers and the public. Yet most research, policy proposals, and best practice guidelines have been oriented toward large organizations. This brief helps fill a major gap in our understanding by focusing on governance among midsize nonprofits, identifying certain problem areas, and suggesting strategies that those engaged with midsize nonprofits may find helpful in strengthening their boards. The discussion uses data on the subset of 1,862 midsize organizations in our Urban Institute National Survey of Nonprofit Governance, the first national representative study of nonprofit governance.

The Nonprofit Almanac 2008, from the Urban Institute Press, offers data and facts charting the sector’s recent evolution. The statistics-packed volume can help nonprofit managers, researchers, the press, and the public better understand changes in the sector and its economic role.

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.

This working paper offers a descriptive analysis of the Latino nonprofit sector in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It examines the extent to which Latino nonprofits are equipped to address the needs of a rapidly growing Latino population. The study finds that both nonprofit organizations and religious congregations that primarily serve Latinos offer a wide range of services. Many of these groups are located in the suburbs. While Latino nonprofits constitute a significant economic presence in the region, the majority of organizations remain small. Data on nonprofits are drawn from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, and data on churches were collected by telephone survey.

This brief presents key findings from the latest report on the Foundation Expenses and Compensation Project –- the first large-scale, long-term, systematic study of independent, corporate, and community foundations' expenses and compensation patterns and the factors behind them. It documents how differences in type, size, and operating activities of foundations affect their finances and charitable administrative expenses. This brief highlights the key findings of the full report, "What Drives Foundation Expenses and Compensation?: Results of a Three-Year Study."

Foundation type, size, staffing patterns, and operating activities are the key factors that consistently drive foundation expense and compensation patterns, according to a new report issued jointly by the Urban Institute, the Foundation Center, and GuideStar. Moreover, even under changing or volatile economic conditions, the administrative expense and compensation patterns of U.S. foundations are consistent and predictable, the new report shows.

This study presents the findings of a three-year study to analyze the expense and compensation patterns of the 10,000 largest foundations in the United States. It finds characteristics such as foundation type, size, and operating activities are important factors for understanding differences in foundation finances. Despite the economic downturn and the volatility of the stock market during the study years (2001 to 2003), the patterns of foundation expenses and compensation are clear and consistent over time. This is the first large-scale, long-term, and systematic study of independent, corporate, and community foundations’ expenses and compensation patterns and the factors behind them.

As time goes on, more conflicts seem to flair between charities and businesses, but collaboration is also occurring like never before. These new collaborations and conflicts, and consequent legislative attempts to ensure that charities really are "charitable," can be tricky. But before attempting to judge all these attractions and repulsions between the two sectors, let's hold our peace and ask what is fostering these new relationships in the first place.