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Nonprofits

Building House

The nonprofit sector has been growing steadily, both in size and financial impact, for more than a decade. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits has increased 25 percent; from 1,259,764 million to 1,574,674 million today. The growth rate of the nonprofit sector has surpassed the rate of both the business and government sectors.

In 2010, nonprofits contributed products and services that added $779 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product; 5.4 percent of GDP. Nonprofits are also a major employer, accounting for 9 percent of the economy’s wages, and over 10 percent of jobs in 2009. Read more.

Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy

The UI Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy celebrates 15 years with a series of 15th Anniversary events to bring into focus the big issues facing society and the nonprofit sector. More

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Sarah Rosen Wartell, Think Tank Executive and Housing Finance Expert, to be the Urban Institute's Third President (Press Release)
Urban Institute

Sarah Rosen Wartell, a public policy executive and housing markets expert who co-founded the Center for American Progress (CAP) and serves as its executive vice president, will become the third president of the Urban Institute at the end of February.

Posted to Web: December 20, 2011Publication Date: December 20, 2011

Composition of Tax-Deductible Charitable Contributions (Article/Tax Facts)
Joseph Rosenberg

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.

Posted to Web: December 13, 2011Publication Date: December 12, 2011

Tough Times, Creative Measures: What Will it Take to Help the Social Sector Embrace an Outcomes Culture? (Summary)
Urban Institute, Venture Philanthropy Partners

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.

Posted to Web: December 13, 2011Publication Date: December 13, 2011

Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study (Research Report)
Urban Institute, Additional Authors

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.

Posted to Web: December 12, 2011Publication Date: December 12, 2011

The Property Tax Exemption for Nonprofits and Revenue Implications for Cities (Research Report)
Daphne A. Kenyon, Adam H. Langley

The charitable property tax exemption can have significant revenue implications for municipalities with large nonprofit sectors and heavy reliance on the property tax. Interest in policies to offset these revenue implications has grown because of the growth of the nonprofit sector in recent decades and the fiscal crisis currently facing many local governments. This policy brief discusses some of these policies, including nonprofit payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), municipal service fees, heavier reliance on user fees and special assessments, in-kind contributions from nonprofits, state aid to municipalities hosting tax-exempt nonprofits, and local control over the charitable property tax exemption.

Posted to Web: December 09, 2011Publication Date: November 30, 2011

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