Nonprofits and the Economy, October 2010

Nonprofits and the Economy, October 2010: "In October 2010, GuideStar joined forces with the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Blackbaud, and the Foundation Center to create the National Research Collaborative and conduct an end-of-year fundraising survey. Representatives of 2,356 public charities and 163 private foundations took the survey online between October 19 and November 3, 2010.

The results are encouraging: The proportion of participants reporting decreased contributions dropped 14 percent, from 51 percent in October 2009 to 37 percent in October 2010. The percentage who said contributions had increased grew 13 percent, from 23 percent in October 2009 to 36 percent in October 2010. These figures may herald the beginning of an economic recovery in the nonprofit sector, although only time will tell if the trend will continue. For the first time in two years, however, there's cause for cautious optimism about the sector and the economy."