Why nonprofits matter

Intro: Defending nonprofits

As Rusty Stahl at Fund the People has been saying recently, “Defend nonprofits, defend democracy.” Nonprofits are an integral part of democracy, and the entire sector is currently being disregarded and under threat right now. It’s time to rally on behalf of nonprofits and make sure that folks know how important our work and our organizations are.

We need to start at the beginning in our defense of nonprofits. Those of us who are involved in nonprofit efforts often take for granted that other people understand what we are doing and appreciate the impact of our work. In fact, a lot of our work is invisible to most of the population. Even most recipients of our help are not aware that they were supported by a nonprofit organization. Indiana University Lily School of Philanthropy reported in 2023:

When we asked respondents whether they or anyone in their immediate family had received services from a charitable organization or nonprofit in the past year, only 5.4 percent indicated that they had. Given the many ways individuals engage with nonprofit organizations in everyday life (e.g., religious services, educational programming, beautification projects, museum programs, theatrical productions), it appears that many Americans do not recognize their own engagement with nonprofits or understand the nonprofit services they are unknowingly receiving.

5.4%!! This is an insane statistic. I would argue that all Americans benefit from the work of nonprofits, but apparently, they don’t know it. So, we have work to do to make the work of nonprofits visible. Every nonprofit worker or volunteer can help by telling everyone you know about the work of your organization and doing it regularly. In addition, remind people how they and their loved ones are benefiting from nonprofits all around them. Sports teams, counseling, clubs, NPR, PBS, credit unions, park stewards, PTAs, scouts, 12-step programs, kids programs, chambers of commerce, animal rescues—so many amazing resources!

I have many reasons in mind why nonprofits matter, and I am going to lay each one out in ten more posts over the next few weeks (every Monday and Thursday). I hope this gives you the information you need to be a booster and advocate for nonprofits—your own and the nonprofit sector overall. Let’s build #nonprofitpride.