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Selected Publications

The national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States

Viewing 1-5 of 73. Most recent listed first.Next Page >>

Measuring Racial-Ethnic Diversity in California's Nonprofit Sector: An Overview (Research Brief)
Carol J. De Vita, Katie L. Roeger

This policy brief summarizes the findings of a larger report on racial-ethnic diversity in California's nonprofit sector (see www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411977). It documents the extent to which California's nonprofit boards, staff, and executive leadership are racially and ethnically diverse, and analyzes diversity by an organization's size, type, funding patterns, and geographic location within the state. The brief examines how California nonprofits with diverse leadership have been affected by the current economic downturn, and presents three models for measuring diversity using different definitions of organizational diversity.

Posted to Web: November 12, 2009Publication Date: November 10, 2009

Measuring Racial-Ethnic Diversity in California's Nonprofit Sector (Research Report)
Carol J. De Vita, Katie L. Roeger, Max Niedzwiecki

Decisionmakers in California and across the country are facing critical challenges related to diversity. But until now, there has not been a comprehensive picture of how California's nonprofit sector has responded to this demographic transition. This report, based on a representative sample of California's 501(c)(3) organizations, documents the extent to which California's nonprofit boards, staff, and executive leadership are racially and ethnically diverse. It analyzes diversity by an organization's size, type, funding patterns, and geographic location within the state, and examines how California nonprofits with diverse leadership have been affected by the current economic downturn. The report also presents three models for measuring diversity using different definitions of organizational diversity.

Posted to Web: November 12, 2009Publication Date: November 09, 2009

Central Louisiana in Focus (Research Report)
Katie L. Roeger, Carol J. De Vita

This series of fact sheets provides a quick overview of the nonprofit sector in each of the nine parishes that comprise Central Louisiana – Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn. Each fact sheet provides information on the number of nonprofits and congregations found in the parish; the types of services offered; basic financial measures, such as total revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities; sources of revenue; and a measure of fiscal health. The fact sheets also include basic demographic information for the parish, such as total population, median age, race-ethnic composition and median household income. A companion report, A Profile of Nonprofit Organizations in Central Louisiana, provides a detailed analysis of the size, scope, fiscal health, and other dimensions of the sector.

Posted to Web: August 17, 2009Publication Date: July 28, 2009

Five Questions For Thomas Pollak (Five Questions)
Thomas H. Pollak

Thomas H. Pollak, coauthor of "Washington-Area Nonprofit Operating Reserves" answers five questions about local nonprofits’ financial health. This first-of-its-kind study looks at the operating reserves of public charities—from soup kitchens to job-training centers to local arts groups—as reported in their 2006 tax filings. The study found that most nonprofits had weak reserves before the downturn, leaving them vulnerable to effects of the recession.

Posted to Web: July 13, 2009Publication Date: July 13, 2009

Washington-Area Nonprofit Operating Reserves (Research Report)
Amy Blackwood, Thomas H. Pollak

This report, funded by the Meyer Foundation, looks at the operating reserves—the cash and other liquid assets—of public charities in the Washington Metropolitan area. Using IRS Form 990 data, the report found that 57 percent had reserves insufficient to cover three months of expenses, a level that many experts consider the minimum necessary for financial stability. This leaves them especially vulnerable to the rapid declines in revenue or increases in expenses that occur in economic downturns like the present. A substantial perecentage of all types and sizes of organizations lacked adequate reserves.

Posted to Web: June 24, 2009Publication Date: June 24, 2009

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