New Report on Nonprofit Sector in Southeast PA

Posted by on April 05, 2010

Economy League publishes nonprofit analysis

With the support of The Philadelphia Foundation, the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia has published the first in its series of white papers called It Matters: But is it Working?

The report focuses on governance issues in the nonprofit sector in Southeastern Pennsylvania and describes and quantifies the size and impact of 5,300 active nonprofit organizations in the five-county region of southeastern Pennsylvania.

The report found that the large number of seats to be filled on Southeastern Pennsylvania nonprofit boards presents a daunting recruitment challenge.  It also notes that while precise measures of regional nonprofit board membership are lacking, it is safe to assume, based on national data. that women and persons of color are under-represented on Southeastern Pennsylvania nonprofit boards.

Although some existing mechanisms to train and support Southeastern Pennsylvania nonprofit board members are effective, they cannot begin to fully address the full spectrum of demand for such training, according to the report.

The new IRS Form 990, that tax return nonprofits must file each year, may, according to the report, negatively impact nonprofit board recruitments because of a heightened emphasis on transparency and accountability in nonprofit governance.

To read or download the report, click here.

https://www.philafound.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Public/Governance_White_Paper_March_2010_web.pdf

The report follows a previous report issued in January by the Nonprofit Center at the LaSalle University School of Business which found that 71 percent of current Philadelphia-area nonprofit leaders plan to exit their jobs in the next few years.

“Unlike the business world, the nonprofit sector has never built its bench strength, lacking the resources to nurture and develop future leaders to replace the current group of baby-boomers who are retiring or otherwise leaving their current positions,” said Laura Otten, Ph.D., director of the center.