60+ Key Nonprofit Statistics: Essential Insights for 2024

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Nonprofits are organizations dedicated to creating positive environmental changes without making a dime. With over 1.5 million such organizations registered in the United States alone, they play a major societal role.

They bring arts programs to underserved youth, fund medical research, and impact lives in countless ways. According to records, over 30% of Americans volunteer their time. Also, monetary donations have reached $500 billion on an annual scale. Nonprofits also create meaningful employment for 10% of the workforce and drive extensive economic ripple effects. They do this through volunteerism, charitable giving, and job creation.

The past two years have shown that nonprofits are agile and resilient. They faced new challenges. Over half adapted programs virtually when COVID-19 disrupted traditional fundraising and services.

This level of adaptation is why nonprofit growth continues surging. Robust expansion over 20 years confirms nonprofits’ vital role in tackling society’s most pressing issues. These statistics will help you understand how pivotal nonprofits are in the economy. There are many amazing records and facts about Nonprofits. But we’ll show you the most interesting and informative ones. Keep reading.

Key Nonprofit Statistics for 2024

1. Across the globe, there are many nonprofits and non-governmental organizations – over 10 million worldwide. 
2. Around 1.3 million recognized charities and 501(c)(3) groups exist in the United States. 
3. Around 10% of the American workforce finds employment within these nonprofit organizations, contributing to a 5-10% slice of the US GDP. 
4. For every ten people working, one of them works for a nonprofit. 
5. California has the greatest number of nonprofits of any state, followed by Texas and New York. 
6. Regarding types of US nonprofits, foundations, schools, and religious institutions comprise around 40% combined. 
7. Religious organizations lead as the most prevalent category among America’s nonprofits.
8. Donations saw a 1.7% decline, marking the first contribution decrease since 2012.
9. While individual monetary support decreased, alternative forms of giving gained traction.
10. The United States hosts over 1.7 million charitable entities, which have experienced an annual growth rate of about 1.4% over the past two decades.
11. Nonprofit entities encompass over one in ten companies in the United States and employ roughly 6% of the nation’s workforce.
12. The collective revenue of these organizations surged from $1 trillion to nearly $3 trillion.
13. There were reduced contributions and fewer volunteers across half of charity organizations due to the pandemic impacts.
14. The delivery model of these entities changed because of COVID.
15. Donations and contributions feed hungry individuals, protect animals, start racial equality, and run faith-based programs.
16. Not less than forty percent of nonprofit entities work with educational, community, and religious foundations.
17. The nonprofits in charge of enforcing enhanced password security are below 50%. Yet cyber challenges are increasing.
18. Despite widespread online threats, regular employee coaching on the best practices of digital safety is lacking among 59% of nonprofit employees.

Fundraising Statistics of Nonprofit Entities

19. Almost ½ of the revenue of nonprofit entities comes from goods selling and rendering services. This negates the fact that donations sustain them.

20. For the record, nonprofits affiliated with schools make up to $1.5 billion every year through sales.

21. Only in 2019 did the charity groups based in the US accumulate up to 175 million contributions even though they highly needed more steadfast income streams.

22. The coronavirus interrupted humanitarian endeavors. However, the impact was not as severe as expected.

23. Donations to charity entities come from over ninety percent of wealthy homes. However, most of these entities’ inheritances come from members’ wills after passing.

24. While the COVID turmoil lingered, more than ½ of donors didn’t try to cut down on their contributions after the pandemic.

25. Fifty-three percent of such individuals made special requests during the pandemic to counterweight losses.

Recently, many charity entities have been actively working with online donors. Sources and methods of generating income vary from one nonprofit organization to another, but this doesn’t change the fact that fundraising and free-will gifts remain crucial to their operations each time crises arise.

So, they aim to enhance their revenue streams against potential rainy days. At the same time, they endeavor to support their past and potential givers via various tactical digital outreach methods. For these nonprofits, embracing versatile, donor-based funding techniques is a way to keep making huge differences amidst hardships.

Nonprofit Marketing Statistics 2024

26. In nearly 79% of cases, online videos are crucial in convincing donors to contribute.

27. Up to two-thirds of nonprofits express concerns about underutilizing digital platforms and tools. 

28. In 2018, only one-third of these organizations invested in social media advertisements. 

29. Globally, 18% of charitable donations are made through Facebook. 

30. Open rates for nonprofit emails range from 15% to 17%. 

31. Volunteers within nonprofits tend to be twice as inclined to contribute financially compared to non-volunteers. 

32. Additionally, when nonprofits actively seek support through advertising and appeals, they secure monetary donations and attract more individuals willing to offer their assistance voluntarily. Most of the donations, about one-third, made through online platforms come from mobile phones.

33. Younger folks, those under 55, are much more likely, about 40% more, to volunteer their time.

34. In the UK, about two-thirds of the volunteers are women.

35. In the US, people around 64 are usually the highest donors and about a quarter prefer to gift assets like property or stocks instead of cash donations. 

36. Furthermore, approximately 25% continue giving for at least another year upon acquiring new donors.

Nonprofits Growth Statistics

37. Charitable giving in the US reached a new high in 2022, with nonprofit entities receiving a whopping $520 billion in contributions and donations.

38. According to reports, at least 2/3 of these contributions come from daily contributors. Also, online donations keep climbing by 13% in the same year and are expected to continue climbing in the coming years.

39. Besides online giving, corporate donations are climbing, too. But that’s not all. The number of nonprofits in the United States also increased by roughly 20% in 2023, with more than 1.8 million entities present.

40. Corporate donations are also rising, making up 5% of nonprofits’ total support. From 2021 to 2022, their business donations went up 23%.

41. With many worthy causes, charities must creatively share their mission to stand out. Garnering donor awareness and dollars grows more competitive each year.  

42. Over 12.5 million jobs exist within the nonprofit sphere—a sizable segment of private-sector employment. 

43. Additionally, about 25% of nonprofit workers now telecommute, drastically higher than pre-COVID days.  

44. Large nonprofits expanded their follower base by 15% on social media on average. Their online presence proves as vital as traditional outreach these days.

45. Entering 2023, charitable organizations remain on an upward track—receiving funds from more sources, creating jobs, and harnessing digital channels to promote their meaningful work.

Nonprofit Digital Advertising Statistics

46. Nonprofit organizations spent roughly 6 cents of every dollar donated digitally on web advertising in 2021. That’s a 19% jump in their digital ad budget from the previous year. 

47. Of the various online ad platforms, Google Ads generated the best return for them dollar-for-dollar—averaging $4.78 for each $1 spent. 

48. As the leading search provider, Google holds about 84% of the market share and processes over 3.7 billion daily searches. High visibility on Google is pivotal since 98% of search result clicks happen on page one.

49. While smaller, Microsoft Search (Bing, Yahoo) retains a solid 11.5% market share that is still significant.  

50. Google has supplied more than 115,000 charitable groups with over $10 billion in complimentary ad funds through its Ad Grants initiative.

51. On average, nonprofits pay around $1.43 per click on Google Ads. But visibility alone drives donations, too—35% of their online revenue comes from ad views without clicks.

52. Regarding return on ad spend in 2021, search ads performed best at $3.72. Display and social media trailed at $0.59 and $0.57, respectively.

53. The top causes Americans to donate to are food banks, churches, animals, and racial justice. Causes related to the pandemic were also popular in the last couple of years.  

54. Over half – 56% – of Americans give to charity each year. The average yearly amount people donate is around $700. 

55. Baby Boomers and Gen Z tie for the top spot, with 60% and 57% donating to nonprofits, respectively. Since Gen Z will be the biggest generation soon, their passion for social causes and organization stories matters.

Managing digital marketing takes expertise. Working with pros like Getting Attention helps nonprofits maximize programs like Google and Microsoft Ads.

Nonprofit Volunteers and Donors

56. Though only 11% of the population donates, 88% of seniors 78+ donate, giving almost $1400 yearly on average. Millennials tend to give more than Baby Boomers, and Gen Z donates more than Gen X on average.

57. 45% of donors are signed up for monthly recurring donations. Monthly givers donate 42% more overall than one-time givers.  

58. Online donations increased over 12% last year, powered by Millennial and Gen Z comfort with technology. 

59. A pretty big 30% of all Americans volunteered at some point over the past year. 

60. Around 67% of people who donate money to nonprofits also volunteer their time and talents. The two often go hand in hand.

61. For the first time during COVID, more Gen X and Millennial folks volunteered than Baby Boomers. The younger generations stepped up.

62. Most volunteers are married women with kids who went to college and are between 35 and 44.  

63. Food collection and handouts are the top volunteer activities across the US. 

64. When communicating with volunteers and donors, email is preferred by 70%. So newsletters and fundraising appeals do best in inboxes.

Many everyday Americans from all walks of life lend nonprofits a helping hand. Women lead the charge, but younger generations are pitching in more lately. And making sure email lists are up-to-date is critical since most supporters expect to be contacted digitally. Americans’ generosity knows no bounds, especially when the causes deeply resonate with them. With monthly contributions and online platforms now in the picture, lending a hand has never been more convenient.

Conclusion

Charitable groups across America do a world of good for local communities. Their work encompasses feeding the hungry, funding medical breakthroughs, sheltering people without homes, protecting animals – the list goes on. The significance of these charitable organizations continues to grow. At last count, roughly 1.5 million were registered in the US, accounting for 15% of charities worldwide. Additionally, these groups employ around 16 million people, making up about 10% of America’s workforce. Their contributions also factor heavily into national GDP at 5.7%.

While the number of charitable nonprofits has steadily grown at 1.4% yearly over the past two decades, their collective revenue has skyrocketed. In 2000, earnings totalled $1.15 trillion but had doubled to $2.62 trillion by 2016. Although current nationwide figures are unclear, their income has soared over recent years. Despite their commendable goals, these charities handle substantial sums to fund their work. Their operations may be well-intentioned, but the scale of financing involved is monumental.

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