The expanding nonprofit sector contributes more to the U.S. economy now than a decade ago. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of nonprofits surged from 1.1 million to 1.4 million. In 2006, nonprofits contributed $666 billion to the economy and accounted for 5 percent of GDP, 8 percent of the economy's wages, and nearly 10 percent of jobs. But nonprofits face devastating recession-driven revenue shortages that could reverse this trend as donors cut back and foundation endowments shrink.
Urban Institute researchers study the role and impact of nonprofits, performance measurement, nonprofit governance, and charitable giving and volunteering trends.
Many nonprofits lack the know-how or resources to measure their program results, but this information can be critical for improving their activities and reporting to funders. Our Outcome Indicators Project gives nonprofits a performance-tracking framework that delivers timely, meaningful, and practical feedback.
Our National Center for Charitable Statistics—a national storehouse of data on the nonprofit sector—developed an online system for filing IRS Form 990s and state charity forms. E-filing benefits nonprofits, regulators, researchers, and donors. And our e-postcard system for the IRS helps track small nonprofits that aren't required to fill out a Form 990.
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