Even though sustainability is somewhat of a buzzword in the sector, it is attainable by any nonprofit through just a few key metrics and internal processes.

We were curious whether or not the average nonprofit organization, and the sector as a whole, is on the road to sustainability.

So we surveyed 600 North American nonprofit organizations to see where they stand. The results of the survey can be found in the infographic below:

Methodology

• The survey was open to the public between 2/28/17 and 3/6/17.
• The survey consisted of the following questions:
  • Have you defined your top 3 organizational priorities for the current calendar/fiscal year?
  • Have you defined your top 3 organizational challenges for the current calendar/fiscal year?
  • Are job descriptions in place for every role in your organization?
  • Did your organization fully utilize a strategic plan last quarter?
  • Did your organization fully utilize a marketing plan last quarter?
  • Did your organization fully utilize a succession plan last quarter?
  • Did your organization fully utilize a fundraising plan last quarter?
  • Did your organization fully utilize a communications plan last quarter to make donors aware of planned giving opportunities?
  • Did your organization measure program impact last quarter?
  • Did the degree of impact increase?
  • Was that impact being reported/communicated externally?
  • Have 1/3rd of your volunteers given financially in the past year?
  • Have all of your board members pledged or given a gift in the past year?
  • Have 3/4ths of your staff given at personally meaningful levels in personally meaningful ways for the past year’s annual gift?
  • Number of months of operating cash on hand (excluding restricted funds)
  • How many total hours were volunteered last quarter?

The Data

• 77% have defined their top 3 organizational priorities for the current calendar/fiscal year
• 66% have defined their top 3 organizational challenges for the current calendar/fiscal year
• 78% have job descriptions in place for every role in their organization
• 46% fully utilized a strategic plan last quarter
• 35% fully utilized a marketing plan last quarter
• 16% fully utilized a succession plan last quarter
• 62% fully utilized a fundraising plan last quarter
• 28% fully utilized a communications plan last quarter to make donors aware of planned giving opportunities
• 59% measured program impact last quarter
  • 47% of those who measured saw that impact increase
  • 49% of those who measured communicated that externally
• 51% saw 1/3rd of their volunteers give financially in the past year
• 59% saw all of their board members pledge or give a gift in the past year
• 39% saw 3/4ths of their staff give at personally meaningful levels in personally meaningful ways for the past year’s annual gift
• Number of months of operating cash on hand (excluding restricted funds):
  • Not sure: 28%
  • 1-3 months: 21%
  • 4-7 months: 21%
  • 8-12 months: 12%
  • 12+ months: 18%
• Total hours were volunteered last quarter:
  • Not sure: 24%
  • 0-10: 4%
  • 11-50: 10%
  • 51-100: 19%
  • 101+: 43%

Takeaways

• goal setters: most organizations have organizational priorities and challenges defined
• know your role: most organizations have written job descriptions in place
• not-so-future-proof: few organizations have a succession plan in place
• what gets measured gets improved: almost half of those who measured impact saw that impact increase
• pitching in: almost half of organizations reported at least 101 total hours volunteered last quarter
• room for improvement: board giving is present in more than half of organizations, but just over a third reported healthy staff giving

How does your organization compare to these results? Let us know in the comments below!

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