The Nonprofit Association of Oregon, along with our state association colleagues in Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Washington, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and Dialogues in Action administered a survey to measure perceptions in capacity and needs to the nonprofit sector during the Spring of 2024. The aim of the survey was to learn more about the capacity of nonprofits in the Northwest and tailor support interventions to meet the identified needs. A big THANK YOU to the 235 nonprofits in Oregon and the 967 nonprofits across the Northwest that took part in the survey!  

Any survey of this kind cannot capture the full spectrum of what nonprofits experience. Also, the perceptions of leaders may diverge at times from the perceptions of others within their organizations. Still, the insights are valuable and illuminate critical strengths and areas for improvement. The survey revealed the relative strength of capacity in each of ten domains using six indicators with a corresponding level of perceived need for support in needed capacity building (including staff, board and organizational development).   

After a summer of data crunching and analysis (drumroll!), I am proud to announce the release of both the Oregon-specific and Northwest Five State reports.

 

A few examples of the findings and our takeaways in Oregon:

  1. Nonprofits in Oregon rate themselves highest in their identity, clarity of cause and purpose, and alignment of their priorities to their mission. 
  2. The overwhelming sense that there are not enough resources and people to do this work came through clearly as the highest need stated. This matches the constant pressures nonprofit leaders feel as fundraising and business models have changed. 
  3. The data shows nonprofits and philanthropy must find ways to engage more fully in discussions with elected officials and policymakers. Nonprofits (including foundations) must nudge the government towards impactful strategies (rather than basic outputs) and unleash the billions of dollars of government money that can make real change in our communities. 

There is much more information in the reports. I strongly encourage you to download and read these reports. They act as an important health check for some of the most important opportunities and challenges we have in our sector. NAO will be scheduling a webinar and some in-person discussions on the findings around the state in the coming months. We look forward to connecting with you, hearing your thoughts on the findings and identifying the necessary resources and supports you need going into 2025. I also want to point out that when we cross tabulated the data to see which participants are NAO members and which were not, the NAO members and those that come to NAO events showed significant and marked capacity scores above the organizations that were not. Thank you, NAO members, for proving our model works. If you’re not yet an NAO member, please consider joining the network with thousands of your peers across the state!  

With the survey data fresh in our minds, we have developed our Fall Network Series, webinars and Policy Labs to reflect some of the important needs we heard you express. As you’ll see in the rest of this Update and on our website, you can pick and choose various capacity building and advocacy learning sessions that are tailored to the needs of your organization (including an intimate nonprofit focused discussion with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici!). There are also some great sessions coming up with our partners at Miller Nash LLC and Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington that you should check out. I really hope to see you somewhere around the state or online this fall.  

And please make sure that you take time for yourself and your family. Everywhere in Oregon in the fall is beautiful. Take those mental health breaks and enjoy the wonders of our state. We need you able to continue to carry on the important work you do for all Oregonians.