The number of nonprofits in the US has increased in 2024, and there are new positive and negative statistics available that reveal the challenges and opportunities in this growing sector. It makes sense for your nonprofit to take a moment to examine these statistics and consider how to meet the challenges your organization will face in 2024 and beyond.
The following statistics in this article come from surveys and research compiled by Donorbox, Double the Donation, Nonprofit Tech for Good, FORVIS, Impact SEO, Global Trends in Giving Report, Website Builder Expert, GivingTuesday, Great Nonprofits, NextAfter, Information Systems Security Association, and NTEN.
General Nonprofit Statistics
Positive statistics
- The United States has more than 1.8 million nonprofit organizations.
- The number of nonprofits has grown at a steady rate of 1.4% annually over the last 20 years.
- More than 10% of companies in the US are nonprofit organizations representing about 6% of the US economy.
- 40% of nonprofits are religious organizations, schools, and foundations.
- The total revenue of nonprofits has grown from a little more than $1 trillion in 2000 to about $3 trillion.
- 71% of nonprofits have seen an increase in demand for their programs and services.
Negative statistics
- 68% of nonprofits plan to cut programs & services in the next one to two years.
- 47% of nonprofit organizations report rising operating expenses.
- 42% of nonprofits report a lack of adequate finances/resources.
- Only 50% of nonprofits are successful, and 30% of them will cease to exist after ten years.
IT and Cybersecurity Statistics
Positive statistics
- 94% of nonprofits have websites that are optimized for mobile browsing.
- 68% of nonprofit organizations have redesigned their websites within the last three years.
- 68% of nonprofits have a website security plan in place.
- 84% of nonprofits have an SSL.
- 75% of nonprofits use the .org domain for their primary website and email communications.
- 68% of online donors have more trust in websites and email addresses that use the .org domain.
Negative statistics
- Nonprofits average a 60-70% website bounce rate – website experts note that a good bounce rate is between 40% or below. 25% of website visitors will abandon a website if it takes more than four seconds to load.
- 27% of nonprofits worldwide have experienced a cyberattack.
- 80% of nonprofits have no plans or strategy ready in the event of a cyberattack.
- 56% of nonprofit organizations do not utilize multi-factor authentication for passwords and logins.
- Less than 30% of nonprofits have performed a vulnerability assessment.
- Only 41% of nonprofits provide any cybersecurity training to their staff on a regular basis. In addition, most organizations that offer training only provide it on an annual basis.
Donor Statistics
Positive statistics
- 60% of American households engage in charitable giving.
- Individuals donated $319.04 billion in 2023, which accounted for 64% of total donations.
- The average donor’s one-time gift was $121 (up from $115) and monthly gifts were $25 (up from $24)
- 97% of donors report that the impact of their gift is their main motivation for giving as opposed to tax deductions or other reasons.
- Frequent, consistent communication with online donors results in a 41.5% increase in revenue.
- 72% of individuals say that the presence of a charity rating badge increases their likelihood of giving.
- 85% of US donors also volunteer, and 81% attend nonprofit fundraising events.
- 81% of donors contribute food or other goods to nonprofits through in-kind donations.
- Giving Tuesday 2023 raised $3.1 billion—0.6% higher than 2022.
- Corporate giving increased over 15% for 60% of companies. Corporations collectively donated more than $21 billion to nonprofits, which was a rise of 3.4%
- $2–$3 billion is donated through corporate matching gift programs annually.
- 84% of individual donors expressed a higher inclination to donate if a matching gift opportunity were provided by their company
- The number of transactions completed through mobile devices increased by 50%.
Negative statistics
- The number of new donors has fallen by 18.1%.
- Although individuals donated more in 2023, the total amount given declined 6.4% from 2021 or 13.4% with inflation.
- Retained donor engagement has dropped 18.2%, and the number of repeat retained donors who gave at least two years in a row has declined 2%.
- The number of recaptured donors, representing getting donations from lapsed former donors, dropped by 3.5%.
- The availability of online payment apps appealing to younger donors continues to lag. For example, only 33% of nonprofit organizations use Apple Pay and only 24% offer Google Pay as a payment option.
- More than 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs, but over 78% of this group are unaware that their company offers such a program or know any program specifics. As a result of this lack of program awareness, an estimated $6–$10 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year.
- For every 1,000 fundraising emails sent, nonprofits only raise an average of $90.
- Online donation pages had an average conversion rate of only 8% on mobile devices last year.
- 10% fewer people participated in Giving Tuesday 2023.
Human Resources Statistics
Positive statistics
- Nonprofits employ 10% of the US workforce making them the third largest employment sector behind manufacturing and retail.
- 74% of nonprofits have job vacancies.
- 76% of volunteers to an organization will also donate to it.
- The estimated value of one volunteer hour currently stands at $31.80.
Negative statistics
- 37% of nonprofits report limited staff capacity.
- 82% of employers report that their staff has a shortage of cybersecurity skills. Nonprofit organizations frequently complain about this critical issue when surveyed.
- 30% of nonprofit leaders report difficulty recruiting and retaining quality staff.
- 45% of nonprofit employees said they would quit their jobs by 2025.
- 25% of exiting nonprofit employees reported they would not look for a new job in the nonprofit sector.
Consult with a Nonprofit IT Expert
Our most important recommendation for nonprofits wishing to overcome the challenges and exploit the opportunities represented by the statistics above is simple: Work closely with a trusted IT Support partner such as Network Depot, which has been helping nonprofits meet their IT and organizational objectives for more than 30 years.
A trusted IT Support partner will ensure that your IT is operating optimally to achieve your noble mission. In addition, they will be able to offer your organization valuable advice learned from years of experience working with a diverse set of nonprofit clients.
With the valuable expert help of a dependable IT Support partner, your unique nonprofit organization will be able to thrive in a challenging economic environment.