Non Profit Staffing Remains Problematic

In a recent survey of non-profit organizations in six fields conducted by the John Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies showed that a staggering percentage of the nonprofits surveyed, 40 percent to be exact, lacked an adequate staff for delivering services and programs. The six fields covered in the survey, titled the Listening Post survey as part of Johns Hopkins Listening Post Project, included children and family service agencies, elderly housing and service organizations, community and economic development organizations and museums, theaters and orchestras.

Lester Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies said, "The pressures on nonprofits have accelerated and are clearly taking their toll. Organizations have shown enormous resilience and commitment to their critical missions, but this has come at a price."

In the six-moth period preceding the Listening Post survey (October 2009-March 2010), close to a third of the organizations surveyed reported workforce reductions. In the previous Johns Hopkins survey, 34 percent of nonprofit reported employee cutbacks and 41 percents postponed hiring in the six-month period of September 2008 to March 2009. Changes in employment as recorded in the survey varied from field to field.

Also included in the survey was a question about the impact of the Federal HIRE Act, a recently enacted bill providing employers' portion of payroll taxes. Only 15 percent of the 526 organizations surveyed believed that the act would encourage hiring within their organization. Most of the organizations responding claimed that the relief provided by the HIRE Act was not enough and did not cover enough time to affect their ability to employ more staff.

Peter Goldberg, chair of the Listening Post Project Steering Committee commented on the results, "Nonprofits have been stretched to the breaking point. It is crucial to take steps now to help sustain the vital work of America's nonprofit organizations."