NCCS | Data & research on the US Nonprofit Sector

The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States.

News from the Center

File Your Form 990 Today!
Whether you are e-filing or mailing a form, NCCS Form 990 Online, can help make the process smooth. Our web site guides you through the schedules and statements; checks the arithmetic; and provides context-specific help to make navigating the new Form 990 easy.

NCCS Community Platform
NCCS combines our data with maps and other new web tools to help communities and nonprofit organizations work together more effectively. Click here to learn more about the NCCS Community Platform. Click here to watch a webinar on the Community Platform tools.

The 2012 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey
The 2012 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey is open now to Jan. 28 and asks about changes in fundraising results. This study also takes a first-ever national look at how boards are engaged in fundraising. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. Your answers will help shape fundraising this year and expectations for board involvement in the future. You get immediate access to current results with submission and can sign up for report. Click here to begin!

Nonprofit Reports

Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study

Nonprofits report being "cut to the bone" in their budgets and fundraising results have not improved over the past year. Nonprofit organizations, particularly smaller entities, are struggling to secure funding for the vital services they provide in their communities. The Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study examines fundraising results and their implications for organizational operations, and alerts managers and donors alike to consider the priorities facing the nonprofit sector in 2012 and beyond.

The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving and Volunteering, 2011

This brief highlights trends from the eighth edition of The Nonprofit Almanac 2011, prepared by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute. We highlight the growth in the number and finances of 501(c)(3) public charities, as well as key findings on private charitable contributions and volunteering.

2010 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey

The winter report from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative discusses fundraising in 2010 by size of organization, type of charity, tactics or fundraising vehicle used, and share of contributions received from different donor types. The survey represents a unique collaboration by the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics with GuideStar, Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Foundation Center, and Blackbaud.

2011 Nonprofit Research Collaborative: Survey on current charitable organizational practices around fundraising

As the fourth quarter of 2011 begins—typically the most important time of year for fundraising—fewer than half of surveyed nonprofits reported fundraising increases during the first half of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010. This report from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative fundraising survey discussing changes in giving in the first half of 2011, fundraising methods, investments in fundraising, and campaigns. The survey represents a unique collaboration by the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics with Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Foundation Center, Giving USA Foundation, Blackbaud, and GuideStar.

Revoked: A Snapshot of Organizations that Lost their Tax-Exempt Status

More than 275,000 organizations have lost their tax-exempt status for failing to file a return with the IRS for three consecutive years. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 required most tax-exempt organizations to file a return with the IRS and called for automatic revocation for nonprofits that failed to file a return for three consecutive years. The majority of organizations are believed to be defunct, but the IRS announced special steps to help existing nonprofits reapply for tax-exemption. This brief provides a snapshot of the nonprofits that have lost their tax exempt status and examines these organizations by type, age and location.

2011 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and the Association of Fundraising Professionals established the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness and help nonprofit organizations increase their fundraising results. Piloted in November 2006, FEP collects fundraising data from nonprofit organizations beginning with data for 2004-2005. The Fundraising Effectiveness Survey enables participating groups to measure and compare their fundraising gain and loss ratios to those of similar organizations. This report incorporates data from the 2,377 responses with 2009-2010 results received as of February, 2011 and covers year-to-year fundraising results for 2010.

2010 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and the Association of Fundraising Professionals established the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness and help nonprofit organizations increase their fundraising results. Piloted in November 2006, FEP collects fundraising data from nonprofit organizations beginning with data for 2004-2005. The Fundraising Effectiveness Survey enables participating groups to measure and compare their fundraising gain and loss ratios to those of similar organizations. This report incorporates data from the 1,982 responses with 2008-2009 results received as of February, 2010 and covers year-to-year fundraising results for 2009.

A Better Measure of Fundraising Success

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and the Association of Fundraising Professionals established the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness (maximizing growth), and help nonprofit organizations increase their fundraising results. The basic FEP concept is that overall growth in giving from one year to the next is the net of gains minus losses, and can be increased most effectively by reducing losses. Piloted in November 2006, FEP collects and publishes annual fundraising data from nonprofit organizations enabling them to measure and compare their fundraising gains and losses to those of similar organizations. This article describes Growth-in-Giving (GiG) reports–a simple, reader-friendly format that provides a picture of fundraising gains and losses. The article illustrates scenarios that support growth-oriented fundraising strategies.

Nonprofit Statistics

NCCS provides numerous tools and resources to help you learn about the US Nonprofit Sector as well as nonprofits working in your community.

Select "U.S. Nonprofit Sector" from the menu on the left to:

Learn quick facts and figures about the nonprofit sector
Generate a listing of nonprofits by state, county or zip code
View Top 10 lists of organization by size and location
Learn about the different types of nonprofits
Create custom reports by type, state, year and other criteria
Read the latest "Nonprofit Sector in Brief" report

Select "Data" from the left-hand menu to:

Learn about the datasets NCCS has available
Download data (request form to access NCCS data)
View other advanced tools