Frequently Asked Questions

The NCCS FAQs provide answers to many frequently asked questions about the nonprofit sector.  More detailed technical notes are also available by clicking on the "FAQ+/KnowledgeBase" link on the left.

• General Nonprofit Information
• Nonprofit Funding and Finances
• Nonprofit Employment and Wages Information
• Foundation Information
• Charitable Giving
• Legal Questions
• Data Request Information
• Data Files Questions
• Contact Information

General Nonprofit Information

What are nonprofit organizations?

Formal organizations in the United States are typically thought about in three broad categories:a) Business and industry, or "for-profit" organizations;b) Government, including state, local, and federal agencies that provide services and regulation;c) Nonprofit organizations, that qualify for tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code because they are organized for the specific purposes stated in the Code. Although there are legal distinctions among nonprofit organizations and different reporting requirements, all are exempt from paying federal income taxes. About half of nonprofits - called charitable organizations - are exempt under Section 501(c)(3). This status permits donations to charities to be tax-deductible to the donor.

Are all nonprofit organizations public charities?

Public charities represent a substantial portion of the nonprofit sector, but not all nonprofit organizations are public charities. Public charities receive their tax-exemption under subsection (3) of Section 501(c). This privileged status allows donors to make tax-deductible contributions to the organization. The IRS defines these organizations as "charitable" because they serve broad public purposes, including educational, religious, scientific, and the literary activities, among others, as well as the relief of poverty and other public benefit actions.

Private foundations are also charitable organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3), but are not public charities. Most private foundations are created to distribute money to public charities or individuals. They must meet strict guidelines requiring distribution of a proportion of their assets each year.

Other types of tax-exempt organizations include social welfare organizations (501(c)(4)), labor and agricultural associations (501(c)(5)), business leagues (501(c)(6)), and fraternal beneficiary societies (501(c)(8)).

What is the difference between a "nonprofit" and a "not-for-profit" organization?

There is no legal distinction and the terms are often used interchangeably.

How do nonprofit organizations differ from for-profit organizations?

Generally, the purposes of nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations differ and the purpose of a nonprofit forms the basis of its formal exemption from paying federal income taxes. Additionally, unlike for-profit organizations, most nonprofit organizations are legally constrained from distributing residual earnings to individuals who exercise control over the firm, such as officers, directors, or members. Nonprofit organizations are not prohibited from earning profits or paying reasonable compensation to employees, but they must devote any surplus to the continuing operation of the organization or distribute it to noncontrolling persons.

Which nonprofit organizations are required to file with the IRS? Do they file the Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF?

There is a difference between registration and filing. Tax-exempt organizations with more than $5,000 in annual gross receipts must register with the IRS, but they don't have to file the annual information report until they reach annual gross receipts of $25,000. Religious congregations have automatic Section 501(c)(3) status and are not required to register or file. Foundations of any size must register and file.

Nonprofit organizations with over $25,000 in annual gross receipts are required to file Form 990 with the IRS. Organizations that have gross receipts between $25,000 and $100,000 and less than $250,000 in total assets at the end of the year can opt to file a shorter form called Form 990-EZ. Private foundations of any size file Form 990-PF. Since some funders require Form 990, some smaller nonprofit organizations do file Form 990 even though they are not required to do so by the IRS.

How many nonprofit organizations are there in the United States?

In 2006, there were over 1.48 million exempt organizations that had formally obtained recognition of their tax-exempt status from the IRS. In addition, there are many other organizations that are not required to register with the IRS. These fall primarily into two categories. First, organizations with less than $5,000 in gross receipts each year are not required to register although an unknown percentage do so nonetheless. This category includes many (but not all) neighborhood associations, PTAs and community theater companies. The total number of these small organizations is unknown with scholars offering widely varying estimates. Second, of the more than 300,000 religious congregations, approximately half voluntarily register with the IRS although they are not required to do so. See the NCCS FAQ+/KnowledgeBase to learn more.

To learn more about the number and types of nonprofit organizations that have filed with the IRS in the United States, please click here.

How many nonprofit organizations are in each state?

Information on charitable and other nonprofit organizations by state is available on this website. Click below to view:

• State profiles
• National profile

Information on the distribution of other tax-exempt organizations is not available.

What are the biggest public charities in the United States by assets or expenses?

Click here to see the NCCS list of top ten charities by major group (arts, health, human service, etc).

The Chronicle of Philanthropy and the NonProfit Times also compile lists periodically.

Please note that these lists vary because of different criteria. For example, some lists may exclude supporting organizations (those that primarily support programs of other charities, such as United Ways) or higher education institutions or hospitals.

Do you have information on the number and types of nonprofit organizations in major cities across the United States? Over time?

NCCS information is based on Forms 990 filed annually by charities with the IRS. While NCCS researchers complete specific projects and annually summarize the scope of the nonprofit sector on a national and state basis, we typically do not create databases for specific cities. NCCS will provide data to researchers for their own analyses. To order data, please fill out a Data Request Form. You should also review the listing of NCCS databases and other data-related FAQs for additional information.

How many public charities have failed in the past decade? The past year?

Organizations registered with the IRS are supposed to notify the IRS when they formally dissolve. However, many organizations fade away gradually and do not formally notify the IRS. Some organizations may be inactive for a number of years but eventually secure new funding or volunteers and become active again. The IRS has periodically mailed postcards to organizations that haven't filed a Form 990 over several years. However, many of these postcards cannot be delivered due to outdated addresses. In 2008, the IRS will begin requiring organizations that do not file Form 990s (or 990-EZs or 990-PFs) to complete an online "epostcard" to let the IRS know that they are still in business. Organizations that do not respond within three years will be removed from the list of registered organizations. An IRS study of "nonfilers" conducted in the 1990s found that 21 percent of the nonprofit organizations in the IRS Business Master File that had not filed a Form 990 could no longer be located, indicating that they had probably ceased operations.

Over the five year period from 2000 to 2005, 16% of organizations that filed IRS Form 990s in the 2000 time period failed to file in 2005. This means that they either dropped below the $25,000 filing threshold or went out of business. Click here to learn more from our FAQ+.

How do you determine the health of organizations in the nonprofit sector? Do nonprofits suffer from inefficiency, governance or management problems, or budget issues?

These issues are given considerable thought by researchers within the nonprofit field. Although we do not offer guidelines on what constitutes a healthy or unhealthy organization, NCCS data have proven useful to compute various measures of organizational financial health. However, a full portrait requires an understanding of an organization's programs, management and environment.

For more information pertaining to these issues:

• Urban Institute's homepage Search for articles, reports and books.
• For scholarly articles, ARNOVA's Abstracts Database is an excellent source.
• Other resources can be found on our wiki website at http://nccs.jot.com/Practitioner%20Resources

Do you have statistics available with regard to nonprofit organizations and their use of the Internet? How are nonprofits making use of the Internet for fundraising and membership?

There are a number of studies and surveys on the use of technology by nonprofits. Check out websites of The Foundation Center or Independent Sector for additional information.

Do you have website addresses for nonprofit organizations?

Currently, NCCS does not have website addresses for nonprofit organizations. However, Form 990s (since the 2001 form) include an optional field for organizations' URLs, which will be collected as they are filed. Many nonprofits have also provided their URLs to GuideStar.org.

Who should I contact if I have concerns about the integrity or practices of a particular nonprofit organization?

NCCS is not a regulatory agency. Charities are regulated at the federal and state levels.

• At the state level: Contact your state's charity office, typically a part of the Office of the Attorney General or the Office of the Secretary of State. You can find the appropriate contact at the National Association of State Charity Officials website.
• At the federal level: Contact the IRS.

Other groups investigating charities include Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, Charitable Choices, The American Institute of Philanthropy, and the Charities Review Council.

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Nonprofit Funding and Finances

On average, what percentage of a nonprofit's budget is spent on fundraising? How are these expenses broken down? What percentage of an average public charity's budget is spent on overhead? A private foundation?

Most people who ask about the percentage of a charity's budget spent on fundraising or administration are really interested in knowing what percentage of the organization's expenses are spent on programs. They want some assurance that the organization meets a minimum level of efficiency, that funds contributed are not just going to raise more funds and that its purpose is not to provide its own employees with jobs.

Watchdog groups provide various guidelines for nonprofit management and fundraising activity. For example, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance recommends that nonprofits spend at least 65% of its annual expenses on program activity, while the American Institute of Philanthropy sets its minimum standard at 60% of expenses. The United Way of the National Capital Area, on the other hand, sets its minimum requirement for agencies that receive funds at 80% of total expenses spent on programs.

Click here to find an NCCS summary of some of the current guidelines on fundraising and administrative ratios. An organization's program, fundraising, or administrative ratios can vary widely based on a number of organizational characteristics. For example, an established university with lots of wealthy alumni may have much lower fundraising expenses as a percentage of total expenses than a newly formed nonprofit with no established contributor base.

How efficient are an organization's fundraising efforts? How much does a nonprofit spend on overhead costs?

One easily calculated measure of a nonprofit's efficiency in fundraising is the ratio of fundraising expenses (Form 990, line 15) divided by public support (Form 990, line 1a). There are many opinions about the appropriate level of fundraising and factors such as size and type of organization that affect the ratio. Some economists argue that the ideal level of fundraising is reached when it costs one dollar to raise the last dollar of contributions. Other theories are more conservative. All nonprofit executives will agree, however, that it takes money to raise money.

Click here to learn more about the findings from the Nonprofit Overhead Cost Study, a joint project of Urban Institute and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. We found a great deal of variation in what organizations consider to be fundraising expenses. Thus, we chose not to publish standards or benchmarks. However, we do provide information on common practices and pitfalls and some broad ranges for different types of organizations. We recommend reviewing the policy briefs and guide books to learn more.

Where can I find information about possible sources of funding for my organization?

The Foundation Center maintains a database of grantmaking organizations in the United States. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also lists grants in each of its issues. Regional associations of grantmakers often provide a listing of grants available within specific regions or states.

Use a web search engine to find the numerous additional websites that may be useful in locating funders.

What percentage of an average public charity's total revenue comes from individuals? From grantmaking foundations? From corporations?

The major source of information on the financing of charities comes from the Form 990, but their funding are all combined on the direct and indirect "private contributions" lines. Thus, there is no way to separate these funding sources on the Form 990.

The Giving USA Foundation publishes national estimates based on a number of sources each year in their Giving USA report. For 2006, Giving USA reported the following national totals:

• Individuals: $222.89 billion (75.6%)
• Foundations: $36.5 billion (12.4%)
• Bequests: $22.91 billion (7.8%)
• Corporations: $12.72 billion (4.3%)

What percentage of an average public charity's total revenue comes from government?

Government support for charities is difficult to measure because it comes in different forms and is reported on the IRS Form 990 in several places. A grant to provide a service for the public, for example, is reported under "Government contributions (grants)" on Form 990, line 1c, while a contract to provide a service or good to the government itself is reported under "Program service revenue" on Form 990, line 2. Program service revenue is further divided into revenue from Medicare/Medicaid and from government fees and contracts, as well as other contracts.

In 2004, government grants only made up about 9 percent of revenue for all reporting charities (about $100 billion), but represented a higher proportion for human service, international, and public benefit organizations. This amount does not include  government funding from Medicare and Medicaid, and the revenue from contracts for providing services directly to the government, all of which are reported under program service revenues on the Form 990. (Medicare and Medicaid revenues are drastically underreported on the Form 990.  See the latest Nonprofit Almanac 2008 for more information and new estimates for these sources.)

A third source of government support for charities is more indirect, as individuals may receive grants or subsidies and then use them to pay fees for services and goods provided by nonprofits. This would include, for example, primary and secondary school vouchers or college scholarships. Further research is necessary to measure this source of government support for charities.

The US Census Bureau has a very useful website containing information on Federal grants going to nonprofits and state and local governments. Under the requirements of the Single Audit Act, any state, local government, or nonprofit that receives $300,000 or more per year in grants from the Federal Government must have an audit conducted, and the US Census Bureau serves as a clearinghouse for the data. The Census Bureau maintains the Federal Audit Clearinghouse and has a very user-friendly online system for accessing the data. (This information was provided by Gordon Green, VP for Research, INDEPENDENT SECTOR.)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING THE FEDERAL AUDIT CLEARINGHOUSE

Go to the Census Bureau homepage at http://www.census.gov

1. Under the category Business, click on Government.
2. This is the Governments Division home page. Scroll to the bottom, and under the category Special Topics click on Federal Audit Clearinghouse.
3. You can click Single Audit Reference Information for background information about the clearinghouse, but click Search the Single Audit Database to access the data directly.
4. You will see a disclaimer, but scroll to the bottom and click Retrieve Records.
5. Several options are available to search the clearinghouse, but I prefer number four, Advanced Entity Search.
6. Under Organizational Types, scroll to the bottom and click Non-Profit.
7. You can now enter whatever information you choose to find the nonprofit (auditee) or any other criteria desired.

Discussions of government support for charities are included in The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 published by the Urban Institute. The "New Nonprofit Almanac and Desk Reference" published by Jossey-Bass in 2002 provides data for older time periods.

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Nonprofit Employment and Wages Information

Do you have information on nonprofit executive compensation?

SOURCE: PULSE Newsletter, Oct 2002, edited by Alliance for Nonprofit Management. More than 1,300 nonprofit organizations, reporting on over 51,000 employees in 125 benchmark jobs, participated in a recent study on compensation in nonprofit organizations. Abbott, Langer and Associates conducted the study, and a report of the results is available for purchase.

Findings include: while the median income of nonprofit CEOs is $81,000, some of the highest-paid CEOs in nonprofit organizations make well over $600,000; median annual compensation of CEOs is highest in business-related trade associations ($122,697), health and welfare-related professional societies ($118,000), foundations ($95,050), educational organizations ($93,000), and performing arts organizations ($85,000); and, the median annual compensation of CEOs is lowest in chambers of commerce/associations of commerce and industry ($41,750), advocacy/consumer organizations ($56,881), aging/senior citizen organizations ($57,183), housing/shelter organizations ($63,000), and development disabilities care-providing organizations ($72,508). In the report, compensation data are reported by region, state, and metropolitan area,and by each of certain variables in relation to type of organization (for example, number of employees in relation to operating budget). For information about purchasing the report, visit the Abbott, Langer and Associates website or call 708-672-4200.

What do you know about employee turnover rates among nonprofit organizations?

According to the Council on Foundations, the average annual turnover rate for associations is 24%, but there appears to be wide variation among nonprofit subsectors. For example, employee turnover has become such a widespread problem in child welfare agencies that the Child Welfare League of America has formed national workgroups to address annual turnover rates often in the 100%-300% range.

Where can I find salary information on nonprofit employees?

Charities report salary information on the Form 990 in several places. (Please see our data dictionaries for a description of variables contained here.)

• Part II (Statement of Functional Expenses) lists total organizational expenditures on salaries, wages, and benefits and allocates them by program services, management and fundraising expenses.
• Part V (Officers, Directors and Key Employees) lists titles and amounts of compensation. A key employee is any person having responsibilities or power similar to those of officers, directors or trustees. Department managers are not considered key employees.
• Schedule A (Part I) lists the five highest paid employees that are paid more than $50,000 per year, other than officers, directors or trustees.

There are several other sources of information on nonprofit employee salaries.

• GuideStar's reports and tools on compensation practices within the nonprofit sector.
• Other surveys are available for sale. Some state nonprofit associations, such as the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and industry associations collect salary statistics each year for their particular region or industry. ERI (Economic Research Institute) is another trusted source of compensation data. Use a web search engine to locate the most recent information.

Do you keep nonprofit employment statistics?

Yes. However, the Form 990 has only required the number of employees to be listed since 1997. Our NCCS/PRI National Nonprofit Research Database includes this variable, but no historical data are available from the Form 990 data.

Additional sources for this information include:

The Center for Civil Society Studies in the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University is currently working on a nonprofit employment data project.

A detailed discussion on wage and employment trends is presented in The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 published by the Urban Institute in May 2008.

A summary of statistics on nonprofit employment is available in Independent Sector's New Nonprofit Almanac IN BRIEF.

Do you have statistics on nonprofit volunteers or volunteer hours? What is the worth of a volunteer hour?

Information regarding volunteer hours and volunteering can be found at:

• The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 published by the Urban Institute.
• A brief summary can be found in THE NONPROFIT SECTOR IN BRIEF Facts and Figures from the Nonprofit Almanac 2008: Public Charities, Giving, and Volunteering (2008).
• A summary on volunteering data before the 2008 Brief can be found in the NCCS Nonprofit Sector in Brief (2007).
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics supplement to the September U.S. Current Population Survey
• Independent Sector's 2001 Giving and Volunteering survey
• Nonprofit Almanac & Desk Reference, published by Jossey-Bass in 2002.
• The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland

Independent Sector offers the most well publicized estimation of the worth of a volunteer hour. However, researchers differ on how best to calculate the value of volunteer time.

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Foundation Information

Where can I find information on foundations?

NCCS creates a file from IRS data from Forms 990-PF that is available for research purposes. For a listing of variables available, click on the corresponding Data Dictionary.

To view the Form 990-PF for a specific foundation, click here or visit GuideStar.

Both The Foundation Center and the Council on Foundations are also important sources of information on foundations.

Where can I find a list of private foundations ranked by size? What are the top ten private foundations in the United States by assets? By total giving?

The Foundation Center publishes a list of the largest private foundations by asset size and by total giving. Information on the largest foundations in each state is also available.

Where can I find possible sources of funding for my nonprofit organization?

The Foundation Center maintains a database of grantmaking organizations in the United States. The Chronicle of Philanthropy also lists grants in each of its issues. Regional associations of grantmakers often provide a listing of grants available within specific regions or states.

Use a web search engine to find the numerous additional websites that may be useful in locating funders.

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