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November 04, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Americans are increasingly looking to nonprofit organizations to address major challenges facing the world and their communities. At the same time, these groups sometimes lack sufficient resources to invest in the growth and development of their employees.
A new consumer survey released Monday by American Express showed that 71% of Americans trusted nonprofits more than they trusted the government or industry to address some of the most pressing concerns of the day.
The survey, “Perspectives on Nonprofits,” was conducted by StrategyOne using the field services of Opinion Research Corp. among 1,044 Americans, aged 18 years or older, between Oct. 25 and 26, in the run-up to the Nov. 2 midterm elections.
It showed that 88% of Americans agreed that funding in today's economic climate is a top concern for nonprofit groups. And 83% agreed that these organizations do not always have the resources they need to invest in their employees—this at a time when the need for skilled and dedicated people to lead nonprofit groups has become more essential than ever.
The survey showed the dilemma facing nonprofits: a large and willing pool of potential employees, but with strong reservations about what they would derive from a nonprofit job. According to the survey, 50% of Americans are interested in working for a nonprofit organization, while 33% are not interested. Forty-one percent of those who are interested in nonprofit employment and 42% who are not believe that working for a nonprofit means earning a smaller salary than they might otherwise earn.
