Things may finally be looking up for American nonprofit organizations. Last year, for the first time since 2007, more than half of nonprofits experienced an increase in charitable receipts, according to a new report by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative.
NRC's study found that 53% of U.S. charities surveyed received more contributions in 2011 than in 2010. Just 16% saw charitable receipts remain flat, compared with 24% a year ago.
Less than a third of charities reported a drop in contributions in 2011, a big improvement over the 46% in 2009 that experienced a decline, NRC said in a statement.
Last year's good news apparently came on the heels of an uptick in contributions during the fourth quarter. "These findings are a pleasant surprise, given that the Collaborative's surveys through September 2011 showed relatively flat levels of fundraising," Andrew Watt, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, an NRC founder, said in the statement.
"We saw a strong surge in year-end giving, helped by the slowly growing economy and people responding to the needs of their communities."
