The revenue of Oregon’s more than 10,000 nonprofits was roughly $13 billion in 2010, and nonprofits employed 13 percent of private sector workers in the state. These were some of the findings of a recently released study called the Oregon Nonprofit Sector Report (ONSR). A revenue number for 2011 was not available.
The report was produced by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon and Portland State University’s Institute for Nonprofit Management. It surveyed 600 organizations, and analyzed data from 10,429 of the approximately 22,000 nonprofits based in Oregon. Part census and part annual report, it sought to quantify the size and scope of Oregon’s nonprofit sector, its health, and its social and economic impact in 2010 and 2011.
Average pay for Oregon nonprofit employees was slightly less than the state average in 2010: $39,545 for the nonprofits compared to $40,968 statewide. Rural nonprofits paid their employees $1,500 more than average, but urban nonprofit paid $2,800 less than average.
Oregon ranked 14th in the nation in volunteering between 2008 and 2010, with 32.9 percent of the population, or almost 1 million people, volunteering each year. That translates to 38.3 hours per resident, with a total of 115.9 million volunteer hours logged and valued at about $2.5 billion.
Demand for services largely increased in Oregon in 2011 compared to 2010, with 65 percent of surveyed organizations reporting an increase. Only 7 percent reported a decrease in demand for service, and 28 percent said there was no change in demand. About half (52 percent) reported an increase in revenue, compared to 44 percent reporting an increase in 2010. Some 20 percent reported no change in revenue, and 28 percent reported a decrease, slightly higher than the 25 percent that reported a decrease in 2010.
About half of the nonprofits, or 54 percent, reported an increase in expenditures. That number is expected to increase to 62 percent in 2012. Less than half of the organizations surveyed had more than three months of cash reserves, with 24 percent reporting they have less than one month of reserves. Fewer nonprofits in 2011 (43 percent) reported an increase in fundraising revenue compared to 2010 (60 percent). More organizations reported decreased fundraising during 2011 compared to 2010 (28 percent compared to 18 percent) and flat fundraising (31 percent over 22 percent).
In terms of demographics, nonprofits in Oregon are largely white and female. The average nonprofit is 76 percent female, with one-third reporting all staff being female. Nonprofits are actually more diverse than the state of Oregon, however. The average nonprofit staff is 72 percent white, while the state is 84 percent white. Nonprofit boards are fairly evenly split between men and women, with 53 percent being female and 47 percent male.
Services provided by nonprofits were worth about $12 billion in 2010. The majority of charities, 78 percent, said they serve low-income populations, and 44 percent reported they serve children and youth.
