The Nonprofit Primary Project
 A Candidate Education Initiative of the Nonprofit Congress

The Nonprofit Primary Project is a national effort to put the needs and impact of the nonprofit sector into the national dialogue. Spearheaded by the Nonprofit Congress and the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, the Nonprofit Primary Project will begin in New Hampshire.

The NH Center for Nonprofits will launch the project by piloting a series of “living room chat” style sessions with the Presidential Candidates. The focus of the sessions will be the impact and critical importance of the nonprofit sector. Once the model, which will include a video, is developed in New Hampshire, it will be replicated in other primary states.

National Statistics Show the Value of Nonprofits

America’s economic strength and social stability can only be maintained by recognizing the role and maximizing the capacity of the Nonprofit Sector

The Nonprofit Sector Plays a Major Role in the National Economy:

• Nonprofits represent over 8% of the national GDP, with assets of $2.3 trillion.
• Nonprofits pay 10% of American wages, with a workforce of over 14 million.
• The Nonprofit workforce outnumbers the combined workforces of the utility, wholesale trade, and construction industries. 

The Nonprofit Sector is Valued by Americans:

• 67% of American households give over $200 billion per year to nonprofits
• 60 million Americans (27% of the population) volunteer each year.
• Research shows Americans view nonprofits as commited, caring, and effective
• Nonprofits provide essential social stability for our country:
• Nonprofits work in every community, caring for returning soldiers, rebuilding cities, educating children, providing support to the workforce, nursing the sick, supporting our elders, elevating the arts, mentoring our youth, protecting our natural resources, and nurturing the spirit of our citizens.

The Nonprofit Sector is Vital for America’s Future:

• “They help millions of individuals and families daily…give shape to our boldest dreams, highest ideals, and noblest causes. They turn our beliefs into action – as promoters of democracy, champions of the common good, incubators of innovation, laboratories of leadership, protectors of taxpayers, responders in times of trouble, stimulators of the economy, and weavers of the community fabric.”
  

Sources: Average and Median Amount of Household Giving & Volunteering in 2002, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (March 2006); Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life, Corporation for National & Community Service (April 2007); The Charitable Impulse, Pubic Agenda (2005); Employment in America’s Charities: A Profile, by Lester Salamon, the John Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies (Dec. 2006); Volunteer Growth in America, Corporation for National & Community Service (Dec. 2006); The Declaration for America’s Nonprofits, signed by thousands of citizens, Nonprofit Congress (2006).

A presidential candidate with vision could begin a new dialogue about the social and economic roles of the Nonprofit Sector in America—viewing it as an essential partner in their plan for a common future.

The New Hampshire Nonprofit Sector Statistical Overview

Size

• 6,748 nonprofits registered in New Hampshire ¹
  

Growth

• In June of 2001 there were 5,149 registered nonprofits, thus 1,600 new nonprofits have registered in the past 6 years.²

Economic Factors

• New Hampshire’s nonprofit sector provides 16% of the GSP for the state³
• New Hampshire’s nonprofits reported $9,166,495,451 in gross receipts and $16,626,470,197 in total assets in 2004⁴
  

Employment

• The nonprofit sector employees 13% of New Hampshire’s Work Force⁵
• The NH Bureau of Labor projects an average growth rate of all jobs to be at an expected 1 % for the years 2005-2007. However, jobs in the nonprofit sector are projected to experience between a 4.7 and a 7.2% growth rate⁶

Funding

• Source of revenue for those reporting nonprofits in 2004 reflects the following distribution:
• Government Grants 6%
• Private Contributions 10%
• Program Services Revenue 80%
• Investment Income 3%
• Other 1%⁷

¹ According to the NH Attorney Generals Division of Charitable Trusts
² According to the NH Attorney Generals Division of Charitable Trusts
³ The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies
⁴ IRS Business Master File 12/2004 with modifications by the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute
⁵ The John Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies 2004 report
⁶ The New Hampshire Center for Public Police, The NH Bureau of Labor
⁷ National Center for Charitable Statistics, Urban Institute